UNDERSTANDING CULTURE,

SOCIETY & POLITICS

gillian e. bildan, lpt

socsci tc
Essentials in Studying
Culture, Society and Politics

ANTHROPOLOGY, SOCIOLOGY & POLITICAL SCIENCE

ANTHROPOLOGY
Anthropology promotes a holistic study of humans. It
is derived from two Greek words ‘antropos’ (human)
and ‘logos’ (study). Anthropology seeks to answer
this primary question: ‘What does it mean to be a
human?’

As such, anthropology can be defined as “the study of

people—theirorigins, their development
andcontemporary variations, whereverand whenever
theyhave been found on the face of the Earth.”
(Ember, Ember, and Peregrine, 2010)
FIVE SUBDISCIPLINES OF ANTHROPOLOGY
1. Archaeology examines the remains of ancient and
historical humans to promote an understanding of how
humans have adapted to their environment and
developed.
2. Cultural anthropology promotes the study of a
society’s culture through its belief systems, practices,
and possessions.
3. Linguistic anthropology examines the language of a
group of people and its relation to their culture.
4. Physical anthropology looks into the biological
development of humans and their contemporary
variation.
5. Applied anthropology attempts to solve
contemporary problems through the application of
theories and approaches of the discipline.
 Sociology came from the Latin word ‘socius’ meaning
companion and the Greek word ‘logos’ meaning to
SOCIOLOGY study. It is a systematic study of human relationships
along with human society and interaction. Sociology
delves into social problems that affect the behavior of
an individual and a group. Sociological Concepts
Sociology has discipline-based concepts that aid in the
understanding of human behavior and groups. The
basic concept that sociology interprets is that of
society.

Society
It can be defined as a product of human interaction as
humans subscribe to the rules of their culture. It is an
organization that caters to the human needs for
belongingness in a group.

Social Interaction
This is a compilation of ways and means by which
humans interact with each other within the confines
of society.
Political Science

The Greek word ‘polis’ means city-state and science

come from the 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. (Calilung F., 2014, p.7)
 Importance of Studying Culture,
Society, and Politics
On Culture

• Culture creates man to be creative and resourceful by adapting and

integrating himself into the environment to survive.
• Culture determines the 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 men such as instruments,
tools, equipment, structures, and all technological advancements.
On Society

• Human connection and interconnectedness.

• Symbolizing the identity of the members.
• Representing political independence and economic
interdependence.

On Politics
• Understands the theories, concepts and knowledge, and
principles of governance as well as public administration
and political dynamics.
• Manifests the underlying principles of state policies
and laws to be abided by and respected by all.
• Prepares the student for a possible career path in the
legal profession, government service, and another
profession with high respect to legal matters and
procedures.
Anthropological and Sociological Perspectives on Culture and Society
Perspectives on Culture

Culture is a generic term yet very difficult to define. Aside from the famous definition of
Tylor on culture, scholars and social scientists vary different perspectives on how to
properly define it. Also, because of its wider scope, it encompasses everything about
man, experts from several field find it complicated to boxed culture into one universal
terminology. Spencer-Oatey (2012, p.2) compiled perspectives from scholars about culture.

Culture is everything. It is what a person has, does, and thinks as part of society.
This implies all of a person’s belief system, sets of behavior and material possessions. It
consists of the material and nonmaterial.
• Material culture includes all the tangible parts of culture, which includes clothes,
food, and even buildings.
• Nonmaterial culture includes all the intangible parts of culture, which consist of values,
ideas, and knowledge.

Culture is learned. Culture is a set of beliefs, attitudes, and practices that an

individual learns through his or her family, school, church, and other social
institutions. The process of learning your own culture is called enculturation. As you interact
with your immediate family and peers, you learned the values and accepted behaviors in
your society.
Anthropological and Sociological Perspectives on Culture and Society
Due to constant interaction between societies, culture can be modified to accommodate
desirable traits from other cultures. This process is called acculturation.
When the culture of the older generation comes into conflict with the needs and
realities of the younger generation, deculturation happens, where the reason for the
culture has been lost and even the cultural trait itself is in the process of being forgotten.

Culture is shared. The set of behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs that a person possesses is
part of a greater collection of values and ideas that are communally owned and practiced
by members of society.

Culture affects biology. Humans are born into cultures that have values on beauty and
body. As such, they alter their bodies to fit into the physiological norms that are dictated by
culture.

Culture is adaptive. A culture is a tool for survival that humans use in response to the
pressures of their environment.

Culture is maladaptive. Culture can also cause problems for the people who subscribe to
it. For example, the “car culture” present in most societies is getting maladaptive as the
environments get more polluted.
Anthropological and Sociological Perspectives on Culture and Society
Elements of Culture

1. Norms- These are the standard expected behavior within a society which is divided into
two namely: formal norms and informal norms.
Formal Norms
·Mores– these are norms that have firm control over moral and ethical behavior.
·Laws – these are ordinances of reason enacted to protect the people from the bad effects
of outdated mores.
Informal Norms
·Folkways or Customs – these are behaviors less important yet still influence our behavior.

2. Symbol(s)- This is anything that carries a meaning recognized by people who share a
culture.

3. Values- These are culturally defined standards by which people assess desirability,
goodness, and beauty and that serve as broad guidelines for social living.

4. Beliefs- These are specific statements that people hold to be true.

5. Language- It refers to a form of communication using words either spoken or gestured

with the hands and structured with grammar, often with a writing system.
Anthropological and Sociological Perspectives on Culture and Society

Theoretical Perspectives on Society

The term society also makes an impact on several experts in the field of social science. It
made them understand that society is a system of usages and procedures, of authority and
mutual aid, of many groupings and divisions, of controls of human behavior and liberties.
Their perspectives paved the way for modern scholars to have a better understanding of
society. As the Father of Sociology, Auguste Comte coined the term sociology and said that
society is a social organism possessing a harmony of structure and function his followers
were motivated to give their own perspective on this.

Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) described emerging societies as societies of survival

primarily based on the concept of natural law. Members of each society must learn to adapt
to their surroundings to outlast the prevailing conditions present in their environment.

Karl Marx (1818-1883) had a different take on society. He postulated that societies
develop through class conflicts. There is always a struggle between the workers and the
capitalist due to the exploitation of the latter by the former which is essential in provoking
social change. The only way to end this conflict is through social revolution.
Anthropological and Sociological Perspectives on Culture and Society

SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS

American sociologists Paul Horton and Chester Hunt (1964) defined an institution as an
organized system of social relationships that represent a society’s common values and
procedures. This is a stable, valued, recurring pattern that guides the behavior of people in
society. Once the elements of culture become so integrated that activities are already
formalized on a unit basis, institutions surface in society.

AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION
·Family - For most people, the process of socialization begins in the family. Family is the
first source through which they commence their social communication. As a child, a person
learns to see and interpret himself and society through the eyes and understanding of his
parents and other elders of the family.

·Peer group - A peer group is a group of people of approximately the same age, sharing
similar interests and probably belonging to similar backgrounds. Peers help a person
experience things beyond what his/her family allows.
Anthropological and Sociological Perspectives on Culture and Society

·School – In this institution, an average person spends most of his/her young life. In
school, he/she meets different types of people with varying beliefs, cultural orientations,
attitudes, and the like.

·Religion - is one of the most powerful agents of socialization which is linked with concepts
and values people identify themselves with.
·Government or State - is an indirect agent of socialization.This means, though we do not
come in contact with the institution directly, it does have an impact on our social life and
well-being.
CULTURAL IDENTITY
The cultural identity of an individual refers to the identity or feeling of belonging to a
group. It is considered as part of a person's self-conception and self-perception. It
pertains to one’s nationality, ethnicity, religion, social class, generation, locality or any
kind of social group that has its own distinct culture. As to cultural awareness, it
connotes to the ability of a person to recognize the different beliefs, values and
customs that someone has based on that individual's origins. This allows a person to
build a more successful personal and professional relationship with others in a diverse
environment. In fact, a person's state, region or country of origin and local customs
heavily influence his/her cultural background.
cULTURAL BACKGROUND

Cultural background, on the other hand, essentially consists of the ethnic, religious,
racial, gender, linguistic or other socioeconomic factors and values that shape an
individual’s upbringing. The cultural background can be shaped at the family,
societal or organizational level.Sociologically, people with different cultural
backgrounds need to interact with each other. Such interactions lead to strong
relationships that would help build diverse communities and enable them to achieve
predetermined goals. For example, in the Philippine society, it is necessary to work
effectively with people from different regions or with those who speak a different
language to promote economic development and other primary socio-cultural
undertakings.
gENDER AND SEXUALITY
A common distinguishing factor of a person’s cultural background is gender and
sexuality. Gender refers to the personal traits and social roles of the male and
female members of society. Sexuality is the state of being either masculine or
feminine.
1. A person’s masculinity or manhood consists of a set of attributes, behaviors and
roles generally associated with men.
2. A person’s femininity or womanhood refers to a set of attributes, behaviors, and
roles generally associated with women.
3. A person may experience identity crisis when he/she does not accept or
understand his/her sexuality or is unable to understand his/her status.
sOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS
Another common cultural identification factor is the level of an individual’s social
standing and financial position in the society. This is known as socio-economic
status, a personal or family's financial and social esteem on the basis of income,
education, and occupation. Hence, it is the totality of a person’s social position and
wealth combined.
The Socio-economic class refers to the status of every individual from the
sociological and economic points of view. Social Status means a person’s standing
or rank in the social ladder of stratification based on prestige, power, popularity, etc.
Economic status means a person’s place in the society’s economic stratification
based on wealth, property, and total assets.
Ethnicity
Is a condition in which a social group belongs to a common national or cultural tradition. The adjective
ethnic relates to large groups of people who have certain racial, cultural, religious, or other traits in
common. The Philippines are inhabited by different ethno-linguistic groups, the majority of whose own
languages are Polynesian in origin. Many of these groups converted to Christianity, particularly the
lowland-coastal groups, and adopted many foreign elements of culture. Ethno-linguistic groups include
the Ivatans, Ilocanos, Pangasinenses, Kapampangans, Tagalogs, Bicolanos, Visayans (Masbateños,
Hiligaynons/Ilonggos, Cebuanos, Boholanos, Warays and Surigaonons) Maranaos, Subanons and
Zamboangueños.
SOCIAL, POLITICAL, AND
CULTURAL PHENOMENA
IN THE PHILIPPINES
A. FOOD TABOOS

B. THE STANDBY
(ISTAMBAY)
c. POLITICAL
DYNASTY
d. PHILIPPINE
ELECTIONS
SOCIAL, POLITICAL, AND CULTURAL CHANGE

MAJOR SOCIAL CHANGES IN THE

21ST CENTURY

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