noun
primitive society
Anthropological term for a society without modern technology or complex institutions; may carry outdated or colonial connotations in English, but in Japanese it is a neutral descriptive term.
未開社会の研究は文化人類学の重要な分野だ。
The study of primitive societies is an important field of cultural anthropology.
原始社会 (primitive/primeval society) is a broader term often used for early human societies in general, while 未開社会 specifically emphasizes a lack of development or contact with modern civilization.
Compound of 未開 (みかい, 'uncivilized, unopened') and 社会 (しゃかい, 'society'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the term is a modern academic coinage.