UNDERSTANDING CULTURE, SOCIETY AND POLITICS • Examines government functions and how decisions and policies are made.

Culture Political Economy

• the set of beliefs, ideas, values, practices, knowledge, history and shared • Evaluates the interplay between economics, politics and law and its
experiences, attitudes as well as material objects and possessions, implication.
accumulated over time and shared by the members of society. Comparative Politics
• Compares domestics’ politics and governance systems across different
Politics sovereign states (independent authority state).
Identity Society and Culture
What factors forge identities?
• sexual orientation and gender ( male, female, transgenders, transsexuals, Society
intersex) • a group of individuals sharing a common culture, geographical location and
• Nationality government.
• Religion, etc. • a community, nation or broad grouping of people having common traditions,
institutions and collective activities and interests.
Question: Why identities are important?
• Identities shape both individual and group behavior as well as people’s view A society is characterized by the presence of the following elements:
about other people and society. • Social solidarity, whereby members of the community live together for mutual
benefit.
Anthropology, Sociology and Political Science • Shared identity and culture. Serves as basis for people’s pattern of action
• Systematic study of the biological, cultural and social aspects of man. and behavior.
Social anthropology • A common language.
• A large population and the ability to sustain succeeding generations of
Studies how social patterns , practices and cultural variation develop across
members.
different societies.
• Definite geographical area.
Cultural anthropology • Presence of political, economic, and social organization.
-Studies cultural variation among societies and the need to understand each Five Major Types of Societies According to Social Scientist:
culture in its own context. 2. Horticultural and pastoral societies
Linguistic anthropology • A gradual shift from the hunting and gathering lifestyle for a more sedentary
life.
 Studies language and discourse and how they reflect and shape different • Agriculture is introduced for more stable food production whereby societies
aspects of human society and culture. depend on cultivation of plants and domestication of animals as a source of
 Sociology food.
The study of human social life, groups and society. It incorporates other 3) Agricultural societies
disciplines and present new insights on the different aspects of society • Food production became more efficient due to new methods of farming, the
(culture, gender, race and ethnicity). inventions of more advance tools and the establishment of permanent
It seeks to explain the basis of social order and social change. settlements.
Improvements in social policy and welfare (gov’t program for poor and
unemployed) rely on the research performed by sociologists. 4) Industrial societies
• Agricultural societies transformed into industrial societies during and after the
• Question: What makes Sociology different from Anthropology? Industrial Revolution.
Political Science • Technological advancements resulted in the invention of machines that
improve production.
Political Science is divided into various areas of interest:
Public Administration 5. Post-industrialist societies
• emphasizes not the production of goods, but of services, which depend on
intelligent designers and users of technology.
culture
• The set of beliefs, ideas, values, practices, knowledge, history and shared
experiences, attitudes as well as material objects and possessions,
accumulated over time and shared by the members of society.
The Two Primary Types of Culture
• Material culture
• refers to the physical objects, resources, and spaces that people use to
define their culture. These include homes, neighborhoods, cities, schools,
churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, offices, factories and plants, tools,
means of production, goods and products, stores, and so forth.
• Non-material culture
• refers to a wide range of cultural components that are not physical items.
Some examples of non-material culture are symbols, language, values and
social norms.
Society and Culture According to the Three Disciplines
SOCIETY AND CULTURE ACCORDING TO ANTHROPOLOGY
• Anthropology considers culture as the central focus of its discipline.
Anthropology examines and provides explanations for the existence of different
cultural patterns as well as the similarities and differences between cultures.
• Anthropologist have adapted two major views on how cultures should be
considered in comparison to others: ethnocentric approach and relativistic
approach.
Ethnocentric approach
• The belief that one’s own culture is superior to others.
Ethnocentrism
• Diminishes or “invalidates” other ways of life and creates a distorted view of
one’s own. Extreme forms of ethnocentrism have led to wars or colonization.
Cite example of ethnocentrism.
Xenocentrism
• The tendency to consider their culture as inferior to others.
Cite example of xenocentrism.
Relativistic approach
• Considers cultures as equal and holds that there are no “superior” and
“inferior” cultures and each is unique in its own way.
Cultural relativism
• Recognizes and accepts the cultural difference between societies.
SOCIETY AND CULTURE ACCORDING TO SOCIOLOGY
• Sociology relates culture with the overall context of social order.
Structural functionalism
• Believes that society is a stable and orderly system, also consider culture as
a glue that binds society together, leading to social order.
Conflict theory
• a theory propounded by Karl Marx that claims society is in a state of
perpetual conflict due to competition for limited resources.
• It holds that social order is maintained by domination and power, rather than
consensus and conformity.
Symbolic interactionism
• Views individual and group behavior and social interactions as defining
features of society.
• Believe that culture provides shared meanings to the members of society.
SOCIETY AND CULTURE ACCORDING TO POLITICAL SCIENCE
• Political Science also examines culture as a vital aspect of society. Culture is
seen an important element in building social capital and could also lead to
future conflicts and division.
Multiculturalism
• An ideology that acknowledges and promotes cultural diversity within society.
• Entails the establishment of political groups and institutions comprised of
people from diverse cultures.
Cultural sensitivity
• Instead of cultural relativism, some have advance concept of cultural
sensitivity.
• Cultural relativism implies that all aspects of a particular culture should be
accepted and even celebrated.
• Cultural sensitivity advances awareness and acceptance of cultural
differences but encourages a critical stance in dealing with issues regarding
diversity.
• This view believes that not all cultural practices, traditions and views can be
integrated.