primarily in the study of government and state
processes. Understanding deeply a political life
Importance of Studying Culture, Society and Politics
On Culture
o We need to see man’s relationship to his
environment and to appreciate the contributions
of culture in our lives. Banaag (2012) posited that
culture can function in different ways and which
we can see its importance as well.
- Culture creates man to be creative and resourceful
by adapting and integrating himself in the
environment to survive
- Culture determines outline of acceptable social
behavior such as protocols, good manners, roles, and
duties established by folkways, mores, and laws.
- Culture carry-out meanings through different forms
of verbal and non-verbal communication.
- Culture produces tangible objects relevant to man
such as instruments, tools, equipment, structures, and
all technological advancements.
- Culture contributes to the totality of living of
humankind as well as on how they can make their
lives enjoyable, easier, and comfortable.
On Society
o Societies are formed through social interaction of
its member. These members need to understand
their roles and functions to propagate patterned
behavior in a structured society. Thus, society is
important for human connection and
interconnectedness
- Symbolizing identity of the members
- Characterizing the boundaries of a territory
- Representing political independence and economic
interdependence
On Politics
o Each society possesses distinctive characteristic
of political structure. Political science deals
suggests that politics can be reduced to the
question of who gets what, where, when, and
how.
o Politics is undoubtedly in part and a necessary
response to the challenges of everyday life and
the recognition that collective action is often
better than individual action. (The Politics Book,
2015, p.12)
o According to Laze (2009), the aim of Political
Science is citizenship education. It mandates its
students to participate, appreciate, and
understand the duties and responsibilities of
being a member of a society. It allows the
students to:
- Understand the theories, concepts and knowledge
and principles of governance as well as public
administration and political dynamics.
- Manifest the underlying principles of state policies
and laws to be abided and respected by all
- Prepares the student for possible career path in the
legal profession, government service and other
profession with high respect to legal matters and
procedures.
The Goals of Anthropology, Sociology, and Political
Science
o In studying anthropology, sociology, and political
science, its n We can clearly see how the society
operates from a patterned culture within the
bounds of internal and external forces of power
and authority. With this aim, we are given the
challenge to realize the goals of these three
fields.
Goals of Anthropology
- See the commonalities among people (tradition,
language, kinship, etc).
- Look at what makes us the same to understand
more about human nature.
- Discover what makes people different from each
other in order to understand and preserve diversity.
- Produce new knowledge and new theories about
mankind and behavior.
- Look at one’s own culture more objectively
 Goals of Sociology Cultural Anthropology

- Obtain possible theories and principles about
society as well as various aspects of social life.
- Study the nature of humanity to further examine our
roles within a society.
It deals with the study of the differences and
similarities of various cultures and how they correlate
to each other. Study of human culture
Biological Anthropology

- Appreciate that all things in society are It concerned the origin, evolution, and diversity of
interdependent. people ancestry, development, genetic and other
characteristics of human species
- Expose our minds to different perspectives in
attaining truth. Archaeology

Goals of Political Science It refers to the scientific study of humans, their history
and culture, through examination of the artifacts,
- Make people a better citizen.
remains or left behind

- Keep social order and harmony among different

Anthropological
group of people.
linguistics: It examines human languages.
- Protect the rights of an individual.

- Avoid conflict and promote cooperation

What is Sociology?
Anthropology, Sociology, and Political Science
Sociology: is the systematic or scientific study of
The disciplines under which identify culture, society,
human society and social behavior, from large-scale
and politics are collectively called the social sciences.
institutions and mass culture to small groups and
individual interactions.
The social sciences are comprised of a wide array of
academic disciplines that study the overall functions
Sociology is also the study of reifications, or social
of society as well as the interactions among its
constructions.
individual members and institutions. Some of the
most prominent academic manifest that international SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
migration is migration is creating social, cultural, and
Intricate relationships among individuals in the
political changes both here and abroad.
society and how they react to their environment
Welcome to the study of culture, society, and politics,
The Functionalist Perspective
as you move forward in the discussions, you will begin
to understand that your daily experiences are
Sees the society as composed of different but
connected with the realities and phenomena that
interdependent integral parts, and these parts play a
define our society.
vital role in keeping the society together intact and
functioning,
The events that have defined your lives up to the
presents are a product of the processes and
E.g., government, church, schools and other social
interactions within our society.
institutions

Social, cultural, and political issues go beyond to its

concept. As you learn the concepts, theories, and
views that shaped and fined how we view and
examine the various aspects of Philippines culture,
society, and politics, you will realize that these topics
have been closely intertwined with our experiences.
Symbolic Interactionism
o HERBERT BLUMER believes that in order to
understand society, it is of paramount concern to
know underlying concepts embedded in
everyday communication and interaction.

E.g., written or unwritten (human conversations,

responses and interpretation
- He also believes that in order to understand society,
it is of paramount concern to know underlying
concepts embedded in everyday communication and
interaction.
E.g., written or unwritten (human conversations
responses and interpretation
Social Science
Any discipline or branch of science that deals with the
sociocultural aspects of human behavior. Scientific
method started from 18th century
Major Fields in Social Science (Divided in 19th century)
Psychology, Sociology, A
RECOGNIZING THE CONCEPT AND SUBJECT OF THE
THREE SCIENCES
Branches of Anthropology
The discipline of anthropology has diverse branches
that studies different level of expertise within the
bounds of human social, cultural, and physical
background.
Cultural anthropology
the study of people with their variation and progress
in terms of culture. It also deals with the description
and analysis of the form and styles of a social life of
past and present
Linguistic Anthropology
Type in the study of language mainly but not
exclusively among humans, it also deals with the
study of communications origin common history and
contemporary variation
Archaeology
The study of past human cultures through their
material remains. It also the study of past human
culture through the recovery and analysis of artifacts.
Biological Anthropology
The study of humans as biological organisms,
including their evolution and contemporary variation.
Applied Anthropology
They analyze social, political, and economic problems
and develop solutions to respond to present
problems.
Political Science
- The etymology of Political Science came from two
ancient words The word political came from Greek
word "polis" means city-state and science comes
from Latin word "scire" which means to know.
- Political Science is a discipline in social science
concerned primarily in the state, government, and
politics. It focuses widely on political theory and its
practice and the analysis of political systems and
behavior.
- Comparing to other social sciences, political science
has a complex history. Its earlier form can be traced
from the workings of the ancient Greek political
philosophy of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle and later
developed into religious-oriented tradition beginning
with Augustine and secularized by Machiavelli,
Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau.
- These modern political philosophers explained the
transition of Western societies from savagery toward
a democratic commonwealth. Their works paved the
way to understand and appreciate modern
philosophical and democratic theories.
In understanding the nature of political science,
(Calling F., 2014, p.12) noted that it encompasses
important aspect of our society primarily:
Political Theory:
It deals with the accumulation of principles identifying
with the basis, structure, conduct, and operations of
the state
Public Law:
It pertains to laws or ordinances which control the
framework of public governance.
Public Administration:
It serves as an academic discipline that studies civil
service and governance.
Political Dynamics:
It is an aspect of Political Science which are
concerned with the relationship of different societal
forces that dictate political opportunities and actions.
Government and Business:
It gives importance to the regulatory and
governmental function to corporate, or business
entities concerning the national economy.
Legislatures and Legislation:
The term legislation is a complex mechanism that
can be extended as a discipline. It tries to explain the
composition, and organization of process, legislature.
International Law:
It is a system of agreements and treaties that entails
responsibilities of one state into another.
Comparative Government:
It is a discipline that studies and analyzes the general
structure of governments of all countries. It includes
(executive, legislative, and judicial bodies, their
constitutions, laws, administrative organizations,
foreign policies, political parties and processes,
economic, social, and political functions, and their
cultures and traditions)
Concepts, Aspects, and Changes of Culture and
Society
Edward Tylor:
o one of the founders of modern anthropology,
characterize culture as a “complex whole” which
encompasses beliefs, practices, traits, values,
attitudes, laws, norms, artifacts, symbols,
knowledge and everything that a person learns
and shares as a member of the society.
o The “complex whole” above suggests that culture
cannot be simply broken down into a set of
characteristics. It means that an understanding
of a part can only be achieved in relation to other
parts of the system. This requires an approach
where all at once, one can get an appreciation of
what culture is all about without being bothered
by its complexity or by any definition that
attempts to capture such complexity.
A society cannot exist apart from culture. A society
may refer to group of people that follows or shares
same cultures. People, as members of the society,
possess, produce and also transmit culture but they
cannot consider themselves as culture. No culture can
exist without social interaction in society; meanwhile,
society cannot exist in the absence of people who
have learned to live and work together
CHARACTERISTICS of CULTURE
Culture is social because it is the product of behavior
- Culture does not exist in isolation. It is a
product of society. It develops through social
interaction. No man can acquire culture
without association with others.
Culture varies from society to society.
- Every society has a culture of its own that
differs from other societies. The culture of
every society is unique by itself. Cultures are
not uniform. Cultural elements like customs,
traditions, morals, values, and beliefs are not
constant.
Culture is shared.
- Culture is not something that an individual
alone can possess. Culture, in sociological
sense, is shared. For example, people of a
society share all customs, traditions, beliefs,
ideas, values, morals, etc.
Culture is learned.
- Culture is not inborn, it is learned. Unlearned
behavior then, is not culture. Shaking hands,
saying thanks, etc. are cultural behaviors.
Not all behaviors are learned, but most of
these can be. Combing hair, standing in line,
telling jokes, criticizing the president, and
going to movies all constitute behaviors that
need to be learned.
Culture is transmitted among members of society
- Cultural ways are learned by people from
others. Many of these ways are handed
down from elders, parents, teachers, and
others (most likely individuals of older
generation), while other cultural behaviors
are handed up to elders. Transmission of
culture is made possible by language.
Language is the main vehicle of culture.
Transmission of culture may take place also
through imitation as well as through
instruction.
 Culture is continuous and cumulative.
- Culture exists as a continuous process. In its
historical growth, it tends to become
cumulative. Ralph Linton called culture “the
social heritage” of man. No culture ever
remains constant or permanent. It is subject
to slow but constant variation. Likewise,
culture is responsive to the changing
conditions of the physical world; hence, it is
dynamic.
Culture is gratifying and idealistic
- Culture provides proper opportunities for the
satisfaction of our needs and desires. Our
needs, both biological and social, are
fulfilled in cultural ways. Culture consists of
the intellectual, artistic, and social ideals,
and institutions where members of the
society profess and strive to confirm.
Cultural Relativism and Ethnocentrism
Sumner mentioned some characteristics of an
individual with an ethnocentric view. Ethnocentric
persons.
o have a dominant cultural element which they see
as superior to other cultures.
o view rigidly their own socio-economic, political,
and cultural elements.
o see their cultural elements as normal and
acceptable to all.
o consider in-group norms can be universalized.
o discard out-group ethnicities and cultures.
o believe that other cultures are inferior; and
o look at other culture’s elements as inferior and
unacceptable
It can be seen in Philippine society that ethnocentrism
is still emerging. The sense of identity seems to be a
contributing reason for this.
It goes deeper in our history that the mixture of
different cultures has created several identity marks
resulting in our diverse cultural heritage, both
tangible and intangible.

o The concept of Ethnocentrism and Cultural

Also, our indigenous culture can be categorized
Relativism has been a critical issue of morality in
as old, non-advanced technology with no sense of
our society for a long period of time. With the
modernity. After the primitive age, we begin to be the
complexities of these topics, it is helpful to
melting pot of Western and Oriental cultures resulting
analyze the points of view of experts regarding
in a shaky and complex identity attributed to us today.
this concern.
With this characteristic, it is very difficult to blend this
type of indigenous culture to the fast-changing
Ethnocentrism
society.
o Ethnocentrism is the view that one’s own cultural
Chino (2016) made some observations on how to
elements such as norms, values, ideology,
address this growing concern on Filipino
customs, and traditions are dominant and
ethnocentrism
superior to others (Brown, 2007).
o William Graham Sumner (1906) coined the term
o Identify indigenous culture that truly reflects
ethnocentrism in his work Folkways that served
Filipino identity.
as the foundation in social analysis of every
o Eliminate foreign influences and stick to “home-
culture. According to his definition, ethnocentrism
grown" practices.
is a technical name to see things in which one’s
o If we want to settle our identity, we must accept
own cultural identity is the center of everything
the good part of the foreign influences that come
over which all must be scaled, rated, and referred
to us
to. This perspective led to conceited behavior
o Although colonization by the Spaniards,
and the belief of the superiority of one’s own
Americans, and Japanese has caused a shift in
group with great prejudice to outsiders. While
several of our cultural, social, political, and
ethnocentrism takes universal stage, which
economic policies, it made the Philippines a
propels cohesion and continuity at all levels of
single nation. Thus, the Philippines today stands
social structure, it provides a rational explanation
strongly behind our acceptance of our Filipino
for attack made on other culture or subculture in
identity marked by our appreciation of foreign
its extreme forms
influences
o Truly, it is difficult to do away with these
influences, because if we will totally
disregard them, we will run the risk of being left
 with nothing but purely our own native culture o The objective criticism of one’s own culture is
and tradition that may alienate us from the shallow.
globalized world. We need to acknowledge their o There will be no idea of moral progress because
part in the richness of the tapestry that is the of acceptance of other’s culture.
Filipino culture o The aspect of mutual respect and
understanding must be observed. This is the
Cultural Relativism
first step towards a deeper appreciation of
one’s culture. Tolerance and acceptance of
o Culture, just like a story, conveys different
cultural diversities within the bounds of our own
meanings and it can vary among the people
moral and ethical standard can be a way
who created it. It poses a challenge to the
to understand individual differences.
idea that culture is the same for everyone. Also,
culture like a story has a life of its own. This
notion rejects the concept of cultural
universality.
o Cultural relativism refers to an objective analysis
of one’s own culture – seeing and understanding
of one’s beliefs and traditions from his/her own
point of view. It also entails not to judge the
practices of others based on your own culture;
hence, respecting it in their own cultural context.
For example, you may find eating insects as an
unacceptable and a disgusting practice.
However, in Thailand, as well as parts of Central
America like Mexico, it is considered a delicacy.
Instead of being prejudiced, one can pose an
interesting question like “Why do some cultures
eat fried insects?

According to James Rachels (2003), the following

claims have all been made by cultural relativists:

o Each society has a diverse set of moral conducts.

o The rightfulness of an action within a society is
primarily determined by the moral standards of
that society
o There is no objective standard that can be used
as a basis of comparison among societies.
o The moral code of our own society is just part of a
larger body of morality and ethical standards.
o High tolerance among all culture must be
exercised always.

However, in his critical analysis, he also posited

some observations and consequences of accepting
cultural relativism.

o It is difficult to determine if the custom of other

societies is morally inferior to others.
o The decision whether actions are right or wrong
can be done just by consulting the standards of
our society.
o The idea of moral progress is always
questionable.