Understanding Culture,

Society and Politics

EDUARDO JUNIO ANDAYA
Chapter 1. (Understanding Culture,
Society and Politics) lesson 1
 Objectives:
1. Demonstrate understanding about culture, society and politics;
2. Demonstrate understanding about human cultural variation, social differences,
social change, and political identities;
3. Acknowledge human cultural variation, social differences, social change, and
political identities; and
4. Articulate observations on human cultural variation, social differences, social
change and political identities
CHAPTER 1

 In our modern world, it is important to pay attention to the interplay of culture,

society and politics. These elements are essential in understanding human
behavior and social groups against the backdrop of globalization and
industrialization.
 The best way of transforming the ideals of students into action is by letting them
determine challenges and turn these challenges into positive endeavors. This can
be done through the proper understanding of dynamics of individuals, institutions,
and other major players in society.
 It is therefore imperative that students must be well-equipped and well-informed
individuals who are familiar with the disciplines of political science,
anthropology, and sociology as learning aids in locating himself or herself within
his or her community and society.
Culture
Culture is generally defined as the sum of an individual’s way of life, ranging from the food he or she eats,
the clothes he or she wears, and the house where he or she lives.
 It also includes both the non-material things and materials things that he or she possesses or acquires.
Non-material things (intangible things):
1. Norms
2. Values
3. Intangible aspects (music, dance, poetry, and other forms of expression
4. Fads
5. Fashion trends
6. Manners
7. Scientific knowledge
Culture

Material things (tangible material)

1. Technology
2. Taboos
3. Architectural and;
4. Engineering wonders
5. Advancement in medicine
6. Breakthroughs in transportation and communication
Society

Society is generally defined as an organized group of interdependence people who

share;
 Common Territory
 Language
 Culture
They are also bound together by a general sense of common identity and pride of
place. In reality, there can be no culture without a society and so far there are no
known human societies that do not exhibit culture (Haviland, et. al: 312)
 Politics
Politics refers to the……
 Theory
 Art
 Science (Practice of government)

 The political institution is a relatively stable cluster of statuses, general norms, and role
behavior, which are involved in the acquisition and exercise of power and decision-making
in society (Turner:215)
 The institution that sets up the social norms and values as to who will process “the
monopoly of legitimate use of physical force within a given territory, “how that power is
acquired and maintained and how that power is organized and exercised, comprises the state
(weber:216)
Politics
Philippine Government has three branches/machineries:
 Executive department-The implementers
 Legislative department-The law makers
 Judiciary department-The interpreters

Executive power (Power of the President/Prime minister)

 head of the state/government
 Chief executive
 Commander in-chief of Armed forces
 Policy making (Ordinance power)
 Leads the military war and cabinet during peace
 Power to designates roles for cabinet members to undertake
 Power to approve and veto decisions made by the cabinet or the legislative body
 Check and balance power
Politics
Legislative Power (senators and congressmen)
 To make and pass laws for the executive power to implement
 To repeal of law
 To amend of law
 Deliberation over of law
 Appointment power (Commission on appointment)
 Budget deliberation (General Appropriation Bill)
Judicial power (Chief justice and Associate justice)
 To interpret laws in accordance with a society’s standards and norms
It is expected that all branches of the government (Executive, Legislative and
Judiciary) work harmoniously to maintain the balance of power.
SHARING OF SOCIAL AND
CULTURAL BACKGROUND
Cultural identity
The cultural identity of an individual refers to the identity or feeling of belonging to
a group.
It pertains to one’s..
 Gender and Sex
 Socio-economic status
 Ethnicity
 Religion
 Exceptionality
 Nationality
Gender and Sex
Gender is the socially-constructed characteristics of being male or
female (Eccles:43), in short, it refers to society’s division of humanity into two
distinctive categories based on sex.
 Gender serves as a guide on how males and females think and act about
themselves
 The ways they interact with others
 How they perform their various roles in society
 It refers personal traits and social roles of the male and female members of
society.
Gender and Sexuality
One the contrary, the level of masculinity and femininity varies from culture
to another especially on how society dictates one’s productive and
reproductive roles or gender roles.

GENDER ROLES
1. A person’s masculinity or manhood consists of a set of attributes,
behaviors and roles generally associated with men.
2. A person’s femininity or womanhood refers to a set of attributes,
behaviors and roles generally associated with women.
3. A person may experience identity crisis when he/she does not accept or
understand his/her gender role or is unable to understand his/her status.
Gender and Sex
Sex is categorized as male or female
 Sex chiefly centers on biological differences
 Hormonal distinctions as well as diverse levels of sexual arousal segregate
men from women as these indicators provide clues on one’s maleness or
femaleness.
 Fixed at birth
Socioeconomic status
Socioeconomic status refers to the category of persons who have
more or less the same socioeconomic privileges in a society. These privileges
are due to inherited wealth and/or the occupational status of the breadwinner
in the household (Panopio, etc.:327)
The types of social class/status operate in varying forces and combinations at
different times within a society or in diverse societies. In the Philippines,
three types of social classes are identified: upper, middle, and the lower
classes (the other categorization is classes A, B, C, D, and E.)
Socioeconomic status
Types of social classes (PHILIPPINES)
1. The upper class
 Consists of elite families
 They are considered the most productive in terms of resources generation and
oftentimes very successful in their respective field of interests and endeavors (e.g.
agriculture, industry, business, and government.
 The elite has two general types: the new rich (nouveauriche) and traditional upper
class.
 The new rich are those who have humble beginnings and often experienced rags-
to-riches turn of fortunes.
 The traditional upper class is made up of descendants of powerful elite families
who acquired their wealth through inheritance or birthright
Socioeconomic status

2. The middle class

 composed of small business and industry operators mostly
owners and managers, professionals, office workers, and farm owner
with income sufficient enough to provide a comfortable and decent
living
 Filipino overseas worker, who contribute greatly to the remittances
economy, are also included this category
Socioeconomic status
3. The lower class
 Farm employees
 Skilled and unskilled artisans
 Service workers
 People who may be unemployed or underemployed
 Those who belong to indigent families or informal sectors fall on the lower class
Note: Comparatively speaking, this group is the largest in terms of number and relatively earns their
living through subsistence (Panopio:328). Subsistence lifestyle is manifested through the following
conditions:
1. A family could hardly eat three decent meals a day;
2. The daily income of the breadwinner could hardly feed the entire family;
3. And the breadwinner does not have a permanent job.
Socioeconomic status
Other than the three types of social status discussed above, the Class A, B, C, D, and
E categorized is also used by some academic institutions. These categories are best
explained by the survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations in 2011.

Class % share in number of Average annual income

families (In pesos)
AB 1% 1, 857, 000
C 9% 603, 000
D 60% 191, 000
E 30% 62, 000
Ethnicity
As the most potent cultural concept. The expression of the set of cultural ideas held by a distinct
ethnic or indigenous group. An ethnic group refers to people who collectively and publicity
identity themselves as distinct and unique based on distinguishable cultural features that set
them apart from others, such as language, shared ancestry, common origin, customs, and
traditions (haviland, et.al.: 313)
The Philippines are inhabited by different ethno-linguistic groups.
Ethno-linguistic groups include the Ilocanos, Pangasinenses, Kapangpangans, Tagalogs,
Bicolanos, Visayans (Masbatenos, Hiligynons/ilonggos, Cebuanos, Boholanos, warays and
Surigaonos), Maranaos, Subanons and Zamboanguenos.
Note: Based on the 2000 census of the National Statistics Office (NSO), the eiht major ethno-
linguistic groups in the Philippines are the Tagalog, comprising 28.1% of the populations;
Cebuano 13.1%; Ilocano 9%; Bisaya/Binisaya 7.6%; Ilonggo/Hiligaynon 7.5%; Bikol 6%;
Waray 3.4%; others 25.3%.
Religion

Religion is an organized system of ideas about the spiritual sphere or the

supernatural, along with associated ceremonial or ritualistics] practices by which
people try to interpret and/or influence aspects of the universe otherwise beyond
human control (Haviland, et.al.; 554)
In the 2000 census, Catholics comprised 82.9% of the population (Roman Catholic
80.9%, Aglipayan 2%); Islam/Muslims 5%; Evangelical 2.8%; Iglesia ni Kristo 2.3%;
other Christian dominations, mostly Protestant groups 4.5%; other 1.8%; unspecified
0.6%; and no religion at all 0.1% .
Exceptionality

Exceptionality, as used in this context, refers to the state of being

intellectually gifted and/or having physically or mentally challenged conditions
concerning personality/behavior, communication (learning disability, speech
impairment, and hearing problems), intellect (mild intellectually and mental
development disabilities), Physical appearance (Blind-low vision), or a combination
of more than one specific exceptionality or disability (MinEd:2)
Nationality
Nationality is the legal relationship that binds a person and
a country. Allows the state to protect and have jurisdiction over a
person (Wels:29). For people who are legally born of Filipino
parent/s and those naturalized in the country after fulfilling the
requirements of residence are granted the nationality of Filipino
citizens or naturalized Filipinos.
THANK YOU AND
GODBLESS!