Understanding

Culture, Society
and Politics

TOPIC 101:
A. Man’s Social and Cultural Background
B. Significance of Studying Culture, Society and Politics
 Each person interacts meaningfully with one
another as members of society. Culture
encompasses the meaningful processes and
products of these social interactions. People
likewise interact in society as individuals and
as groups with duties and privileges. In the
exercise of duties and privileges, a person as a
member of society engages in political
activities.
1. How culture, society, and politics related in your
everyday life?

2. What perspectives can you use to understand culture,

society, and politics?
DEFINITION OF TERMS:

SOCIETY (sociology) – Constitution of social actors in

constant interaction.

CULTURE (anthropology) - a set of practices and traditions

that define a specific society.

POLITICS (political science) - a systematic study of a state

and its government, with the relationship of men in the
community, with the relationship of men and groups to
the state itself, and the relationship of state to other
sovereign states abroad.
‘SOCIETY’ was coined by social scientists to
facilitate their exploration of social phenomena.

Society represents an ideal type, which more or

less depicts the form, process, and dynamics of
the social reality it embodies.
SOCIETY was coined by social scientists to
facilitate their exploration of social phenomena.
SOCIETY represents an ideal type, which more or
less depicts the form, process, and dynamics of
the social reality it embodies.
SOCIETY is formally defined as constituting a fairly
large number of people who are living in the same
territory, are relatively independent of people
outside their area, and participate in a common
culture.
SOCIETY is seen as an outcome of multiple
interactions of people upon which succeeding
interactions are made meaningful and possible.
THREE THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES

1. STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM
2. CONFLICT THEORY
3. SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM
Argues that society is made possible by cooperation
and independence
This view sees society as a system with parts, and
these parts have their respective function to
perform.
The health and condition of the entire system is
dependent on these two process of functions and
interdependence
Instead of putting importance to social order, the conflict
perspective sees society as an arena. ( Social actors are
gladiators fighting for their very lives. The winner takes
the rewards and is assured of freedom.)
Conflict approach do not take the usual assumptions
about nature and ethos of conflict
Conflict makes change and dynamism – features of
society that have not been clearly conceived by the
structural functional theory. Conflict brings a new set of
relations and interactions, which produces new
dynamism in society.
Instead of putting importance to social order, the conflict
perspective sees society as an arena. ( Social actors are
gladiators fighting for their very lives. The winner takes
the rewards and is assured of freedom.)
Conflict approach do not take the usual assumptions
about nature and ethos of conflict
Conflict makes change and dynamism – features of
society that have not been clearly conceived by the
structural functional theory. Conflict brings a new set of
relations and interactions, which produces new
dynamism in society.
The Conflict theory invokes the social processes rather
than functions and Interdependence.
Unlike the previous two theories, symbolic interactionism
does not deal with either order or conflict. Instead, it
explores the issue of meaning - making and why this is
crucial in understanding order or conflict as processes that
brought about
society.

The symbolic interactionist perspective would say

symbols and meanings
Every society is organized in such a way that there are
rules, conduct, customs, traditions, folkways and mores,
expectations that ensure appropriate behavior among
members.
Society is an important product of human interaction and
interconnectedness. It symbolizes the group within which
human beings can live a total common life – the peer
groups; social organizations like the family and kinship
groups; economic, political, religious and educational
groups and communities.
Studying society provides us an idea on its importance in
creating an equal, just and humane society.
CULTURE is people’s way of life.
“THAT COMPLEX WHOLE, WHICH ENCOMPASSES
BELIEFS, PRECTICES, VALUES, ATTITUDES, LAWS,
NORMS, ARTIFACTS, SYMBOLS, KNOWLEDGE, AND
EVERYTHING THAT A PERSON LEARNS AND SHARES
AS A MEMBER OF SOCIETY” – E.B Taylor
The “COMPLEX WHOLE” in the above paragraph
suggests that culture cannot be simply broken down
into a set of attributes.
It means that an understanding of a part can only be
achieved (or is only possible) in relation to the other
parts of the system.
WHAT – Actions, artifacts, language and behavior that
characterize a given culture.
HOW – identifies the processes that guarantee the
transmission and dissemination of the contents

WHY - Pinpoints the reasons why individuals comply

and the mechanisms that facilitate the performance of
expected behavior.
 Politics involves making common decisions for a group
of people.
It is the activity by which differing interests within a
given unit of rule are conciliated by giving them a share
in power in proportion to their importance to the
welfare and survival of the whole community.
Man is a political animal - Aristotle
If this is true, then politics is not only prevalent in our
lives, but inevitable.
We must understand politics to meaningfully participate
in it.
Politics arises…
…because of the need to make decisions…
…in the face of diversity…
…and in the context of complexity.
When interests are uniform, there are no politics.

Politics presupposes an established order.

Certainly, there are many ways to reconcile differences.

Politics is a particular way of reconciling differences.

- Tolerance, respect, support and compromise are the
language of politics.
- Politics itself admits differences.
More often than not, politics is viewed with derision.

However, as politics entails the conciliation of diverse

interests, its natural object is the common good.
Politics is a particular way of reconciling differences: it is
a civilizing activity.

Politics is meant to achieve the common good.

Students as individuals and integral
members of the society are expected
to value their roles in the society,
apply the knowledge they learned
from school, and translate the gained
ideas into actions beneficial to nation
building.
What is the Rationale/importance of
Studying Anthropology, Political
Science and Sociology?