TOPIC 1: What is Culture
- Barong Tagalog a see-through polo but
Society
- Refer to a group of people sharing a
common culture.
- People who share a common territory,
language, culture.
Culture
- According to Taylor (1920) is the complex
whole which encompasses beliefs,
practice,values, symbol, knowledge and
everything that a person learn and share as
a member of society, popularity.
- Also known as the Human’s way of life.
- Encompassing the things we have and do
can be deemed a part of culture.
Form of Culture
● Tangible/Material
- all material objects like artifacts, buildings,
tools, furniture etc.
● Intangible/Non-material
- composed of knowledge,
beliefs,values,rules, performing arts,
technologies and religious ceremonies.
Cultural Heritage
- ways of living developed by a community
and passed from generation to generation.
Family Structure
- consist of a typical household in the
Philippines and often enlarged with the
selection of a child’s godparents.
Filipino Values
● Bayanihan
● Harana
● Pagmamano
● Simbang Gabi
● “We eat with our hands”
● “We are great advocates of Fiestas”
Filipino Clothing
throughout the centuries.
- Barong Tagalog has evolved; where
buttons and collars were added, as well as
intricate designs
- Under the Barong Tagalog is Camisa de
Chino, a type of shirt originated in china.
TOPIC:
1. Concept of Culture
2. Popular Culture
- Categories and Characteristics
- Popular Culture in the Philippines
The Concept of Culture
- According to Taylor (1920) is the complex
whole which encompasses beliefs,
practice,values, symbol, knowledge and
everything that a person learns and shares
as a member of society, popularity.
- Also known as the Human’s way of life.
- Encompassing the things we have and do
can be deemed a part of culture.
Aspects of Culture
1. Acquired
2. Learned
3. Changing
4. Empowering

Beauty Trends and Standards

● Lotus Feet in China
● Fat Camp in Mauritania
- Fully figured women are considered
beautiful in the African country of
Mauritania. Women are pale or weak, they
are forced to put on weight by sending them
to fat camps.
● Lip Plate Ethiopia
- Women wear lip plates to appear pretty
and attract men for marriage.
Characteristics of Popular Culture
Popular Culture (John Storey)
1. Associated with commercial products and
1. A culture that is widely favored or
paraphernalia
well liked by many people (“mass
- Demand develops and expands due
culture”)
to media, marketing and
2. Popular culture is whatever is left
dissemination processes.
after you’ve identified what “high
- Profits is the key motive in the
culture” is (pop culture is considered
perpetuation of popular culture.
inferior)
3. Popular culture can be defined as
2. Develops from a local to a global level
commercial objects that are
- Experiences global acceptance with
produced for mass consumption by
the progression and integration of
non- discriminating consumers (tool
technologies.
used by the elites to suppress or
take advantage of the masses).
The following concepts have a significant
4. Popular culture is folk culture,
role in the spread of popular culture:
something that arise from the people
- Globalization
rather than imposed upon them.
- Westernization
5. Pop Culture is negotiated: partly
- Technologies
imposed on by the dominant
classes, and partly resisted or
3. Achieve widespread consumer access
changed by the subordinate classes.
- Broad access is assisted by media
and communication technologies.
Cultural Hegemony
- Refers to domination or rule maintained
A range of factors can affect access to
through ideological or cultural means
popular culture including:
achieved through influence in values,
- Affluence/class
norms, ideas, expectations, worldview, and
- Cost of goods
behavior of the rest of society.
- Environment (rural/urban, others…)
- Advance in technology
 - Institutional power (government,
laws, ownership, censorship)
- Values and beliefs of society
- Gender
- Time ( time slots, prime time, leisure
time, life-stage)
4. Is constantly changing and evolving
- Experiencing continuity and change,
Popular Culture influences society
while simultaneously society
influences popular culture.
What Makes Culture Popular?
1. Easily Recognized
2. Accessible to the Masses
3. Consumed by the Majority of the
population
4. Culture widely favored by the people
Sources of Popular Culture?
1. Mass Media
2. Film
3. TV
4. Music
5. Internet
6. Books
TOPIC 3: Theories on Popular Culture
MARXISM & HEGEMONY
● Marxist Approach
- Practices must be analyzed in
relation to their historical conditions
of production.
- (It focuses on the struggle between
social classes and the exploitation of
the working class by the
bourgeoisie)
● Hegemony Theory
- Popular culture is a site of struggle
between the resistance of
subordinate groups in society and
the forces of incorporation operating
in the interest of the dominant
groups in the society.
- (Refers to the dominance of one
group over others through
consensus rather than force.)
Ex. Could be the idea that capitalist beliefs
and values are so ingrained in society that
they are considered the norm, leading to the
acceptance of wealth inequality.
FrankFurt School (Cultural Industry)
- (The Frankfurt School critiques
capitalism's control over culture
and the media, emphasizing how
the cultural industry manipulates
individuals into consuming
mass-produced goods and ideas.)
Pseudo-Individualization
- (Refers to the illusion of choice
and individuality created by mass
media.)
For Ex. How streaming services suggest
personalized content based on algorithms,
giving users a false sense of autonomy
while still catering to mass preferences.
Structuralism & Popular Culture
- Structuralism examines how
elements of culture are
interconnected and can be
analyzed through underlying
structures. (Assumptions)
- When applied to popular culture,
structuralism analyzes how cultural
products convey deeper meanings
through symbols and narratives.
For Ex. Analyzing a superhero movie
through structuralism might reveal
underlying themes of power dynamics and
societal values.
Agenda Setting Theory
- This theory suggests that the
media's selection and presentation
of news shapes public perception
and priorities by highlighting
certain issues over other.
Theory of The Netizen and
Democratization of Media
- Net Cetizen = Netizen
- The term "netizen" refers to
individuals who actively engage in
online communities and discussions.
- This theory highlights how the
internet provides a platform for
ordinary individuals to participate in
media creation and dissemination,
potentially democratizing the flow of
information.
Topic 4: Identities, Gender and Sexuality
in Popular Culture
Sub-Topics: Gender and Popular Culture &
Representation of Women in Popular
Culture
Difference Between Sex and Gender?
● Sex vs. Gender
Sex is Biological
- (Chromosmes, Reproductive
organs and genetalia, Hormones.)
Gender is Culturally defined
● Female
- Roles and Responsibilities ( Caring,
Service jobs)
- Attributes (Fraagile, Emotional)
- Entitlements (Inferior healthcare to
men, financial dependence)
● Male
- Roles and Responsibilities
(construction, Defense)
- Attributes ( Risk-taking, Aggression)
- Entitlements (Higher workforce,
participation, Financial autonomy)
INTERSEX
- Individuals born with any several
variation in sex characteristics
including chromosomes, Gonads,
Sex, Hormones or Genitals.
Women Representation in Film Industry
- Representations of women are often
defined by how men see women or
by how society expects women to
look and behave.
- Many representations of women
concentrate on sexuality and
emotions.
- Others focus on their relationships
with their children or romantic
partners.
Women Representation in Print Media
- In print media - the commercial
market of advertisement is still
dominated by the traditional role of
women confined to domestic
products.
Feminism in Popular Culture
- Feminism - A political movement
concerned with women’s oppression
and the ways and means to
empower women.
Forms of Feminism
- Each responds to women’s
oppression in a different way,
positing different causes and
different solutions\
 ● RADICAL - “Women’s oppression os
the result of the system of patriarchy,
a system of patriarchy, a system of
domination in which men as a group
have power over women.”
● LIBERAL - “...Does not posit a
particular system, but rather male
prejudice against women, embodied
in law or expressed in the exclusion
of women from particular areas of
life”
● MARXIST - “The ultimate source of
oppression is capitalism. The
domination of women by men is
seen as a consequence of capital’s
domination over labor.”
● DUAL SYSTEM THEORY - “Belief
that women’s oppression is the
result of a complex articulation of
both patriarchy and capitalism”
FEMINISM saw pop culture as a construct
that was subservient to the desires of the
male psyche - essentially a male plot to
maintain control over women’s minds and,
especially, bodies.
● Early archetypes were likely
“sexualized cheerleaders” or
“motherly homemakers”
● The sexualization of women’s bodies
also paradoxically played a critical
role in liberating women from the
previous constricting roles - thus
controlling the male psyche rather
than being controlled by it.
● Feminists are saying that popular
culture plays a role in patriarchal
society and that theoretical analysis
of this role warrants a major position
in ongoing discussion.
TOPIC: Race and Ethnicity &
Representation in Popular Culture
Race
- Commonly describe using physical
characteristics.
- Is a socially defined category, based
on real or perceived biological
differences between groups of
people.
Ethnicity
- Share cultural traits/ heritage.
- Is a socially defined category based
on common language, religion,
nationality, history, or another
cultural factor.
PROBLEMATIC CONCEPT OF RACE/
ETHNICITY
1. Classification of People Based on
Physical and Cultural Attributes (Mixed
Marriages)
2. Attached Meaning in Classification
(Majority & Minority)
- Majority Influence: A form of social
influence where people adopt the
behaviors, attitudes, and values of
other members of a reference group.
- Minority Influence: A form of social
influence where a persuasive
minority exerts pressure to change
the attitudes, beliefs or behaviors of
the majority.
3. Racism: a set of beliefs about the
superiority of one racial or ethnic group.
- Used to justify inequality
- Often rooted on the assumption that
differences between groups are
genetic
4. Stereotyping and Prejudice
- Prejudice and stereotypes are
biases that work congruently to
create and maintain social inequality.

5. Discrimination (an action)

- unequal treatment of individuals
because of their social group
- usually motivated by prejudice

Is it Manifested in Popular Culture?