UNDERSTANDIN

G CULTURE,
SOCIETY,
AND
POLITICS • a review
 SOCIAL,
CULTURAL, AND
POLITICAL
CHANGE
 • SOCIAL CHANGE is the
transformation of social
institutions over time.

• Social change refers to any

significant alteration over time
in behavior patterns and
cultural values and norms
 CULTURAL CHANGE
• Culture is always evolving.
Cultures change when
something new (say, railroads,
airplanes or smartphones) opens
up new ways of living and when
new ideas enter a culture (say,
as a result of travel or
globalization).
WOMEN
IN THE
WORK
FORCE
 POLITICAL CHANGE
• Political change occurs when the
rulers in a country lose power or the
type of governance in the country
changes.
• Rulers will be voted out, retire, or die
while in power, and the new leader will
make changes.
MECHANISMS OF
GLOBAL SOCIAL,
CULTURAL
AND POLITICAL
CHANGE
 BUREAUCRATIZATION
 Process by which most formal
organizations in a society
(businesses, government, non-
profits) run their organizations via
the use of extreme rational and
impersonal thinking, an extreme
division of labor, and record
keeping.
 All tasks and functions are
broken down into small
parts which become
positions in the
organizational
hierarchy.  Roles attached
to positions.  Pay and
benefits attached to
positions not persons.
Heirarchy
in the
Workplace
 The difference between acculturation and
assimilation:
ACCULTURATION: A Filipino who lives in the
Philippines may display certain cultural traits in his
or her language, food preference, or clothing that
resemble the American culture. However, the
totality of the Filipino’s culture is not similar to the
American culture , as it has peculiarities that are
not present in the other ( for example, the Filipino
belief in the healing powers of the Nazareno, belief
in the existence of engkantos and aswangs, the
tradition of pagmamano)
 Acculturation:
• The process of
learning a culture
other than one’s own.
• Assimilation is the process
by which a person or group
adopts a new culture that
virtually replaces their
original culture;
ASSIMILATION: A third-generation
Filipino- American who grew up in
Chicago would be practicing
a culture that is almost the same
as the Americans and he differs
culturally from a Filipino living in
a US-influenced country like the
Philippines.
The ages of colonization and
imperialism have also
intensified the process of
cultural diffusion as
dominating societies
enforced their culture on the
subjugated ones;
 WEEK 3
CONCEPT OF
SOCIETY AND CULTURE
 SOCIETY- a group
of people with
common territory,
interaction and culture .
  A human society is a group of
people involved in persistent
interpersonal relationships, or a
large social grouping sharing the
same geographical or social
territory, typically subject to the
same political authority and
dominant cultural expectations.
People of the same society
share
aspects of their culture,
such as language or beliefs.
CULTURE
 • Edward B. Tylor defined
culture as "that complex
whole which includes
knowledge, art, belief, law,
morals, custom, and any
other capabilities and habits
acquired by man as a
member of society."
 • Culture shapes and guide
people’s perception of reality,
determines the food they eat
and how they eat, clothing they
wear, music they listen to, the
games they play, among
others;
 AMERICAN
BREAKFAST

FILIPINO BREAKFAST
 FILIPINO LANGUAGE
• Ang bata ay nagbabasa
• Nagbabasa ang bata.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE
The child is reading.
Reading is the child. (x)
SPANISH LANGUAGE
La niña esta leyendo.(feminine)
El niño está leyendo.(masculine)
 White people
getting a tan

Asians’ obsession
with white skin
 KINDS OF CULTURE
1. Material Culture
• Refers to the concrete and tangible things that man creates
and uses;
2. Non- material Culture
• This refers to non-material things or intangible objects
which the person uses, follows, professes, or strives to
conform; cannot be seen and touched but may be felt
• It includes knowledge, laws, lifestyles, techniques, ideas,
customs, and behaviors, among others.
 ELEMENTS OF CULTURE

1.Language- wika
2.Symbol - simbolo
3.Values - pagpapahalaga
4.Beliefs - paniniwala
5.Norms- pamantayan
 1. Language- is a system of
symbols that allow members of
society to communicate with
one another.
2. Symbol- is an object, gesture,
sound and color or design that
represents something other than
itself.
 3. Values- are culturally
defined standards of
desirability, goodness and
beauty which serve broad
guidelines for social living.
 Desirable Filipino Undesirable Filipino Values:
Values: • Crab mentality
• Hospitality • Bahala na attitude
• Respect • Ningas cogon
• Family –oriented • Filipino time
• • Mañana habit
Generosity and
• Gossiping
Helpfulness • Too sensitive
• Strong work ethic • Ignoring or not following
• Religious simple rules and instructions
 ASIAN vs. WESTERN VALUES
Expressing Opinions

Asians - often discuss Westerners - believe it

issues indirectly is important to speak
especially if there is directly about issues in
the potential of a straightforward
creating conflict manner.
 ASIAN vs. WESTERN VALUES
Group Behavior

Asians - feel more

comfortable as part of a Westerners - are considered more
group. They actively individualistic, thinking more of
themselves and their own needs
seek the counsel and
and objectives. They are
direct assistance of comfortable making decisions
other people about both and taking actions without the
personal and business advice or support of others.
issues.
 ASIAN vs. WESTERN VALUES
Ordinary Emotions

Asians - habitually don’t Westerners - are comfortable

like to express emotions displaying a full range of diverse
outwardly. Their facial emotions like joy and sadness in
expressions change less an expressive manner. Their
often during conversations. facial expressions often change
They don't like appearing frequently during conversations.
They can be offensive when
angry in public
angry
 ASIAN vs. WESTERN VALUES
Dealing with Foreigners

Asians - generally indulge

foreigners as honoured guests
to their countries and exempt
them from most local social
constraints. They allow
foreigners to do whatever they
wish without much worry of
consequence
Westerners - generally
feel that foreigners to
their country should
conform to their manner
of doing things.
 4. Beliefs – are shared
ideas held collectively by
people within a given
culture.
 Being both religious and superstitious
Utang na loob sa magulang.
Typical table utensils are spoons and forks
Rare use of first names
Belief in egnkantos, aswangs, curses, karma

Belief in the concept of heaven and hell

5.NORMS- are rules and expectations
by which a society guides the
behavior of its member.

• Not only do norms indicate what

people should or should not do in a
specific situation; they also enable
people to anticipate how others will
interpret and respond to their words
and actions.
PART OF NORMS
a. Folkways
b. Mores
c. Laws
d. Sanction
e. Rituals
A. FOLKWAYS- refer to a society’s customs for
routine and casual interaction. These are habits
and conventions people obey without giving
much thought to the matter.
A simple greeting of “Hi!” “Hello!”
 PAYING THE TAB
Say, you’re visiting your Chinese friends in
Chengdu. They invite you out for a meal, and you
pull out your wallet to pay your tab.

Eastern Cultures – usually consider it an honor

for one individual to pay for the entire tab.
Honor is a greatly valued characteristic in
Chinese and other Eastern societies.
Westerner Cultures – usually expect to pay for
themselves, unless otherwise agreed upon. This
ties in with the Western values of independence
and individualism.
 SHAKING HANDS

You may be thinking, “How many

ways are there to shake a hand?”

In fact, handshakes have distinctly

different folkways across cultures.
Western Cultures – a firm handshake
and eye contact is an appropriate
greeting in many Western cultures,
with the dominant hand being
extended.
 Asian Cultures – a two-
handed shake is a sign of
respect, while a one-hand
shake is considered both
very rude and superior.
 Middle Eastern Cultures – no one
shakes with the left hand, as it’s
considered “unclean”; if you go in
for a left-handed shake, it’s looked
at as an insult. It is also
inappropriate for the opposite sex
to shake hands.
 Waiting in Line

While waiting in line

might seem like it’s
a universal norm, it
certainly isn’t.
 CHINESE FOLKWAYS
Compliments shouldn't be accepted graciously.

Spitting loudly in public is common

Pointing can be considered rude

Chopsticks are never placed upright in a rice bowl.

Burping is considered a sign of gratitude

 B. MORES- strict norms that control
moral and ethical behavior (what is right
and wrong in a society)
• People feel strongly about mores, and
violating them typically results in
disapproval or ostracizing.
• Prohibitions against
incest, cannibalism and
sexual abuses of
children.
C. LAW – is a rule enacted
by political body and
enforced by the power of
the state. Laws are also
written set of guidelines
that define right or wrong
in society.
D. Sanction- is a mechanism
of social control that
enforces norms. When it is
socially imposed, rewards
and punishments can be
compelled people to obey
norms.
 E. RITUALS- are
culturally patterned
ways of dealing with
biological drives and
anxiety-producing
events.
 1. Culture is shared-
culture would have no
significance if people
did not hold it in
common.
• Pagmamano is a shared culture
since it is being practiced all
through out the country.

• The religiosity of the

Filipinos
• Utang na loob
Belief in heaven and hell

Respect for elders; (everyone

is our tito, tita, lolo, lola)

Rice is our staple food

Close-knit family relationship

 The manner of naming a
person– based on American o
Spanish names- Andrea,
Antonio, Anna Maria- and not
Chatchawit Techarukpong or
Chatthapong
Pantanaunkul(Thai names)
 2. Culture is learned-
Cultural beliefs and
practices are usually so
well learned that they
seem perfectly natural,
but they are learned
nonetheless.
 3. Culture is symbolic- The
significance of culture lies in the
meaning it holds for people. A
symbol refers to things or
behaviors to which people give
meaning is not inherent in a
symbol but is bestowed by the
meaning people give it.
 4. Culture is relative-
Culture varies across
time and place. Culture
develops as humans
adapt to the physical and
social environment
around them.
 ETHNOCENTRISM AND CULTURAL RELATIVISM

ETHNOCENTRISM
• People tend to be prejudiced regarding their point of
view of other cultures. This form of unconscious bias was
shaped by the home culture of individuals.
• Ethnocentrism is a point of view in which people use
their own culture as the standard for judging the worth of
another culture
 CULTURAL RELATIVISM-
• A point of view that sees all
cultures to be equal with each other.
• There is no such thing as superior
or inferior culture.
 • Cultural relativism refers to not judging a
culture to our own standards of what is right or
wrong, strange or normal. Instead, we should try
to understand cultural practices of other groups in
its own cultural context.
     Immoral in USA Moral or Acceptable
• Killing newborn females China, India

• Female genital mutilation Many African nations (It is

female circumcision)

• Family kills a woman family

Somalia, Sudan
member who is raped
   
 MORAL IN USA
Eating Beef
Drinking alcohol, Gambling
Women in school or business
Women wearing shorts, face
uncovered
IMMORAL IN
India
Middle Eastern Islamic
Countries
Afghanistan under the Taliban
Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sudan
The concept of :
MORALITY and
BEAUTY
is RELATIVE
Somalian former
supermodel
Waris Dirie is an
advocate
against Female
Genital
Mutilation
 WEEK 4
CULTURAL, SOCIAL,
POLITICAL, AND
ECONOMIC
SYMBOLS
A SYMBOL is an object,
word, or action that
stands for something
else with no natural
relationship that is
culturally defined.
 A symbol carries meaning
to the people who share a
culture because it is
created and maintained by
the members of the culture.
  Some good examples of
symbols/symbolism would be
objects, figures, sounds, and
colors; they could be facial
expressions or word
interpretations;
 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.
 HAND
GESTURES
 USA- Rock on!
Sign of approval

Colombia, Brazil,
Cuba, Spain, Italy
- Your spouse is
cheating on you!
 USA, UK, Canada,
Australia – Ok!
All right!
Fine!

Brazil – equivalent of a
dirty finger
China- Number 8

Italy – means
something is not
good

Belgium,
Netherlands,
Austria- Number 2
COLORS
 Africa-
death,
violence,
sacrifice
RED
India- wearing of BINDI on the forehead-
made of red powder known as SINDOOR,
signifies that a woman is married
 China-
immortality,
feminity
BLUE
USA- trust and
security
 Thailand-
death or
mourning
PURPLE
 USA-
Wealth

ISLAM –
Symbol of
GREEN Allah
 Mexican flag- GREEN
stands for
freedom/independence

South African flag- RED

stands for
freedom/independence
CONTROVERSIAL
SYMBOLS
SOUTH AFRICAN FLAG Considered as
(1928-1994)
an apartheid
flag-
- A symbol of
racial
discrimination
and White
supremacy in
South Africa
LGBT RAINBOW
FLAG
JAPANESE RISING FLAG DURING WORLD
WAR II- a symbol of Japanese imperialism,
atrocities, and abuses to their colonized
countries like China and Korea
 The Nazi
Swastika- a
symbol of
dominance or The Buddhist Swastika- a
even oppression sacred symbol – for divinity
of the Jews and spirituality
 Symbol of the
occult; followers
of Satanism;
used by people
practicing black
magic and
witchcraft;
LUCKY CHARMS
 MANEKI NEKO-
The Beckoning Cat
-considered as a
good luck charm
for the Japanese
- A symbol of
prosperity and
wealth
 Dreamcatcher
-from the Native
American
culture
-symbol of
protection
against evil
 Four-leaf clover- a
lucky charm for the
Americans

Shamrock or the three-

leaf clover- Irish
spiritual symbol of Holy
Trinity