UNDERSTANDING CULTURE,
Majority of them have already
SOCIETY AND POLITICS
LESSON 2: CULTURAL VARIATIONS
AND SOCIAL DIFFERENCES IN
ETHNICITY AND RELIGION
ETHNICITY, ETHNIC GROUPS, AND
RACE
ETHNIC GROUP - refers to a specific
group of people having certain similar
characteristics and a distinct cultural
identity, which distinguish them from other
groups in the community or society.
Tagalog, Ilocano, Ifugao, and Kapampangan
are all examples of ethnic groups. While
ethnic group refers directly to a category or
collection of people, the term ethnicity is
used to denote the shared culture of these
groups, which includes cultural heritage,
language or dialect, religion, traditions and
rituals, norms, values, beliefs, and other
practices.
RACE - is a socially constructed category
attributed to people who share the same
biological traits or attributes. People’s
classification of race are usually based on
physical characteristics like skin color, facial
features, and hair texture and color. Some of
the commonly known racial tributes are
black, white, or Asian. It is important to
remember that even though race is based on
biological characteristics, the concept is still
socially constructed.
Ethnic and Ethnolinguistic Groups in the
Philippines
- The Philippines is undeniably a diverse
country as it is home for more than a
hundred ethnic or ethnolinguistic groups
(i.e. ethnic groups with their own language).
These groups possess different combinations
of cultural characteristics, traditions, and
practices.
adjusted in an urban way of living, while
other remain to be more in tune with their
indigenous roots and heritage.
In Cordillera alone, there are several ethnic
groups such as the Bontoc, Ibaloi, Ifugao,
Ikalahan, Isneg, Itneg, Kalinga, and
Kankanaey. Majority of them have
agriculture as the main source of living. This
is due to their geographical location, in the
mountains, which possess fertile lands
appropriate for planting. Several more ethnic
groups are located in Luzon, Visayas, and
Mindanao.
Whang-od Oggay, also known as Maria
Oggay, is a Filipina tattoo artist from
Buscalan, Tinglayan, Kalinga, Philippines.
She is often described as the "last" and
oldest mambabatok and is part of the Butbut
people of the larger Kalinga ethnic group.
RELIGION IN ETHNICITY
- Religion, as part of one’s culture, can also
be considered as one aspect of an
individual’s ethnicity. A religion is a set of
beliefs and ritual practices related to
symbols, which are considered as sacred.
Ethnic groups may have different symbols,
which they consider sacred; and the
differences of these symbols also entail
differences in how these symbols are
expressed in a cultural group’s belief system
and rituals. These belief systems influenced
how people would interpret and interact with
the world in which they live.
- one of the earliest recorded religions in
society is animism among hunting and
gathering societies in the pre-industrial
world. Animism is the belief that spiritual
forces reside in natural elements of the
physical world (e.g. trees, oceans, wind). As
result, such elements were considered
sacred, which invoked veneration and
respect for nature. The concept of ‘god’ and
‘gods’ eventually developed in horticultural
and agricultural societies. In the
contemporary world we live in now,
innumerable religions are already
established across the world, having
different sets of beliefs, rituals, gods, and
sacred symbols.
Social Implications of Diverse Ethnicities
- As much as the concept of ethnicity
propagates the idea of being one and the
same with people whom you share cultural
traits, it also strengthens differences among
ethnic and cultural groups. In some cases,
these differences may lead to conflict and
issues. Each ethnic groups may develop
prejudice and stereotypes about other ethnic
groups.
- Prejudices are faulty generalizations about
an entire group of people that is based on
little or no evidence. Stereotypes are
oversimplified assumptions that describe a
whole ethnic group. Prejudices and
stereotypes can either be positive or
negative, although most are created to
condemn members of other ethnic groups.
CULTURAL VARIATIONS AND
SOCIAL DIFFERENCES IN
EXCEPTIONALITY/
NON-EXCEPTIONALITY
DISABILITY is a term that refers to a
condition wherein the loss of physical
functioning (e.g. hearing, and vision), or
impairments in intellectual, social, and
mental processes hinder normal growth and
development of an individual. It can be seen
in the activity above as sudden loss of vision
would probably impair one’s ability to
perform necessary functions for
development.
The term exceptionality is more
encompassing than disability. Exceptionality
is a concept that describes how an
individual’s specific abilities and
functioning— physical, intellectual, or
behavioral — are different from the
established normal ortypical qualities.
LABELS AND STATUS OF THE
EXCEPTIONAL
- the concepts of exceptionality and
nonexceptionality are also constructions of
culture and society. This means that it is
society that sets the definitions, and
standards or criteria in determining who is
exceptional and who is not. Labels are used
in order for societal members to have a
grasp of the different types of
exceptionalities. Terms like „gifted‟ ,
„talented‟ , „deaf‟ , „blind‟ , and „dyslexic‟
are only some of the labels used by people
to refer to individuals possessing
characteristics or ability of the exceptional.
- Some labels about exceptionalities are
socially acceptable and can even merit a
high status in society, while some are
stigmatized and met with the perception of
having lower social status. A child who has
a superior intellectual quotient may be
labelled as „genius‟ or „prodigy‟ and may
be well accepted by society, because of his
perceived positive exceptionalities (having a
superior mental ability). On the other hand,
a kid who is labelled as „mentally retarded‟
may be viewed negatively by societal
members, affecting his status in the society.