Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics

S.Y. ‘24 - ‘25 | MS.RICHELLE COSTA SEMESTER 1 | QUARTER 2

1.0 Social Organizations

1. Social Group (Barkada)
- consists of two or more people who interact regularly, share a sense of identity, and have
common goals or interests
2. Category (Students attending high school)
- a collection of individuals who share certain characteristics or attributes but may not
interact or identify with one another
3. Social Aggregate (People inside a mall)
- a collection of individuals who are in the same physical space but do not necessarily
interact or have any shared identity
● Conformity
- following the roles and goals prescribed by society; social norms and the expectations
● Deviance
- violating prescribed norms, may be seen as a crime or a violation of law
○ Stigma — a strong sense of disapproval from members of society

1.1 Theories on Deviant Behavior

1. Social Control Theory
- the lack of strong social bonds within a society leads an individual to engage in deviance
2. Rational Choice Theory
- to go against social norms is based on the perceived benefits and costs of the action
3. Differential Association Theory
- conformity or deviance is learned from individuals with whom a person associates.
4. Labeling Theory
- actions are considered deviant until they are labeled as such by society.
a. Primary Deviance - minor or initial acts that may not lead to a lasting label
b. Secondary Deviance - more significant acts of deviance that result from being
labeled as deviant and facing societal stigma
5. Conflict Theory
- the group with access to power determines which actions are considered deviant
6. Structural Functionalist Theory
- occurs when there is a breakdown of social norms, leading to anomie (social
disorganization)
- can be a result of role strain, where individuals lack the resources to meet the demands of
social norms
 a. Conformists - accepts both societal goals and the prescribed means for achieving
them
b. Innovators - accepts societal goals but reject or modify the accepted means of
achieving them; create new ways to achieve goals
c. Ritualists - individuals who reject societal goals but continue to strictly adhere to
the accepted means or processes, even though they no longer aim for the original
goal
d. Retreatists - individuals who reject both the societal goals and the accepted
means, opting out of societal expectations altogether
e. Rebels - individuals who reject both the goals and the means of society and seek
to create new societal norms, values, and systems. Rebels aim to redefine goals
and processes

2.0 Kinship
- the 'web' of social relationships that humans form as part of family
● Family - a social and economic unit that consists of one or more parents and their children
● Kinship by Blood
- identifying a family member through consanguinity (blood relatives). Individuals relate
based on their bloodline
○ Unilineal Descent - allows an individual to be affiliated with the descent of one sex group
only – male or female
■ Matrilineal - kinship traced through the female’s line
■ Patrilineal - kinship is traced through the male’s line

○ Bilateral Descent System - recognized through both maternal and paternal lines.
■ Kindred: A smaller group within the known bilateral relatives with whom individuals
interact, socialize, and rely on for economic and emotional assistance.
● Kinship by Marriage
○ Marriage
- a socially or ritually recognized union or legal contract between spouses that
establishes rights and obligations between them, their children, and their in-laws
● Compadrazgo system
- where political alliances are formed due to agreed relationships, similar to pseudokinship
2.1 Types of Family Structure
1. Patrifocal and Matrifocal
- focused on one parent who is deemed important due to their economic or political
position in the family and society
2. Monogamous
- consists of a single couple and their child (nuclear family)
3. Polygamous
- consists of several parents and their children
a. Polyandry - a woman is allowed to marry several men
b. Polygyny - a practice that allows a man to marry several women
4. Extended Family
- a type of family with several married couples and their children living in one household
5. Reconstituted Family
- a family where the current spouses were previously married and had children, including
stepfathers, half-brothers, and stepsisters

3.0 Political Organizations

1. Bands
- small, often nomadic group connected by family ties and politically independent
- reliant on hunting and gathering as their way of life
- leadership and power are based on experience and ability
2. Tribes
- combination of smaller kin or non-kin groups linked by a common culture, as one unit
- larger than bands, primarily consisting of food producers
- maintained through kinship and family systems, with leadership by a community head
3. Chiefdoms
- a political unit headed by a chief who holds power over multiple community groups.
- characterized by an established social and political structure
- power is inherited either by bloodline or through notable achievements
4. States
- a political unit with a government exercising sovereignty over a group of people within a
defined territory
- the highest form of political organization
- the population is referred to as citizens
a. Sovereignty
- maintains order and be recognized as independent by other states
5. Nations
- groups of people sharing a common history, language, traditions, customs, habits, and
ethnicity; lack political sovereignty
- described by Benedict Anderson as "imagined communities," where members feel
connected despite physical separation (e.g., OFWs)
-
 3.1 Max Weber’s Categories of Authority
● Legitimacy
- People follow Authority because of legitimacy
- Just because someone has authority it doesn’t mean that they have legitimate control
● Authority
- becomes legitimate when it is morally or ethically accepted, allowing leaders to demand
obedience
- without legitimacy (e.g., gained through conquest, deception, or violence) is often
unstable and undeserved
- For authority to be binding and stable it has to be legitimate
1. Legal Authority
- achieved through election or appointment
2. Traditional Authority
- based on inheritance or title
3. Charismatic Authority
- based on devotion to a leader with extraordinary skills
4. Institutional Charisma
- a blend of charismatic and legal authority (e.g., religious leaders)
5. Familial Charisma
- combines traditional and charismatic authority, where the right to rule is inherited and
supported by personal charisma

3.1 Comparison of Political Organizations

Aspect Band Tribe Chiefdom State

Population Small (<100 people) Moderate Larger (several Very large

(100–1,000) thousand) (thousands to
millions)

Economy Foraging, Horticulture, Agriculture, Market trade,

subsistence pastoralism redistribution import/export

Settlements Nomadic/semi-no Permanent villages Semi-permanent Urban centers, cities

madic camps towns

Leadership Informal, based on Community he’’;ad, Descendants of Elected or

ability kin-based gods, stratification appointed officials

Society Kinship ties, no laws Segmentary Social stratification Social classes,

lineages governed by laws
4.0 The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

Early Life & Challenges Famine & Struggles Discovery of Wind Energy

● William Kamkwamba: A ● A famine struck the ● Found a book about wind

young boy from Malawi. village, leading to energy at his local
● Grew up in a rural village widespread hunger and library.
facing droughts, poverty, crop failures. ● Inspired to build a
and a lack of resources. ● William's family windmill to pump water
● Passionate about struggled to survive. for irrigation.
science and ● Determined to find a
problem-solving despite solution to alleviate food
limited educational shortages.
opportunities.

Attempts to Build a Windmill Success with the Windmill Education & Opportunities

● Collected scrap ● Successfully built a ● Invention gained local

materials: old bike parts, functioning windmill. and international
scrap metal, and wood. ● Provided electricity and attention.
● Faced countless failures power to his family’s ● Story became a symbol
but remained persistent. home. of hope and inspiration.
● Helped pump water for ● Opportunities for further
irrigation, easing food education emerged.
shortages. ● Changed his life and
positively impacted his
village.

Key Themes:

● Ingenuity and determination in the face of adversity.

● The power of education and resourcefulness.
● The ripple effect of one person’s actions on a community.