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secular and sacred societies, types of societies that elicit from their members either the willingness and ability to respond to new cultural elements (secular society) or the unwillingness or inability to change (sacred society). In a sacred society the new is opposed because the social actions involved in its acceptance are thought to be improper, unseemly, disrespectful, or disloyal. In a secular society, on the other hand, there may be a liking for the new and different—e.g., clothing styles and slang expressions that change every year. They are organized along more flexible principles, which allow for more variation.
A secular society is accessible to contact with other societies; its value system is permeable. A sacred society lacks intersocietal communication because of geographical or physical isolation, absence of effective social relations, or psychological factors that prevent communication with representatives of other value systems.
Its value system is thereby impermeable.
In this usage, as developed by American sociologist Howard Becker, “sacred” is not synonymous with “holy” or “religious,” nor is “secular” synonymous with “profane” or “irreligious.” Sacred is used more broadly, to describe that which is protected against violation or defilement. Nonreligious as well as religious objects, customs, and ideas that are venerated and inviolable may be considered sacred. Nazi Germany, as well as the Geneva theocracy of John Calvin, are examples of a sacred society. The sacred—secular dichotomy is not identical with urban—rural, nonliterate— literate, ancient—modern, or folk—state typologies, for different features are used in defining these types. Urban areas, for example, can be sacred or secular, as the terms are used here.
