𝔸ℕ𝕋ℍℝ𝕆ℙ𝕆𝕃𝕆𝔾𝕐 𝔸𝕊

𝕋ℍ𝔼 𝕊𝕋𝕌𝔻𝕐 𝕆𝔽
ℍ𝕌𝕄𝔸ℕ 𝔹𝔼𝕀ℕ𝔾
Defining Culture and Society
from the Perspectives of
Anthropology and Sociology
 Looking back on the History… (Culture)
• The term “culture” was first used by the English
anthropologist, Edward B. Taylor (Father of
Cultural Anthropology) in his book, Primitive
Culture (1920)

• According to Taylor, “culture” is “that complex

whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law,
morals, customs, and any other capabilities and
habits acquired by man as a member of society.”
 We commonly define culture as the collective
behavior of men arising from a shared belief
and value system based on ideologies, way of
life, norms and even identities.

• Transmitted from generation to generation

 Society
Simply defines as the web of interactions of
man with one another.

August Comte – the father of

Sociology, saw a society as social
organism processing a harmony
of structure and function
 Examples of Society
1. __________
VILLAGES - a small community or group of houses in a rural area, larger than a hamlet and usually smaller than a
town, and sometimes(as in parts of the U.S.) incorporated as a municipality.

2. ___________-
CITIES a large or important town.
3.____________-
DISTRICTS a division of territory, as of a country, state, or county, marked off for administrative, electoral, or
other purposes.
4. MUNICIPALITIES
________________– a city, town, or other district possessing corporate existence and usually its own local
government.
5. RELIGIOUS
___________________-
GROUPS a subgroup within a religion that operates under a common name, tradition, and identity

6. PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS are organizations that act as a peak body or umbrella for professionals
________________________________-
working in the same or similar fields. These associations can define the profession and assist members to further the
profession through ongoing learning, quality control, and research.
• Both culture and society require the
interaction of people with one another.

• Both also revolve around relationship arising

from such interaction.
 Anthropology
Science that deals with the study of human
beings and their humanity through the examination
of a people’s biological and cultural past and
comparing these with that of another group or
community.
Makes use of scientific research in order to find
the truth about existence of man.
 Subfields of Anthropology
1.Socio-cultural/Cultural Anthropology
2.Biological/Physical Anthropology
3.Archaeology
4.Anthropological Linguistics
1. Socio-cultural/Cultural Anthropology
• Study of human culture and its influences
on the daily lives of people.
• Study of the differences and similarities of
various cultures and how they correlate
with each other.
2. Biological/Physical Anthropology
• Biological aspects of human beings such
as but not limited to genetics,
paleoanthropology, evolutionary science
and population diversity.
• Man as biological creature and therefore
subject to the laws of biology such as
heredity
3. Archaeology
• Study of the cultural heritage of the past
through examination of the physical
remains and ruins of the past cultures.

• Ancient civilizations
4. Anthropological Linguistics
• Influences of language and symbols to
human culture.
• Without language, there could be no
culture
Sociology as the
Study of Human
Societies
 SOCIOLOGY
Scientific study of society which
necessarily entails the study of all
human activities in the society.
• All interactions with other human
beings
• Social institutions
• Social problems and dilemmas
• All other forces inside the society
Sociological Perspective as a
Tool in Understanding
Sociology
Sociological Perspectives
Functionalist perspective
Symbolic interactionism perspective
Conflict theory perspective
 1. Functionalist Perspective
• Society as composed of different but
interdependent integral parts play a
vital role in keeping the society
together in-tact and functioning.
 2. Symbolic Interactionism
• To know the underlying concepts embedded
in everyday communication and interaction.
• Includes studying human conversations,
responses and interpretation.
 3. Conflict theory perspective
• The society is always full of different
groups socially stratified.
• People from different social groups are often
in conflict with another social group.
 Self Awareness
• An individual is believed to be self-
aware if they can see themselves in
the perspective of another
individual.
 Shared Symbols
• Man imputes symbols to things.
• Once a meaning or a concept is attached to a
thing or even an idea, a symbol arises.
 Negotiated Order
• When people interact with each
other, there is already a
preconceived reaction or response to
every kind of interaction.