UNDERSTANDING

CULTURE, SOCIETY, AND

POLITICS
Making Sense of Our Everyday Experiences on Culture,
Society, and Politics
 Activity 1. Pinpoint!

Using the picture above identify the concepts that you can associate with culture,
society, and politics. Write your answers in the graphic organizer.
Process Question

From your answers,

give your own
definition of culture,
society, and politics.
WHAT IS CULTURE???
Culture as a “that complex whole
which encompasses beliefs, practices,
values, attitudes, laws, norms, artifacts,
symbols, knowledge, and everything
that a person learns and shares as a
member of society.” (E.B. Tylor 1920
[1871])
The Center for Advance Research
on Language Acquisition goes a
step further, defining culture as
shared patterns of behaviors and
interactions, cognitive constructs
and understanding that are learned
by socialization. Thus, it can be
seen as the growth of a group
identity fostered by social patterns
unique to the group.
"Culture encompasses religion, food,
what we wear, how we wear it, our
language, marriage, music, what we
believe is right or wrong, how we sit
at the table, how we greet visitors,
how we behave with loved ones, and
a million other things," Cristina De
Rossi, an anthropologist at Barnet and
Southgate College in London.
Comparison and
Context
THOMAS HYLAND ERIKSEN
Guide Questions

1. Why are there great variations in the way people around

the world live?
2. Amid these variations, why do we see similarities among
societies?
3. In what way can the study of the different and common
aspects of human existence contribute to our understanding
of culture, society, and politics?
What is
Anthropology?
The etymology or origin of the term anthropology
can be traced back to two Greek words,
‘anthropos’ and ‘logos’. When translated into
English, ‘anthropos’ means ‘human’ while ‘logos’
refers to ‘knowledge’ (Eriksen 2001: 2). In this
sense, anthropology can be understood as the
‘knowledge about humans’ (Ibid.). The subject of
anthropological study is humanity but unlike other
disciplines in the human sciences, anthropology
studies the diversity and similarity of the way a
person live and make connections as social and
cultural beings.
Anthropology as a discipline compares
cultural and social life primarily
through participant observation, a
research method that entails lengthy
fieldwork or immersion in a specific
social setting. Through participant
observation, anthropologists study in
depth the various aspect of society and
then compare how that society differ
and reflect other societies.
Activity 2. Define Me!
The activity aims to give students a clear understanding of the
basic concepts of anthropology and its relation to culture.
Process Questions
1. What are the objects of
anthropological study?
2. What perspective does anthropology
offer to the study of culture and
society?
3. Why is it important to know the
similarity and diversity of cultures and
societies?
SOCIETY
READING:

•“The Promise,”
The Sociological
Imagination by
Mills, C. Wright.
Guide Questions

1. According to Mills, how can one

understand society?

2. How is addressing or solving a

personal problem different from
addressing a public problem?