SUBJECT CODE: CORE 016

SUBJECT TITLE: Understanding Culture, Society and Politics

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

You must be able to analyze the significance of culture, social, political and economic
symbols and practices.
CONTENT/CORE CONTENT

 Different Symbols of Culture and Their Practices in the Philippines and Different
Countries
 Symbols and Its Importance
 Perspective/Approaches in the Study of Culture and Society
 Cultural and Social Symbols and Practices.

Symbols are the basis of culture. A symbol is an object, word, or action that
stands for something else with no natural relationship that is culturally defined.
Everything one does throughout their life is based and organized through cultural
symbolism. Symbolism is when something represents abstract ideas or concepts. Some
good examples of symbols/symbolism would be objects, figures, sounds, and colors.
For example in the Hawaiian culture, the performance of a luau is a symbol of their land
and heritage which is performed through song and dance. Also, symbols could be facial
expressions or word interpretations. Symbols mean different things to different people,
which is why it is impossible to hypothesize how a specific culture will symbolize
something. Some symbols are gained from experience, while others are gained from
culture. One of the most common cultural symbols is language. For example, the letters
of an alphabet symbolize the sounds of a specific spoken language.

Symbolism leads to the “Layers of Meaning” concept. Culture is the meaning that
is shared to provide guiding principles for individual meaning.

Language is the most often used form of symbolism. There are 6,912 known living
languages, and the diversity is caused by isolation. Most languages have a different
“symbol” for each letter, word, or phrase. The use of symbols is adaptive, which means
humans can learn to associate new symbols to a concept or new concepts. An example
may be drawn from two populations who speak different languages that come into
contact with one another and need to communicate. They form a language that has a
large degree of flexibility in using either language’s symbols (in this case – patterns of
sound) or a hybrid set of symbols to communicate messages back and forth. This
contact language, or pidgin gradually gives way to a creole with a more formal set of
symbols (words), grammatical rules for their organization, and its own native speakers
who transmit the language from generation to generation.

It is important for anthropologists to consider their own cultural background when

looking at symbolism in a different culture. This is because many symbols, though
similar in appearance, can mean drastically different things. These symbols can best be
understood or interpreted though the eyes of the culture that they pertain to; otherwise
they may lose their unique significance. One example of a misinterpreted cultural
symbol is the “whirl log” symbol commonly used in Southwestern Native American
blanket weaving. This symbol is almost identical to the Nazi Swastika, and therefore
brings a negative response from many Americans. Although the Native American
symbol has nothing to do with Nazi or Germanic symbolism, this design is rarely used
on blankets today because of the symbolic misinterpretation.

Symbols represent a wide variety of things. When people see a particular symbol,
they associate it with something meaningful or standard. With this, each country has
their own national symbols to identify themselves from others and to unite its citizens
through nationalism.

According to National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), official
national symbols of the Philippines represent the country’s traditions and ideals and
convey the principles of Philippine sovereignty and national solidarity.

National Flag

The Philippines’ national flag, as defined by the

National Historical Commission of the Philippines,
is made of silk, had a white equilateral triangle at
the left containing a sunburst of eight rays at the
center, a five-pointed star at each angle of the
triangle, an upper stripe of blue and a lower stripe
of red. The sun stands for liberty; the sunburst of
eight rays for the first eight provinces that revolted
against Spain; and the three stars for the three
island groups of the Philippines – Luzon, Visayas
and Mindanao. The white triangle signifies Filipino
hope for equality; the upper blue stripe stands for
peace, truth and justice; while the lower red stripe
stands for patriotism and valor.

National Anthem: “Lupang Hinirang”

The Philippine national anthem, entitled “Lupang Hinirang,” composed by Julian Felipe,
was first played publicly on June 12, 1898 during the proclamation of Philippine
Independence. Its lyrics were adopted from the Spanish poem, Filipinas, which was
written by José Palma.

National Flower: Sampaguita

The Philippine national flower is called

“sampaguita” which is generally known as
the Arabian Jasmine. Its white color
symbolizes purity, simplicity, humility and
strength.

National Tree: Narra

The Philippine national tree is called

“narra,” generally, known as rosewood. It
was made official by Gov. Gen. Frank
Murphy through Proclamation No. 652 s.
1934. In fact, under the DENR
Memorandum Order dated February 5,
2013, cutting of narra needs to be
approved by the DENR Central Office,
particularly by the Office of the
Undersecretary for Field Operations.

National Bird: Philippine Eagle

The Philippine national bird is called

“Philippine eagle,” scientifically known as
pithecophaga jefferyi. It was made official
in 1978 by former President Ferdinand
Marcos through Proclamation No. 1732.
National Gem: Philippine Pearl

The Philippine national gem is called “Philippine

Pearl” as declared by Former President Fidel V.
Ramos through Proclamation No. 905 s. 1996. It is
scientifically known as Pinctada Maxima. In fact,
world’s largest pearl was discovered by a Filipino
diver in a giant Tridacna (mollusk) under the
Palawan Sea in 1934.

National Sport: Arnis

Arnis is to the Philippines like

Japan’s Karate and Korea’s
Taekwondo. It’s both a martial art
and a sport which origins are still
largely unconfirmed because of lack
of documentation. It’s known by two
other names: kali and eskrima, and
makes use of bladed weapons,
batons/sticks, and bare hands. It
became a national symbol in 2009
when then – Pres. Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo signed Republic
Act 9850 into law.

Now, you may be wondering: where (or when) in this list will the name Dr. Jose Rizal
appear? What about things like anahaw and mangoes? Sadly, these cannot be included
in the list above as they are listed by the NCCA as national symbols because there is no
law that has been signed declaring them as such.

What follows here is the list of our country’s unofficial national symbols:

Dr. Jose Rizal: National Hero

Long recognized in the country’s history books as our

National Hero, Dr. Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y
Alonzo Realonda’s status as our national hero has not
been the subject of debate for the common Juan.
Scholars, however, still argue about who should be
given the title: Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, Emilio
Aguinaldo, Apolinario Mabini, Marcelo H. del Pilar,
Sultan Dipatuan Kudarat, Juan Luna, Melchora Aquino,
and Gabriela Silang were listed down by former
President Fidel V. Ramos as those worthy of being
given the title of National Hero. This list has not been
acted on since being submitted by the National Heroes
Committee on November 22, 1995.
 Anahaw: National Leaf

Often referred to as the National Leaf,

the anahaw or round-leaf fountain palm is
not part of the country’s national symbols.
Normally seen in the countryside as a
roofing material, anahaw leaves are seen
as decorative pieces/plants in the metro.

Mango: National Fruit

A common sight in Philippine wet and dry

markets, the mango has long been seen
as the national fruit. As popular as it is for
making desserts, there is no law that
proclaims it as a national symbol.

Carabao: National Animal

If common men have dogs as their best

friend, then the carabao or Philippine water
buffalo is the Filipino farmer’s best friend.
They’re beasts of burden, able to do almost
everything that needs to be done on the rice
fields, including carry the farmer and his
goods. But, without any laws to recognize
them, they’ll remain an unofficial symbol of
the country.

Bahay Kubo: National House

The humble bahay kubo or nipa hut is

still seen in some parts of the country,
particularly in the provinces. While it has
long been a symbol of Filipino homes, it
has not been recognized as a national
symbol.

Bangus: National Fish

The National Symbols are the manifestation

of federal integration and an ethno-cultural
entity to the world as legitimate national
community. It signifies the unity of people by
creating visual, verbal, or iconic
representations of the national people,
values, goals, or history. They are basically
designed to be inclusive and representative of all the people of the national community

Symbols are the basis of culture. A symbol is an object, word, or action that
stands for something else with no natural relationship that is culturally defined.
Everything one does throughout their life is based and organized through cultural
symbolism.

Some good examples of symbols/symbolism would be objects, figures, sounds, and

colors. For example in the Hawaiian culture, the performance of a luau is a symbol of
their land and heritage which is performed through song and dance.

A symbol has meaning within

a culture, because of a shared
understanding of what
the symbol signifies. Stories,
traditions, history, and cultural norms
contribute to the meaning of a symbol.
At the most basic
level, symbols are important because
they help people craft meaning in their
interactions with one another.

Symbols facilitate understanding of the

world in which we live, thus serving as
the grounds upon which we make
judgments. In this way, people
use symbols not only to make sense
of the world around them, but also to
identify and cooperate
in society through constitutive rhetoric.

Symbols — such as gestures, signs,

objects, signals, and words — help
people understand that world. They
provide clues to understanding
experiences by conveying recognizable
meanings that are shared by societies.
Some symbols are valuable only in
what they represent.

Symbolism is when something represents abstract ideas

or concepts.

Safety signs & symbols are very important for safety

communicating tools. They convey us the messages in
words, pictorial image or symbol with various sizes, shape
and colors. This helps us to indicate varied hazards that
are present at workplace or construction site.
Cultural Approaches in the Study of Culture and Society

Cultural perspective refers to the way that individuals are shaped by their
environments as well as social and cultural factors. Such factors include a person's
nationality, race, and gender. It is the influence that a culture and society has on a
person's worldview and perspective. This is an important concept in social sciences
because it is important to consider how an individual or group may perceive something
based on the cultural and societal norms that they are used to.

There are so many aspects of culture, and although many are widely accepted, not
all sociologists agree on the way that culture should be studied. Let's examine three of
the most common theoretical approaches used to analyze culture: structural-
functional theory, social conflict theory, and sociobiology.

 Anthropology looks at culture diversity at the perspective of humanity, his origin

and through aspects of social life such as ethnicity, symbolism, politics, race and
so on. Anthropology explains that the origin of culture diversity is through
mankind hence the concentration a human perspective.

 Functional perspective views society as a system in which all parts work —

or function — together to create society as a whole. In this
way, societies need culture to exist. Cultural norms function to support the fluid
operation of society, and cultural values guide people in making choices.

 Interpretative Perspective is where anthropologists not only use scientific

method to study different societies and cultures. They also employ a more
humanistic-interpretive approach as they study cultures. Think of this analogy:
When botanists examine a flower, they attempt to understand the different
components of the plant within a scientific framework; they analyze the
biochemical and physical aspects of the flower. However, when painters, poets,
or novelists perceive a flower, they understand the plant from an aesthetic
standpoint. They might interpret the flower as a symbolic phenomenon that
represents nature. The scientist and the humanist use different approaches and
perspectives when examining the natural world. Anthropologists employ a
humanistic-interpretive approach in many circumstances.

James Peacock uses another type of analogy to discuss the difference between
the scientific and the humanistic-interpretive approaches in anthropology (1986).
Peacock draws from the field of photography to construct his analogy. He discusses the
“harsh light” of the rigor of scientific analysis which was used to study the biological and
material conditions of a society, versus the “soft focus” which was used when
interpreting the symbols, art, literature, religion, or music of different societies. Peacock
concludes that both the “harsh light” and the “soft focus” are vital ingredients of the
anthropological perspective.

Cultural anthropologists utilize the humanistic-interpretive method as they conduct

ethnographic research. However, archaeologists also employ these same methods
when examining artifacts from ancient societies. When cultural anthropologists or
archaeologists examine various practices and institutions in different societies, they
often find that an outsider cannot easily comprehend these phenomena. In order to
comprehend these different practices and institutions, cultural anthropologists or
archaeologists often have to interpret these phenomena, just as one might interpret a
literary, poetic, or religious text. Cultural beliefs and practices may not be easily
translatable from one society to another. Cultural anthropologists or archaeologists
frequently find practices and institutions that have meaning and significance only within
a specific language and culture. Cultural anthropologists or archaeologists endeavor to
understand cultural practices or institutions that may have rich, deep, localized meaning
within the society being examined, but that are not easily converted into trans-cultural or
cross-cultural meaning.

A cultural symbol is a physical manifestation that signifies the ideology of a

particular culture or that merely has meaning within a culture. Cultural symbols can be
religious or spiritual, or they can represent the ideology or philosophy of
a culture's language, values and traditions.

Mandala Hamsa Dragon Tree of Life Dream catcher

EXAMPLES OF CULTURAL SYMBOLS

Other examples of cultural symbols include the cross in Christianity; the Star of David
in Judaism; the star and crescent in Islam; the bald eagle; the thumbs up sign; the
swastika of Nazi Germany; the yin-yang symbol.

Political culture, in political science, is a set of shared views and normative

judgments held by a population regarding its political system. The notion of
political culture does not refer to attitudes toward specific actors, such as
a president or prime minister, but rather denotes how people view the political system
as a whole and their belief in its legitimacy. American political scientist Lucian Pye
defined political culture as the composite of basic values, feelings, and knowledge that
underlie the political process. Hence, the building blocks of political culture are the
beliefs, opinions, and emotions of the citizens toward their form of government.

Political culture has been studied most intensively in the context of established
Western democracies. The classic study of political culture is The Civic Culture (1963)
by American political scientists Gabriel Almond and Sydney Verba. Based on surveys
conducted in the United States, Britain, West Germany, Italy, and Mexico, this landmark
investigation sought to identify the political culture within which a liberal democracy is
most likely to develop and consolidate. Almond and Verba’s argument is based on a
distinction between three pure types of political culture:

 Parochial political culture where citizens are only indistinctly aware of the
existence of a central government.
  Subject political culture where citizens see themselves not as participants in the
political process but as subjects of the government.
 Participant political culture where citizens believe both that they can contribute to
the system and that they are affected by it.

Almond and Verba’s work attracted the attention of generations of scholars who
replicated the findings, criticized the conceptualizations, and refined the theory.

Almond and Verba’s core idea was that democracy will prove most stable in
societies where subject and parochial attitudes provide ballast to an essentially
participant culture. This mix is known as civic culture. In this ideal combination, the
citizens are sufficiently active in politics to express their preferences to rulers but not so
involved as to refuse to accept decisions with which they disagree. Thus, the civic
culture resolves the tension within democracy between popular control and effective
governance. In Almond and Verba’s study, Britain and, to a lesser extent, the United
States came closest to this ideal. In both countries, the citizens felt that they could
influence the government. Following the pioneering footsteps of the civic culture,
American political scientist Robert Putnam argued that civic community, based on high
levels of political interest, social equality, interpersonal trust, and voluntary association,
leads to higher probabilities of effective governance and democracy.

Economic Symbols

References:

Study.com/academy/practical

Wikipedia/wik/history

GoogleCulture: https://artsandculture.google.com/the culture of the Philippines-

%C2%A0/vwKiW17vbvl3JA?hl=en

https://www.tandfonline.com

https://www.studocu.com