Culture and Society

THE PERSPECTIVES OF ANTHROPOLOGY AND SOCIOLOGY

The Question for the chapter:

• How can the concepts of society and culture be made

useful in constructing a community of responsive
and responsible social actors?
Society and Culture as Niche and Fugitive Concepts
• Political • Psychology
Science
• As a Fugitive
• As a Niche Concept,
Concept, Society and
Society and Society Sociology Culture is not
Culture is only grounded
deeply rooted in
in Anthropology
Anthropology and Sociology,
and Sociology Anthropology Culture but may also be
used in other
disciplines:
• Economics • history PolSci,
and etc. Pyschology,
Biology etc.
 In this chapter, we would be treating these two as
fugitive concepts
• As fugitive concepts, we would not be focusing only on Sociology and
Anthropology but we would also widen the scope of society and culture
Lesson 1: The Interpretative Dynamics of Society

• Main question: What makes society possible?

 Stop!
BEFORE WE ATTEMPT TO ANSWER THE QUESTION, LET US FIRST
UNDERSTAND SOCIETY AS A CONCEPT AND AS A FACTICITY
Society as a Concept and as a Facticity
Society as a Concept Society as Facticity

• Used as a tool to grasp phenomenon • Society is seen as an outcome of

multiple interactions of people upon
• Society represents an ideal type: form, which succeeding interactions are
process and dynamics of the social made meaningful and possible.
reality it embodies
• As a concept, society is not rigid and is
durable.
 As a fact, Society is likened to a deity who possesses
the tripartite powers.

Omnipresent Omniscient Omnipotent

Omniscient
Omnipotent
Omnipresent
We have learned about
the tripartite powers of
Society. Now we answer
the question; What
makes Society
possible?
Three Theoretical Perspectives
• Structural-functional
• Conflict Theory
• Symbolic Interaction
Structural Functionalism and Social Order
• Argues that society is
made possible by
cooperation and
interdependence
• Society is a system
with parts which have
respective functions to
perform
Conflict Theory
• The conflict perspective views
society as an arena.
• As an arena, social actors maintain
power by domination and power.
• For the proponents of this view,
conflict makes change and
dynamism
Symbolic Interaction
• Symbolic interaction theory
analyzes society by addressing
the subjective meanings that
people impose on objects, events,
and behaviors.
• Subjective meanings are given
primacy because it is believed
that people behave based on what
they believe and not just on what
is objectively true. Thus, society is
thought to be socially constructed
through human interpretation.
We have now learned that society theoretically comes from a
need of structure, a dynamic development from conflict,
and meaning making and symbolic interaction.

Now we study Rules and how and what is its function in

the society.
Rules: Invisible hand of Society
• Rules serve as guides in the
performance of roles and in
everyday actions and
interactions
• However not all rules are visible.
Some rules are invisible and
unwritten
• Unwritten rules give us insights
into the nature of social
behavior.
 So back to the question… What makes Society
Possible?
• Cooperation and Interdependence
• Change and Dynamism through Conflict,
Domination and Resolution
• The generation of meaning from symbols in
people’s surroundings.
• We have studied Society… Now we move on to:
Culture as a Concept
• E.B Tylor: Complex Whole which includes • Language
knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom and • Social practices
any other capabilities and habits acquired by
man as a member of society. • Art
• Music
• Cambridge English Dictionary: Culture is the
way of life, especially the general customs and • Dance
beliefs, of particular group of people at a • Practices
particular time.
• Religion etc.
The What, How, and Why of Culture
What (Contents of Culture) How (Process of Why (Reas9n for compliance)
transmission)
Actions Learned Socialization and
Enculturation
Language Shared
Conformity
Attitude Communicated
Social Control
Enculturation and Culture Shock
• Enculturation refers to the gradual
acquisition of the characteristics and
norms of a culture or group by a person,
another culture etc.
• It starts with actual exposure to another
culture..
• Culture shock on the other hand is the
feeling of disorientation experienced by
someone who is suddenly subjected to
an unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set
of attitudes. It can also happen when
going back to a birth culture.
Definitions of Culture
• B.Malinowski- “The handiwork of man and the medium through
which he achieves his ends.”
• R. Redfield- “An organized body of conventional understandings
manifest in art
• V. de Robert- “ The body of thought and knowledge, both theoretical
and practical, which only man can possess
• E.B Tylor- “The complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art,
morale, laws, custom , and any other capabilities and habits as acquired
by man as a member of society
• Kluckhohn and Kelly: culture is a historically
derived system of explicit and implicit designs for
living which tends to be shared by all or specially
designed members of a group
Explicit Culture vs Implicit Culture
Characteristics of Culture

• Culture is Social
because it is the
product of behavior
• Culture varies from
society to society
• Culture is shared
• Culture is learned
• Culture is transmitted among members
of society
• Culture is continuous and cumulative
• Culture is gratifying and idealistic

• Culture provides proper opportunities for the satisfaction of our needs and
desires
These characteristics revolve around three essences of
culture as a system:
a. Super-organic
-A culture has a “life of its own” which is symbolic
rather than genetic. In this way it is a “living” thing.
b. Integrated
-It has an order and a system
c. Pervasive
-It is spreading and pervades social activities and
institutions.
Functions of Culture
Culture…
• Defines Situations
• Defines attitudes, values and goals
• Defines myths, legends and the supernatural
• Provides behavior patterns
Ethnocentrism
• Coined by William Graham Sumner
• Belief that your culture is the most superior.
• This leads one to making incorrect
assumptions about other’s behavior based on
your own norms, values and beliefs. (P.62)
Cultural Relativism
• All norms, beliefs and values are dependent on
their cultural context and should be treated as
such.
• When looking at a culture, nobody is in a
neutral position. One must encounter the
culture first.
• We must interpret actions of other groups in
the light of their motives, habits and values if
we are to understand them.
• In other words, right and wrong are culture-
specific
Xenocentrism and Xenophobia
• Xenocentrism: Preference of foreign or strange
culture

• Xenophobia: Fear of foreign or strange culture

The Question for the chapter:
• How can the concepts of society and culture be made
useful in constructing a community of responsive
and responsible social actors?

• Understanding both concepts would help us

understand every phenomena in our surroundings.
We would know why a certain group of people would
prefer to continue their own behavior and we would
be able to categorize the written and unwritten rules
of our society.
• Knowing these, we would be able to have responsive
and responsible people working interdependently
with each other
Mini-Task 2: Case Study of an Indigenous Group
• Create a presentation that examines culture of an indigenous group in
the Philippines. This case study and presentation would be done by
group. The teacher may assign indigenous groups to the students to
avoid redundancy.
• The students can gather data by research, interview, or participation in
the activity of an indigenous group in your community.
• Use the following guide questions as you write your case study.
• Describe the indigenous group assigned. Provide a profile. Who are
they? What do they do? Where did they come from? What is your
initial knowledge about them?
• Discuss their way of life.
• Social grouping (do they live in large or small groups?)
• Diet
• Economic Activities
• Clothing (past to present)
• System of writing (do they know how to read and write?)
• Religion and Belief
• Write a short reflection and answer the question: “How should
students treat indigenous groups? How did you feel knowing their
culture?”
• Each group is to give a short presentation about their indigenous group
via PowerPoint and each group is required to submit a paper for the
study.