LESSON 1 THE ANTHROPOLOGISTS
STUDYING SOCIAL, CULTURAL AND
POLITICAL BEHAVIOR THROUGH SCIENCE
The three prominent disciplines under Social
Sciences:
The Holistic Study of Humanity: Anthropology
the study of people concerned both with the
biological features that make us human (such as
physiology, genetic makeup, nutritional history and
evolution) and with social aspects (such as
language, culture, politics, family and religion). It us
more on the individual aspect rather than social.
The Study of the Social World: Sociology
the study of social life, social change, and social
causes and consequences of human behavior.
Sociologists investigate the structure of groups,
organizations, and societies and how people
interact within these contexts.
The Study of Politics: Political Science
the systematical study of the state and the
government. It is concerned with theory,
description, analysis and prediction of political
behavior, political systems and politics.
ANTHROPOLOGY
Dubbed as the "science of humanity," anthropology
is the study human beings, their origin, their
societies, and their cultures (Abulencia, 2016).
It branches into two subdivisions:
o social anthropology, which studies
humans in relation to societies
o cultural anthropology, or the study of
human cultures.
 It is derived from two Greek words,
anthropos, which means "man" and logos, which
means "study or inquiry" (Atienza, 2016).
 It is the systematic study of biological,
cultural, and social aspects of man (Atienza,
2016).
 The oldest study of all social and behavioral
sciences
 Began during the navigations of European
explorers
1. Franz Boaz
Father of American anthropology
Contribution: first person to implement the scientific
method into the study of human cultures and
societies.
2. Alfred Kroeber
Contribution: making connections between
archaeology and culture
o Archaeology- study of the human past using
material remains
3. William Henry Morgan
Contribution: known for establishing the study of
kinship systems and for his comprehensive theory
of cultural evolution.
Both Alfred Kroeber and William Henry
Morgan became prominent in the field on
anthropology since their specialization included
supporting indigenous rights like traditional cultural
preservation and ancestral domain of the American
Indian tribes they studied.
4. Ruth Benedict
Folklore -the traditional beliefs, customs, and
stories of a community, passed through the
generations by word of mouth
Student of Franz Boaz
Contribution: ‘Patterns of Culture’ book and theory
where she expresses her belief in cultural relativism
o Cultural relativism -the idea that a person's
beliefs, values, and practices should be
understood based on that person's own
culture
5. Margaret Mead
"controversial" for studying about native sexual
practices
Contribution: studied cultural conditioning of sexual
behavior, natural character, and culture change
6. Bronislaw Malinowski
Founder of social anthropology
Contribution: the ethnographic approach
 o Ethnography -studies the cultural patterns
and perspectives of participants in their
natural settings
o Common data-gathering techniques to
ethnography involve unstructured interviews
and surveys
SOCIOLOGY
 It is defined by Anthony Giddens as the
study of human social life, groups, and society
(Atienza, 2016).
 It is the study of society and the behavior of
the people in the society (Arcinas, 2016).
 The study of society, social institutions and
social relationships. It is interested in describing
and explaining human behavior in its social
context (Aguilar, 2016).
It is significant for a person to learn about his/her
society. To co-exist with other people in peace, one
must first discover who he/she is, who the co-
members in the society are, understand the internal
and external factors that contribute to their
personalities, and their functions in society.
Social phenomena are the constantly evolving
individual and external influences that significantly
affect our behaviors and opinions.
Wright Mills (1959) – calls it sociological
imagination
- “Vivid awareness of the relationship
between personal experience and the wider
society.”
Peter Berger – perspective of sociology
- see "general patterns in particular events"
(Macionis, 2010)
Example: Emile Durkheim's suicide study (1800s)
Revelation: there are categories of people who are
more likely to commit suicide. The more socially
integrated people are less likely to end their lives.
Sociology also enables us to see the "strange in the
familiar" (Macionis, 2010) meaning detaching
ourselves from common explanations by taking a
new look at society. Human behavior is not simply
a matter of what people decide to do; society
shapes our thoughts and deeds.
Example: W.I. Thomas's theorem (1928)
Statement: "if people define situations as real, they
are real in their consequences"
HISTORY OF SOCIOLOGY AS A SCIENCE
- emerged with the French Revolution (1789) and
Industrial Revolution in England (18th Century) aka
the two most significant social and political
revolutions in history.
French Revolution
 Influenced by new political ideas spreading
in from France and America.
 Resulted in a shift from monarchy to
democracy
Industrial Revolution
 Invention of steam engine
 Beginning of industrial economy, the growth
of cities and emergence of different political
ideas
Problems such as massive unemployment,
increasing crime rate, widespread poverty among
others emerged.
Thinkers began to ponder how to address these
difficult problems.
Basic concern: how to solve society's ills
THE EARLY THINKERS
1. Auguste Comte
Father of Sociology (1842)
Greek words socius or "companion," and Latin
logos or "study"
Proposal: to understand society, it should be
analyzed as it really is and not look at it in an ideal
state.
Favored Positivism, an approach to understanding
the world based on science.
Believes that society operates according to certain
laws, just as the physical world operates according
to gravity and laws of nature.
2. Karl Marx
Father of Communism - a political theory
advocating class war and leading to a society in
which all property is publicly owned and each
person works and is paid according to their abilities
and needs.
Forerunner of the conflict theory, one of the most
important sociological theories
Conflict theory - the basic premise of conflict
theory is that individuals and groups in society
struggle to maximize their share of the limited
resources that exist and are desired by humans.
Given that there are limited resources, the struggle
inevitably leads to conflict and competition.
Wrote The Communist Manifesto in 1847 with
Friedrich Engels
 The book focused on the misery of the
lower classes caused by existing social
order.
 Reiterated that political revolution was vital
in the evolutionary process of society, the
only means to achieve improvement of
social conditions.
 Conflict, revolution and the overthrow of
capitalism were inevitable.
Critiqued the capitalist exploitation of the labor
class for profit
Prediction:
Bourgeoisie (capitalists, the "haves," the
oppressors) would be overthrown (remove forcibly
from power) by the
Proletariat (workers, the "have-nots," the
oppressed)
Because they could no longer contain their
frustration over the treatment that the former
inflicted on them.
- His predictions did not come true. However,
sociologists still studied his insights regarding class
conflict, economic determinism, social stratifaction,
and social change.
3. Herbert Spencer
 Society as an organism, with a life and
vitality on its own.
 "survival of the fittest" He believes that
helping the weak, poor, and needy would
interfere with natural selection process.
 His ideas justified the enslavement of the
Blacks that later on met strong resistance
which eventually leading to its demise.
His inhuman philosophy later on met with strong
resistance, eventually leading to its death.
4. Emile Durkheim
Pioneer study on suicide
Idea: individuals are more the products than the
creators of society; the society is external to the
individual
In his book Suicide, Durkheim proved that social
forces strongly impact on people's lives.
Durkheim's Four Types of Suicide describes the
person, not necessarily the act. They are:
a) Anomic - caused by the lack of social
regulation and it occurs during high levels of
stress and frustration. Anomic suicide stems
from sudden and unexpected changes in
situations. Breakdown of social equilibrium;
bankruptcy, loss of job, loss of family.
b) Altruistic - when social group involvement
is too high. Individuals are so well integrated
into the group that they are willing to
sacrifice their own life in order to fulfil some
obligation for the group.
c) Fatalistic - society sets an expectation that
burdensome people should remove
themselves. This suicide occurs when
individuals are kept under tight regulation.
These individuals are placed under extreme
rules or high expectations are set upon
them, which removes a person’s sense of
self or individuality.
d) Egoistic - It is committed by individuals who
are social outcast and see themselves as
being alone or an outsider. These
individuals are unable to find their own
place in society and have problems
adjusting to groups.
Durkheim's four types of suicide (after Pope 1976)

THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIOLOGY IN THE

PHILIPPINES
Three phases:
I. Sociology as social philosophy
II. Sociology as a problem or welfare-oriented
discipline
III. Sociology started to take the scientific
orientation
Phase 1: Sociology looked upon as social
philosophy
o Fr. Valentin Narin
o Who initiated a criminology course on UST

5. Max Weber Phase 2: Sociology was viewed as a problem or

welfare- oriented discipline
Most important proponent of Interpretative
Sociology - Sociology seen as a field with focus on poverty,
crime, unemployment
Believed that a "sympathetic understanding,
verstehen, of the mind of others" was essential to o Sefarin Macaraig, first with doctorate in
understanding the behavior of others. sociology
o First Sociology textbook, An Introduction to
Concept: Rationalization of society
Sociology (1938). Little social research was
• Traditional societies emphasize emotion and done.
personal ties.
Phase 3: Scientific orientation on Sociology
• Modern societies emphasize calculation,
 Agencies became aware of the importance of
efficiency and self-control
social facts
Both qualitative and quantitative method should be  Mainstreaming of sociology
used in studying social actions. o Benicio Catapusan, Filipino sociologist who
became the benchmark for the distribution
Works:
aid to different regions
 The Protestant Ethics and Spirit of o Prof. Randy David - Philippine Daily Inquirer
Capitalism Column: Public Lives
 The Sociology of Hinduism and Buddhism
 Theory of Social and Economic POLITICAL SCIENCE
Organization
 It is the systematic study of politics (Atienza,
- the three dwelt on the significance of subjective 2016).
meanings people give to their interactions with  It deals with systems of government and
others. the analysis of political activity and political
behavior (Arcinas,2016).
- Weber asserted that religion is very influential in  It focuses on the fundamental values of
the thoughts and actions of people.
equality, freedom and justice and its
processes (Atienza, 2016).
The process exercised by the government in the Culture - plays a vital role in shaping and
implementation of its duty is what we call politics. influencing politics.
Politics is associated with how power is gained and
employed to develop authority and influence in
social affairs.
 POWER - the ability to influence others. It
gives authority to lead.
 ORDER - attained through obedience on
the rules set by leaders.
 JUSTICE - is felt in a society with order.

Politics as an art
 Politics is played with style.
 Constituents choose leaders based on their
preference.
 Leaders use charisma in influencing the
people.
Politics as a science
Science - knowledge derived from experiment and
observation systematically done.
 Policy-making and government research,
investigation, analysis, validation, planning,
execution and evaluation. decisions are
done through

Convergence of Anthropology, Sociology

and Political Science: A Focus on Society,
Culture, and Politics
Similarities:
 Common interest: society
 They co-exist
Differences:
Culture vs. Society
 Society is composed of interacting
people
 Culture consists of knowledge, ideas,
customs, traditions, folkways, mores,
beliefs, skills, institutions, organizations,
and artefacts that societies create.
Culture is shaped by history, religion, ethnic
identity, language, nationality