Lesson #1: Defining Culture, Society and Politics

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
· The students will be able to define Society, Culture and Politics and identify the social,
cultural, and political behavior and phenomena.
· The students will be able to identify the subjects of inquiry and goals of Anthropology,
Political Science, and Sociology.
· The students will be able to explain anthropological and sociological perspectives on culture
and society.
· The students will be able to recognize the common concerns or intersections of anthropology,
sociology, and political science with respect to the phenomenon of change.
· The students will be able to articulate observations on human cultural variation, social
differences, social change, and political identities.
In our generation, we need to understand what the concept of culture, society and politics because it
helps us people to know our identity and to be able to understand other people. Those students who
are taking this subject will learn to assess and evaluate the importance of society and politics,
because politics and culture are the major foundations of organizing society. These concepts will
help the individuals to understand the behavior of the people and the social groups.
Culture can be classified in many aspects that people practice and naturally have and can be
different from the culture of others. It can depend on their social class, education, their taste when
it comes to music or film, and their speech habits. Culture is popularly denote to a narrow sense
that is usually related to the arts and humanities.
Non-material things – intangible aspects of his or her existence
Material things- tangible aspects if his or her existence
The political, social, and cultural are considered as foundation of the society. Society was organized
and built with these aspects. People in the society is always connected as they benefit and provide
for the society. As a member of society, people’s opinions and perspectives also matter. Roles and
labels in a society can be given to each person according to how they act and behave in a society and
interact with other people. The main role and label that has given to us are gender, the female and
male. According to our gender, there are some characteristics and capability that is given to us by
the society in terms of color, workforce, toys, clothes, etc.
Two fundamental understanding regarding definitions of culture
1. Culture is an ensemble of practices, values and meanings common to a collective entity.
2. Culture is the totality of activities and objects through which meaning is generated and
circulated in a given collective entity.
Society – considered as organized group or groups of interdependent people who share a common
territory, language, and culture, and who act together for collective survival and well-being.
ANTHROPOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF CULTURE AND SOCIETY
When it comes to culture and society, the perspective of Anthropologists focuses on the differences
between cultures, not on which is superior or which have more or less culture that shared by the
members of the society.
SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF CULTURE AND SOCIETY
Sociologists focuses on the interactions of people in which they share their culture together. Because
culture also include what people have, what they do, and what they think, for sociology it focuses on
the function of the society and the theory or reason behind.
Three major sociological perspectives
1. Functionalism – societies can operate smoothly only if their members are able to meet the
demands and challenges of the environment in effective, coordinated ways.
2. Conflict Theory – society is not held together because everyone learns and shares common
cultural values. It is concerned with how the groups that control the means of material
production impose their products, values and norms on other groups.
3. Symbolic Interaction - concerned with symbolic properties of culture.
Politics – refers to the “theory, art, and practice of government.”
-it is relatively stable cluster of statuses, general norms, and role behavior, which are involved in
the acquisition and exercise of power and decision–making in society.
The government is a concrete example of political institution that exercises power.

Power- manifested in the acquisition of statuses and functions. Also defined as status granted to
individuals or institutions to properly run the government and implement the rule of the law in a
society.
Executive – is branch of government that implement laws.
President or Prime Minister – serves as the head of the government. Function as chief
executive and commander in chief especially in policy-making. Leads the military during the war,
designates roles for cabinet members, check-and balance power.
Legislative – is a branch of government that pass the laws in which includes House of
Representatives.
Judiciary – is a branch of government that interpret the law.
Gender – is socially-constructed characteristics of being male or female. It refers to society’s
division of humanity into two distinctive categories based on sex. It serves as a guide on how males
and females think and act about themselves; the ways they interact with others; and how they
perform their various roles in the society.
Sex – centers on biological differences.
Gender can be one of the reason of inequality in the society. One of the example situation of this is
the division of labor when it comes to work. People often discriminate and highlights the gender
role in the society.
Socio-economic status – refers to the category of persons who have more or less the same
socioeconomic privileges in a society. These privileges are due to inherited wealth and/or the
occupational status of the breadwinner in the household.
Types of Social Class
Upper
-consist of elite families
-considered as most productive in terms of resource generation and oftentimes their successful in
their respective fields of interest and endeavors.
Two types of elite
New Rich – have humble beginnings and often experienced rags-to-riches turn of fortunes.
Traditional Elite – made up of descendants of powerful elite families who acquired their wealth
through inheritance.
Middle
-composed of small business and industry operators mostly owners and managers, professionals,
office workers, and farm owners with income sufficient enough to provide a comfortable and decent
living.
Lower
Underemployed and unemployed
Subsistence Lifestyle
1. Three decent meals a day
2. Breadwinner of the family
3. Poverty-stricken communities
Ethnicity – expression of the set of cultural ideas held by a distinct ethnic or indigenous group
Ethnic Group – refers to people who collectively and publicly identify themselves as distinct and
unique based in distinguishable cultural features that set them apart from others, such as language,
shared ancestry, common origin, customs and traditions.
Religion – organized system of ideas about the spiritual sphere or the supernatural, along with
associated ceremonial or ritualistic practices by which people try to interpret and/ or influence
aspects of universe otherwise beyond human control.
Exceptionality – refers to the state of being intellectually gifted and/or having physically or
mentally challenged conditions concerning personality/behavior, communication, intellect, physical
appearance, or a combination of more than one specific exceptionality or disability.
Nationality – legal relationship that binds a person and a country. It allows the state to protect and
have jurisdiction over a person.
Social, Political and Cultural Behavior and Phenomena
Introduction
We need to accept that in a society, were not in the same situation with others. We are experiencing
situations that is not present in other people. Aside from situation, behavior also matters, were not
also the same when it comes to behavior. Especially, the behavior of a person can be different
depends on what kind of environment they belong. The behavior can be accepted and unaccepted in
a society. Some of the behaviors and phenomena in Filipino setting are; istambay, lagay, food
taboos, same-sex partnership, and padrino (go-between).
For every society it has its own norms that people follow. These are the norms that can also serves
as guides or models of behavior that tells people what they must do and to be aware if it is proper
or improper, appropriate and inappropriate, and right and wrong. They set limits within which
individuals may seek alternative ways to achieve their goals.
Four Aspects of Culture
1. Beliefs
2. Values
3. Norms
4. Symbols
Beliefs
Beliefs are conceptions that people accept as true about how the world operates and where
individuals fit in it. Beliefs can be rooted in blind faith, experience, tradition or the scientific
method.
Values
Values are general and shared perception of what is good, right, appropriate and worthwhile, and
important with regard to modes of conduct as in the case of self-reliance or obedience; and that
which concerns state of existence like freedom of choice or equal opportunity.
According to Filipino anthropologist, Dr. Felipe Landa Jocano, there are elements in which
values are mostly observed by the Filipinos are: pakikitungo (smooth interpersonal relations),
pakikisama (sensitive, concerned and supportive), and pakikiramay (sympathize)
Three elements that constitute Filipino Value System
1. Halaga – It is the evaluative aspect as to what Filipinos find most virtuous which constitute
three dimensions: (1) pagkatao (self-worth), (2) pakikipagkapwa-tao (relationship with others),
pagkamaka-tao (compassion)
2. Asal – It is the expression of the evaluative aspect of Filipino value system which constiture
three standards: (1) kapwa 9relational), (2) damdamin (emotional), (3) dangal (honor)
3. Diwa – This refers to the kalooban or inner self which in essence is intertwined reason and
emotion.
Norms – it refers to a set of rules, standards, or prescriptions which are strictly followed by people
who has certain convention and perform specific roles. It also indicates a society’s standards for
propriety, morality, ethics, and legality.
Norms of Appropriateness and Norm of Conventionality are the most observed norms in society.
Through their beliefs, norms, and values people can organize the society through the concrete
application of it in their everyday lives.
Norm of decency (appropriateness) – it refers on how an individual behave and exercise his/her
manners, one of the example is a person that wears appropriate or decent cloth in a occasion. It also
includes how they talk to others, how they used words, and showing of politeness and courtesy.
A person can gain wisdom if it is looking on what is the significance of norms and values,
Through the process of experimenting and appropriating these norms and values in society, one can
gain wisdom at looking into the significance of norms and values, whether as sets of laws or rules or
guiding principles that regulate actions or as social mechanism that warrant approval or
recognition in the community.
Norms of Conventionality – beliefs and practices that are acceptable to a certain culture but can be
inimical to other cultures.
Conformity and Deviance
Every society has a form of social control, a set of means that ensure people behave in expected and
approved ways. All norms, whether codified or not, are supported by sanctions: rewards for
conformity and punishments for non-conformity.
Conformity – state of having internalized norm as part of the social expectation.
As individuals or groups conform to an established norm, the norm then becomes a convention that
exerts more sanctions in society as it is tantamount to public approval and recognized.
Deviance – can be tolerated, approved or disapproved depending on societal views. Also seen as
power of struggle and what is not closely tied with the existing power structures of society.
Two types of deviance:
Formal – actions that violated enacted laws, such as robbery, theft, graft, rape and other forms of
criminality.
Informal – violations to social norm that are not codified into law, such as pricking one’s nose,
belching loudly, spitting on the street and others.
Symbols – is any kind of physical phenomenon – a word, an object, a color, a sound, a feeling, an
odor, a movement, a taste to which people assign a meaning or value.
Taboos
-related to food are also manifestations of deviancy
- Other food taboos are more cultural than religious
-food taboos also vary for small animals likes rodents (rice and mice) and even insects, which are
perceived as pests and disease carriers in many Western Culture.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

De Guzman, J. M. Pena, RF. O. and Aquino, E. C. (2016). Understanding Culture, Society, and
Politics. Malabon City, Philippines: Mutya Publishing House Inc.
Santarita, J. B. and Madrid, R. M. (2016). Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics. Quezon
City, Philippines: Vibal Group Inc.