PHILIPPINE POPULAR CULTURE FINAL
“THEORIES OF POPULAR CULTURE: UNDERSTANDING
SOCIETY”
Society - typically refers to the collective organization of
human beings living together in a community or a group,
sharing common customs, laws, and organizations
Aspects Of Society:
• Culture - Culture shapes the way people perceive the world
and interact with each other.
• Social Institutions - Social institutions provide the framework
for how individuals function within society.
• Social Stratification - where individuals are grouped into
hierarchical categories based on factors like wealth, power,
race, gender, or social class.
• Socialization - is the process through which individuals learn
and internalize the norms, values, and behaviors of their
society.
• Social Change - Societies are dynamic and constantly evolving
entities.
• Social Control - societies regulate and enforce conformity to
norms and rules.
GENDER ROLE THEORY
What Is Gender?
Gender:
- according to WHO, it refers to the characteristics of
women, men, girls and boys that are socially constructed.
This includes norms, behaviors and roles associated with
being a woman, man, girl or boy, as well as relationships
with each other. As a social construct, gender varies from
society to society and can change over time.
- Social Construct
Sex:
- while it refers to the biological and physiological
characteristics that define men and women can change
over time.
- Biological
Gender Roles
- is a set of social and behavioral norms the are generally
considered appropriate for either man and woman in a
social or interpersonal relationship.
Gender identity
- refers to a person’s deeply felt, internal and individual
experience of gender, which may or may not correspond to
the person’s physiology or designated sex at birth
Cultural Differences
- there are many references to sexual orientation
throughout history, but even with that being the case,
those involved in same-sex relationships are not always
accepted as equals by different cultures and, in many
cases, are discriminated against or punished. This issue is
still considered controversial today even though the
attitude of people from different countries around the
world has improved
Cultural Implications
- Culture shapes the ideas of what behaviors are
acceptable for men and women as well as what behaviors
are appropriate between men and women. Gender identity
and culture share a strong connection as they affect daily
life not only in the home and family but also in the
workplace and community. Though there are some
variances from culture to culture, most have some type of
labor division that signifies what tasks or jobs are
appropriate for a man vs. those that are appropriate for
women. While there are differences, there are
consistencies as well. For instance, women tend to have
less autonomy, fewer resources, and limited power
concerning decision-making (Schalkwyk, 2000).
Ongoing Cultural Changes
• While there has been much debate and some confusion about
the differences between sexual identity and gender identity as
well as how these concepts influence sexual orientation,
identity formation is considered to be a significant part of an
individual’s socialization (Browne, 2008).
• Cultural influences play a large part in this process as culture
defines acceptable behaviors for men and women (Schalkwyk,
2000).
• While some cultures continue to question an individual’s right
to express him or herself as he or she sees fit, others are
starting to understand and accept those who fall outside what
traditionally has been considered normal. Cultural changes
occur slowly, but they do occur in reaction to shifts in social and
economic pressures, globalization, new technologies, armed
conflict, and changes in laws (Schalkwyk, 2000).
• At some point, these changes may promote a better
understanding of individual differences as well as worldwide
acceptance for everyone, no matter what sex or gender they
identify with or what sexual orientation category that fall into.
MARXISM THEORY
What Is Marxism?
- is an economic and social system based upon the
political and economic theories of Karl Marx and Friedrich
Engels.
- is the system of socialism of which the dominant feature
is public ownership of the means of production,
distribution, and exchange.
• Karl Marx argued that all societies throughout history could
be viewed as a struggle of two different groups with differing
amount of power.
• “Freeman and slaves, patrician and plebeian, lord and serf,
guild-master and journeyman, in a word, oppressor and
oppressed” (Marx and Engels, 1849 Communist Manifesto)
• Marxist look at culture as economic activity something which
is produced out of modes of production
• Any act of culture or activity whether it is
art,language,religion,dress etc. are sort of manifestation of
these economic activities.
• Cultural imprint is gone - everything is a part of consumption
process.
• Marxism believes in the central role of the economy in social
change throughout history;
• This was different from previous philosophers (who were
looking into politics and military as being the causes of changes
in history)
• For Marxism, economic forces had changed societies (from
ancient times, to medieval times to modern capitalism)
• Marxists believed (some still believe) that economic forces are
still transforming the world until it reaches its culmination in
communism.
• Friedrich Engels wrote that Marx: “discovered the law of
development of human history” similarly to the way Darwin
discovered the law of development of biology
Dialectical Materialism
Dialectics - is a method of philosophical inquiry that examines
the contradictions and conflicts within systems, processes, and
ideas.
Materialism - is the composed of material entities- hat the
material conditions of society—such as the economy, social
relations, and production methods—shape human
consciousness and historical development.
Knowledge - is created by the contradiction between the thesis
and antithesis, which generate a synthesis.
• In dialectics, these contradictions are necessary for change!
• If we are to understand society in order to change it, this
cannot be done arbitrarily, since the human will is not master of
nature; rather, our ideas and thoughts are reflections of
necessary material laws. Instead, we must seek to understand
the laws of how human society changes.

Criticism Of Marxism
1. He did not truly understand human nature. He predicted that
the lower class will throw the rich and form a new world that
will be egalitarian.. a society without religion, no government
and no private property. This is not practical because some
government have tried taking out religion but failed
2. Once you start sedentary, things will have value
3. If you want some to work for you, they will not benefit from
it. Thus, contributing to society ill be difficult.

CULTURAL HEGEMONY
The Theory In Essence
Antonio Gramsci is best known for his theory
of cultural hegemony'.

Hegemony
- was coined by Gramsci, to denote the
predominance of one social class over
others(bourgeois hegemony).
- refers to political and economic control,but
also hegemonic culture'.
- this describes how statess use cultural institutions to maintain
power in capitalist societies.
- it refers to the domination of a culturally diverse society by
the ruling class, who manipulate the culture of that society—the
beliefs, explanations, perceptions, values, and mores—so that
their worldview becomes the accepted cultural norm –
COMMON SENSE.
- Gramsci argued that challenging hegemony required the
development of a counter-hegemonic culture—a culture that
offers alternative perspectives, values, and interpretations of
reality.
- seek to empower marginalized groups and challenge the
dominant ideology.

Critics Of Cultural Hegemony

• This overlooks the diversity of cultures within societies and
the ways in which multiple cultural forces interact and
influence one another.
• By focusing primarily on dominant ideologies, cultural
hegemony theory may underestimate the potential for social
change and transformation.

CULTURAL CAPITAL By Pierre Bourdieu

Cultural capital - is defined as the social assets of a person that
can be used to increase one's chances of success in life. These
assets can be either tangible, such as clothes or educational
certificates, or intangible, such as knowledge or life
experiences. While everyone has some form of cultural capital,
those from higher social classes tend to have more of it. This is
because they have greater access to resources that can help
them develop their skills and talents. Additionally, they are
more likely to inherit cultural capital from their families.

3 Types Of Cultural Capital

1. Embodied Capital
2. Objectified Capital
3. Institutionalized Capital