Interpretive Dynamics of Culture

Society as a Concept
• It is a tool to grasp the complexity of the phenomenon it
represents and a means to explore its many other dimen-
sions hidden by its normative use.
• It represents an ideal type, which more or less depicts the
form, process and dynamic of the social
Talcott Parsons’ view on Structural Functionalism
- Structural functionalism states that society is made up of
Society as a Facticity
various institutions that work together in cooperation
• Society is seen as an outcome of multiple interactions of
people upon which succeeding interactions are made mean- - Parsons’ structural functionalism has four functional im-
peratives also known as AGIL scheme
ingful and possible.

1. Omnipotence- the quality of having unlimited or very Social Dysfunction

great power. -undesirable effects of a social pattern on the operation of so-
2. Omniscience- the state of knowing everything. ciety, may result but society has the ability to adjust.

3. Omnipresence- the state of being widespread or con- Conflict Theory

stantly encountered.
Sociological Awareness
- It allows us to see opportunities where there are none and
to create one if need be.
- Being socially aware means that you understand how you
react to different social situations, and effectively modify
your interactions with other people so that you achieve the
best results.
C. W Mills
-The sociological perspective enjoins us to see the coordi-
nates of our social maps- our biography and society’s history
and their intersections – and from there chart more feasible
routes
Theoretical Perspective
Structural functionalism
- the society is seen as a complex system whose parts func-
tion and work in harmony, bringing stability in the process
(Parts of the society: family, school, economy, or state)
Robert Merton
- An American sociologist who differentiate the two kinds
of function He is considered a founding father of Modern
sociology
Focuses on: forces in society that promote competition and
change
• it is based on the assumption that society is an arena of
inequality and division resulting to conflict.
Conflict is a clash between ideas and principles and people.
Dahrendorf
- Emphasizes the dominance of some social groups
- See social order as manipulation and control by dominant
groups
- Social change occurs rapidly and in disorderly fashion as
subordinate groups overthrow dominant groups .
- Examine conflicts of interest and coercion that holds soci-
ety together
- Can be covert or overt
- Focus on the heterogeneous nature of society and the dif-
ferential distribution of political and social power
- Conflict theory assumes that social behavior is best under-
stood in terms of conflict or tensions between competing
group
- Conflicts need not be violent; it can target the form of la-
bor negotiations, party politics, competition between reli-
gious groups

Manifest Function Latent Function Focuses on: how individuals interact it focuses on how peo-
ple make sense of the world, on how they experience and de-
• Is the intended, recognised The unintended and unrec- fine what they and others are doing, and on how they influ-
and obvious ognized function ence and are influenced by others.
• consequences that people Rules: Invisible Hand of Society
observe or expect. It is ex-
-Are essential in the everyday conduct of the member of the
plicitly stated and under-
society -it becomes the arbiter of disagreements and people’s
stood by the participants in
respect for rules gives them this organizing power over hu-
the relevant action
man actions over time.
-
• Written Rules Are easily seen and hence are easily ob-
served and obeyed.
Ex Don't stop in the middle of a busy sidewalk.
• Unwritten Rules These are rules that aren’t necessarily
laws but we follow them on a day to day basis.
ex. Don’t stop in the middle of a busy sidewalk.
Culture as a Concept
• Culture is that complex whole includes knowledge, belief,
art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and
habits acquired by man as a member of society. -Edward
B. Tylor
• Culture is the way of life especially the general customs
and beliefs, of a particular group of people at a particular
time -Cambridge English Dictionary
• -Mass Culture refers to the mass- produced and mass – me-
diated forms of consumer culture that emerged in the 20th
Century.
Culture Society
-One does not or cannot exist without the others • “There can
be no culture without a society and there are no known hu-
man societies that do not exhibit culture.”
ASPECTS OF CULTURE
THE COMPLEXITY OF CULTURE
• Culture is people’s way of life.
• A complex whole which encompasses values, beliefs, laws,
norms.
It is everything that a person learns and shares as a member
of society.
THE WHAT, HOW AND WHY OF CULTURE
• The “what”- contains the actions, artifacts, language and
behavior that characterize a given culture
• The “how”- identifies the processes that guarantee the
transmission and dissemination of the contents.
• The “why”- pinpoints the reasons why individuals comply
and the mechanisms that facilitate the performance of ex-
pected behavior.
• Enculturation- refers to the gradual acquisition of the char-
acteristics and norms of a culture or group by a person, an-
other culture etc.
Example: third culture shock
• Culture is people’s shared ways of doing and thinking.
• There are degrees of visibility of cultural behavior ranging
from the regularized activities of people to their internal
reasons for doing so.
• In other words, we cannot see culture as such; we can only
see human behavior. This behavior occurs in a regular pat-
terned fashion called CULTURE.
CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTURE
• According to Kluckhohn and Kelly- a culture is a historically
derived system of explicit and implicit designs for living
which tends to be shared by all on specially designed
members of a group.
• Explicit culture- similarities in words and actions which can
be directly observed.
• Implicit culture- exists in abstract forms which are not ob-
vious
Culture as a system:
1. super-organic- culture is seen as something superior to
nature since nature serves as an ingredient of any cul-
tural productions.
2. Integrated- culture possesses an order and system with
various parts integrated with each other thus;
3. Pervasive- as it touches every aspect of life
• According to Ruth Benedict- a culture is a more or less
consistent patter of thought and action.
1. Culture is social because it is the product of behavior-
culture does not exist in isolation, it develops through
social interaction
2. Culture varies from society to society- every society has
a culture of its own that differs from other societies. It
also varies from time to time. Culture is a creation of
society in interaction and depends its existence upon the
continuance of society.
3. Culture is shared- it is something that an individual alone
can’t possess.
4. Culture is learned- culture is not inborn. It indicates that
the learned behavior of people is patterned.
5. Culture is transmitted among members of society. Trans-
mission of culture is made possible by LANGUAGE.
6. Culture is continuous and cumulative
7. Culture is gratifying and idealistic
FUNCTIONS OF CULTURE
1. Culture defines situations
2. Culture defines attitudes, values and goals
3. Culture defines myths, legends and supernaturals
4. Culture provides behavior patterns
Ethnocentrism
• Ethno- Greek word which means people, nation or cultural
grouping
• Centric- Latin word which means the center
• Ethnocentrism has the tendency of each society to place its
own culture patterns at the center of things.
• It is the practice of comparing other cultural practices with
those of one’s own and automatically finding those other
cultural practices to be inferior.
• In other words it is the act of evaluating other cultures ac-
cording to preconceptions originating in the standards and
customs of one’s own culture.

FUNCTIONS OF ETHNOCENTRISM

• Encourages a “we” feeling with associates and strengthens

the idea that loyalty to comrades and the preservation of
the basis for superiority are important values.
• Hinders the understanding or the cooperation between
groups.
• Becomes a vehicle for the promotion of social change.

Cultural Relativism
-Is the idea that all norms, beliefs and values are dependent
on their cultural context and should be treated as such.
- As an attitude, cultural relativism promotes greater appre-
ciation of the culture one encountered along the way.
- As a behavior, cultural relativism is a good way to rehearse
the norms and values of society
- It can also be a research method. Social scientist strive to
treat cultural differences as neither inferior or superior.
- Appreciation of other cultures may come about two com-
plementary reasons:
- acquisition of sufficient knowledge about the culture in
question
- direct exposure to other culture
• Xenocentrism- refers to a preference for the foreign.
• Xenophobia- the fear of what is perceived as foreign.