CULTURE AND SOCIETY: THE PERSPECTIVES OF ANTHROPOLOGY AND SOCIOLOGY GROUP 1 CAL ORINE BERNARDO MALUAGDEFINITION OF TERMS SOCIETY (sociology) - Constitution of social actors in constant interaction. CULTURE (anthropologic) - a set of practices and traditions that define a specific society. The ‘inclusive’ approach to understand the utility of culture and society as explanatory tools is hoped to provide an appreciation of their usefulness that transgresses the traditional barriers known as disciplinal boundaries.SOCIETY AS A CONCEPT m ‘SOCIETY’ was coined by social scientists to facilitate their exploration of social phenomena. A m Society represents an ideal type, which more or less depicts the form, process, and dynamics of the social reality it embodies. m It is a tool to grasp the a eae TE le Sa aRSOCIETY AS A FACTILITY SOCIETY is formally defined as constituting a fairly large number of people who are living in the same territory, are relatively independent of people outside their area, and participate in a common culture. SOCIETY is seen as an outcome of multiple interactions of people upon which succeeding interactions are made meaningful and possible.WHAT MAKES SOCIETY POSSIBLE: THREE THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES 1. STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONAL 2. CONFLICT THEORY 3. SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM Q: What makes Society Possible?STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM AND SOCIAL ORDER m Argues that society is made possible by cooperation and independence m This view sees society as a system with parts, and these parts have their respective function to perform. m The health and condition of the entire system is dependent on these two process of fucntions and interdependenceCONFLICT THEORY AND CONFLICT mw Instead of putting importance to social order, the conflict perspective sees society as an arena. ( Social actors are gladiators fighting for their very lives. The winner takes the rewards and is assured of freedom.) = Conflict approach do not take the usual assumptions about nature and ethos of conflict. Rather than emphasizing competition, this view sees conflict asCONFLICT THEORY AND CONFLICT = Conflict makes change and dynamism - features of society that have not been clearly conceived by the structural functional theory. Conflict brings a new set of relations and interactions, which produces new dynamism in society.SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM AND MEANING MAKING m Unlike the previous two theories, symbolic interactionism does not deal with either order or conflict. Instead, it explores the issue of meaning - making and why this is crucial in understanding order or conflict as processes that brought about society. A: The symbolic interactionist perspective would say symbols and meaningsTHE COMPLEXITY OF CULTURE m CULTURE is people’s way of life. (E.B. TAYLOR) “THAT COMPLES WHOLE, WHICH ENCOMPASSES BELIEFS, PRECTICES, VALUES, ATTITUDES, LAWS, NORMS, ARTIFACTS, SYMBOLS, KNOWLEDGE, AND EVERYTHING THAT A PERSON LEARNS AND SHARES AS A MEMBER OF SOCIETY” The “COMPLEX WHOLE” in the above paragraph suggests that culture cannot be simply broken down into a set of attributes. It means that an understanding of a part can only be achieved (or is only possible) in relation to the other parts of the system.THE WHAT, HOW, AND WHY OF CULTURE m= WHAT - Actions, artifacts, language and behavior that characterize a given culture. m HOW - identifies the processes that guarantee the transmission and dissemination of the contents m WHY - Pinpoints the reasons why individuals comply and the mechanisms that facilitate the performance of expected behaviour.ENCULTURATION AND THIRD CULTURE SHOCK = ENCULTURATION - refers to the gradual acquisition of the characteristics and norms of a culture or group by a person, another culture, etc. - Starts with actual exposure to another culture and the duration and extent of exposure account for the quality of the resulting enculturation. (Ex. THIRD CULTURE SHOCK)ASPECTS OF CULTURE m E.B. TAYLOR — English Anthropologist — Was the first to coin the term ‘CULTURE’ in the eighteenth century - The study of society is incomplete w/o proper understanding of the culture of the society because culture and society go together.DEFINITIONS OF . Malinowski “The handwork of man and the medium through which he achieves his ends” CULTUREmV. de Robert “the body of thought and knowledge, both theoretical and practical, which only man an posses” R. Redfield m “an organized body of conventional understandings manifest in art which persisting through tradition, characterizes a human group”CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTURE m “way of life” “design for living” m= Kluckhorhn & Kelly “A culture is a historically derived system of explicit and implicit designs for living, which tends to be shared by all or specially designed members of a group” Explicit Culture - refers to similarities in words and actions which can be directly observed. Implicit Culture -exists in abstract forms which are not quite obviousESSENCES OF CULTURE AS A SYSTEM 1.Super-Organic - the same physical objects may constitute a variety of quite different cultural objects and cultural characteristics 2.Integrated - its various parts are integrated with each other and any new element introduced is also integrated 3.Pervasive - it spreads throughout different social activities and institutions7 CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTURE 1.Culture is social because it is the product of behavior. -— Culture does not exist in isolation, but it is a product of society, and develops through social interaction — Culture learnings are the product of behavior7 CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTURE 2.Culture varies from society to society. — Every society has a culture of its own that differs from other societies — Cultures and cultural elements like customs, traditions, morals, values and beliefs are not uniform — Culture varies from time to time as well — Culture is a human product; it is not independently endowed with life7 CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTURE 3.Culture is shared. — Culture is not something that an individual alone can possess — Customs, traditions, beliefs, ideas, values, morals, etc. are all shared by people of a group or society — Persons may share some part of a culture unequally — Sometimes people share different aspects of a culture7 CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTURE 4.Culture is learned. — Culture is often called “learned ways of behaviour” — However, not all behaviour is learned, but most of it is learned — Sometimes the terms “conscious learning” and “unconscious learning” are used to distinguish the learning — Obvious behaviours are called “overt” behaviors while less visible ones are called “covert” behaviors7 CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTURE 5.Culture is transmitted among members of society. — The cultural ways are learned by persons from persons -— Culture is transmitted from one generation to another — Transmission of culture is made possible by the main vehicle of culture: Language — Transmission of culture may take place by imitation as well as by instruction7 CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTURE 6.Culture is continuous and cumulative. — Culture exists as a continuous process, and in its historical growth, it tends to become cumulative — There are subcultures within a culture m Subcultures - clusters of patterns which are both related to the general culture and yet are distinguishable from it -— There is one fundamental and inescapable attribute of culture: the fact of unending change7 CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTURE -Culture is gratifying and idealistic. -— Culture provides proper opportunities for the satisfaction of our needs and desires — Culture determines and guides various activities of man — It is the sum-total of the ideal patterns and norms of behavior of a group - Culture consists of intellectual, artistic and social ideals and institutions which the members of the society profess and to which they strive to confirm4 FUNCTIONS OF CULTURE 1.Culture defines situations. — Each culture has many subtle cues which define each situation - One does not know what to do in a situation until he has defined the situation 2.Culture defines attitudes, values, and goals. - Each person learns from his/her culture what is good, true, and beautiful — Attitude, values and goals are defined by the culture4 FUNCTIONS OF CULTURE 3.Culture defines myths, legends, and the supernatural — Myths and legends are important parts of every culture — Culture also provides the individual with a ready-made view of the universe — The nature of the divine power and the important moral issues are defined by the culture4 FUNCTIONS OF CULTURE 3.Culture provides behaviour patterns. — Culture lets people find a ready-made set of patterns awaiting them which they need only to learn and follow -— If people use culture to advance their purposes, it is clear that a culture imposes limits on human and their activitiesETHNOCENTRISM m “ethno” comes from the Greeks and it refers to people, nation, or cultural grouping; while “centric” comes from Latin and refers to the center m Ethnocentrism refers to the tendency of each society to place its own culture patterns at the center of things m It is the practice of comparing other cultural practices with those of one’s own and automatically finding those other cultural practices to be inferiorETHNOCENTRISM Ethnocentrism is a term coined by William Graham Sumner It is the belief that your native culture is the most natural and superior way of understanding the world This is a typical situation due to lack of information about other cultures Ethnocentrism is a universal human reaction found in all known societies, in all groups, and in practically all individualsFUNCTIONS OF ETHNOCENTRISM 1. Ethnocentrism encourages the solidarity of a group 2.Ethnocentrism hinders the understanding or the cooperation between groups 3.Ethnocentrism becomes a vehicle for the promotion of social changeWHEN DO WE BECOME ETHNOCENTRIC AND WHAT IS OUR WAY OUT 1.When you judge the behavior and beliefs of people who are different from you - Way out: you must stop judging others who are different from you 2.When you believe that there are primitive cultures, especially if their way of life is different from yours - Way out: Ethnocentrism is taught. You have to unlearn that your culture is superior and all other cultures are inferiorWHEN DO WE BECOME ETHNOCENTRIC AND WHAT IS OUR WAY OUT .When you believe that some cultures are backward if they lack the technology and consumerism of your own culture - Way out: Remember that there are no primitive or backward cultures. All cultures provide their members with the means for meeting all Auman needsCULTURAL RELATIVISM m Cultural relativism is the idea that all norms, beliefs, and values are dependent on their cultural context and should be treated as such m Cultural relativism promotes greater appreciation of the cultures one encountered along the way m It is a good way to rehearse the norms and values of society - a requirement that one must subscribe to regardless of his/her cultural originCULTURAL RELATIVISM m The concept of cultural relativism does not mean that all customs are equally valuable, nor does it imply that no customs are harmful m The central point in cultural relativism is that in a particular cultural setting certain traits are right because they work well in that setting while other traits are wrong because they would clash painfully with parts of that cultureCULTURAL RELATIVISM m Appreciation of other cultures may be for two complementary reasons: i. Acquisition of sufficient knowledge about the culture in question 2. Direct exposure to other culturesXENOCENTRISM AND XENOPHOBIA Xenocentrism refers to a preference for the foreign It is characterized by a strong belief that one’s own produc styles, or ideas are inferi those which originate elsewhere Xenophobia is the fear of what is perceived as foreign or strange It may include fear of losing identity, suspicion of the other group’s activities, aggression, and the desire to eliminate the presence of the other group’s activities °CULTURE AS HERITAGE a Culture have tangible and intangible components m Tangible ones are those that are produced and created based on specific and practical purposes and aesthetic value Intangible heritage may be associated with events, our national anthem, and literary creations such as music, dances, and others Preservation of heritage is tantamount to protecting them from external threats such as destruction, mutilation, and desecration through frivolous use/representationTHANK YOU! THANKYOU!