SOC SCI 102: UNDERSTANDING CULTURE, SOCIETY AND POLITICS

CULTURE – is defined as “the beliefs, customs, arts, etc., of a particular society, group,
place, or time.” In a normal conversation we sometimes hear the word culture. It is no longer
strange in our ears. Sometimes people think of culture as something ethnic or something that
what people usually do. Other people think of it as a very complex term that makes us different
from the animals. There are so many perspectives on what culture really is. But what is it
exactly? Understanding culture is a long-way endeavor. But through this module we will
gradually be given ideas of what culture really is.
To understand further this concept is to delve in its very subject—the human person.
Understanding culture requires understanding of a human person. Culture would not exist
without people. It’s the same thing with the understanding of society and politics. It always
involves people. If we really try to understand the definition of culture, society and politics, it is
really inevitable that it implies people.
SOCIETY – “people in general thought of as living together in organized communities
with shared laws, traditions, and values.”
POLITICS – “activities that relate to influencing the actions and policies of a government
or getting and keeping power in a government.” These three terms—culture, society and
politics that involve the understanding of the nature of the human person will be discussed
further in the next topic.

Development of Humans as Social Actors

What makes us human? This question is the stepping stone on how to understand the
concept of human being. And by that understanding, we can already arrive at the
understanding of culture, society and politics. Because there will be no culture without people;
there will be no society without people; and there will be no politics without people. Only
human person is endowed to produce and participate in these three aspects of life. When can
we see a dog who produces its own culture; a cat who establishes its society; and a mouse who
posits its own political view? In this topic, we will understand the concept of human being
—"from the physical attributes of humans to the sociocultural traits that they developed as
members of a society or a community.”
In understanding the nature of human being, we may have noticed that we also have
differences. Even the fact that “we belong to just one species,” we still differ in physical
characteristics, behavioral patterns and languages.

(MODULE 1.)
Human Variation
 What makes us different? This is the question that we could ask to see the differences
among humans.
PHYSICAL DIFFERENCES: shape of nose; color of hair; color of skin, etc. If we try to
observe the members of our family, even though they are our siblings or our parents we still
have differences. Even though we are the same Filipino we still differ in physical attributes,
beliefs, language etc. For example, if you compare the shape of your nose to your sister or
brother, it may seem the same but it is really different. Our Muslim brothers and sisters in
Mindanao, though they are Filipino the same as we are but their belief is different from ours.
Maasin City has its very known and unique language and expression from any other towns and
cities in the region. We are very known in the use of letter “J” in expressing our language as
compared to the Cebuanos who express their language with much more letter “Y”— “SIJA” and
“SIYA”. However, this does not mean that the cebuanos are correctly using the language and
the maasinhons are wrong. Both two groups of people are correctly using their own language
according to their own culture.
Now, going back to the physical differences, even identical twins are not absolutely the
same. It implies that we are different from each other and far different from any kind of
animals. That is why it is not proper to compare ourselves from others because we have
different capacities and talents. We are unique in our own way.
Now, these differences like language, belief, physical attributes, etc., are shaped by
these two of the primary factors—the environment and history, aside from genetics. The
behavior of the human groups is formed because of environment and history. “And this
behavior, which serves as an adaptive tool for the varied stimuli projected by the environment,
is influenced by beliefs, practices, and material possessions.” For example, most of the people
of Maasin or even the Southern Leytenos are really catholic believer, since the cradle of
Christianity of the Philippines is located in Limasawa Island way back to the history where a
catholic priest celebrated the first Easter Mass, when Magellan travelled into the Philippines.
What we have become now, the way we devote ourselves into the Church, is shaped by the
environment and history. People became a Catholic, Christian or even Muslim because of the
influence of beliefs according to their environment and history.
However, “through constant practice, these sets of behavior form human traditions,
which are passed on from one generation to the other.” All of us have not witnessed the actual
first Easter Mass in Limasawa Island, but because of constant practice—baptism is still made
and masses are still celebrated, we still devote ourselves to the Church and behave according to
the teaching of the Catholic Church. It has already become a tradition.

Cultural variations
 “As each human group experiences differing environmental conditions, cultural
variations are established.” It has been said that culture comprises clothing, language, belief,
etc. If we try of compare the people who are living in the frigid or cold countries and hot
countries in different areas of the world, we can notice that they differ in clothing. Of course, it
is absurd to see people, wearing thick layers of garment made of animal fur, in the desert. It
would just be perspiratory to wear. On the other hand, it would also be senseless to see people,
wearing loose and single-layer clothes made of cotton, in a very cold country like Russia or
Greenland. It would absolutely freeze you to death.

The pictures above illustrate that environmental conditions establish cultural variations.

NATIONALITY AND ETHNICITY

The concepts of nationality and ethnicity are not interchangeable. They have different
concept from each other. However, both are capable of informing an individual’s behavior and
habits due to a set of cultural norms that each category provides. In the Philippines, the country
has its own general norms that inform the behaviors of the people. As a country, we can equate
these norms into the laws. We behave and act, as members of this nation, rightfully according
to the dictate of the nation’s laws. On the other hand, ethnicity has its specific cultural norms
that only pertain to its specific group.
Now, let us distinguish the difference between nationality and ethnicity.
Nationality-is the identity that is tied to being part of a nation or country.
- group of people who share the same history, traditions, and language.
-inhabits a particular territory delineated by political border and administered by a
government.
- can be acquired by being born in a country or naturalization citizenship.

Being Filipino marks us as part of the Philippine nation. It identifies us that we, Filipino
citizens, should always participate and be active in the happenings of the country. We should
always possess the sense of concern or “PAGPAKABANA” in Bisaya. We should not just be silent
on whatever the country is happening. It is our right as being part of this nation especially that
we are in a democratic government.
Furthermore, as one nation, what we have become right now as an independent
country that has various beliefs and languages is because of the efforts of our brave heroes and
the history that we are sharing with. We might have different languages but still we are one
Filipino.

Ethnicity - Smaller cultural groups that share specific social environments, traditions, and
histories that may not be necessarily subscribed to by mainstream society.

The pictures illustrate the different examples of ethnic groups. Being maasinhon can
also be considered as an ethnic group. This implies that ethnicity is more specific within a
nation. Ethnic groups or smaller cultural groups have their own cultures that are different from
others and may not be necessarily subscribed to by the people of the whole country. For
instance, using “se’e” the known language expression of maasin would not possibly be
agreeable for cebuanos or tagalog.
Apart from the varying cultural backgrounds and ethnicity, human populations also
experience social differences, which include categories on gender, socioeconomic class (social
class and economic status), political identity, and religious beliefs.

Social Differences
These social differences are really rampant in our society until now. Some of these uplift
our being and some others degrade. However, we need to understand that these differences
are really existing in varying society so that we can also understand each human person’s being.
These are the following social differences:
• Gender
• Socioeconomic Class
• Political Identity
• Religious Beliefs

GENDER
 According to the World Health Organization (2013), gender “refers to the socially
constructed roles, behaviors, activities, and attributes that a given society considers
appropriate for men and women.” It accommodates identities such as lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI).
On the other hand, sex refers to the biological characteristic of humans such as male or
female.
Notice the difference between the two. There are only two sex and several gender. This
implies that gender does not necessarily follow the characteristics of the biological identity of
the human person. It is because it is “socially constructed”, which means that being gay,
lesbian, etc., does not automatically appear in our being from the day you were born. The
moment you were born with male or female genitalia, you are biologically male or female by
sex. Being gay or lesbian happens because of influence of the society. It is the society that
defines your gender as gay, lesbian, etc. For instance, the moment you realize that you are
attracted to the same sex, it is the people around you or the society that define you as male or
female even though it is contradictory to your biological genitalia. That is why they call it gay,
lesbian, etc., because it is not in conformity with the characteristics of the biological identity of
a male or female.
There are several types of gender based on a person’s sexual orientation.

Types of Gender based on a person’s sexual orientation:

Heterosexual – a person who is inclined to be sexually attracted to a person of the
opposite sex. This sexual orientation refers only to male and female.
Homosexual – a person who is sexually attracted to a person of the same sex. In this
sexual orientation, gay and lesbian can be categorized as homosexual.
Gay – a male who is romantically and sexually attracted to another male.
Lesbian – a female who is romantically and sexually attracted to another female.
Bisexual – individuals who are attracted to both sexes.
Asexual – individuals who are totally incapable of being attracted to any sex.
Polysexual – individuals who are attracted to multiple types of gender.
Pansexual – accommodate all types of gender.
Moreover, gender is fluid. It means that it is changeable from time to time. You might be gay
now but sooner or later your sexual orientation might change in the future and would already
be attracted to both sexes. And that identifies you as bisexual.

Transgender –
- people whose gender identities do not match their biological identity as male or female.
- their sexual orientation is not related to their genitalia, which allow them to identify
with any other type of gender such as heterosexual, homosexual, pansexual, bisexual,
and asexual.
Transsexual – individuals who believe that the discord between their internal gender and the
gender role that they have to perform can be addressed through medical sexual reassignment.
This implies that you are already changing your penis into vagina or vice versa.
“SOGIE” (sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression)
Sexual Orientation – refers to a person’s biological identity, which may be male, female,
or intersex (i.e., hermaphrodite). This means that it is how you look at your self. It is how you
identify your self whether male, female or intersex, regardless of your biological characteristics.
Intersex is an individual who has both the biological characteristics of a male and
female. There are individuals who are male by sex but some of his biological characteristics are
those of female. Others have both sex organ of a male and female.
Gender Identity – is an individual’s internal concept of self that may be related to being
masculine, feminine, neither, or both, without strict relation to the physical characteristics that
the person has.
Gender expression – is how an individual chooses to present himself or herself in society.
Aside from gender, another social difference is socioeconomic class.
Socioeconomic Class
- The concept of socioeconomic class varies between societies as the ideas associated
with being poor or rich differ based on the collective experiences of individuals.
If we try to dissect the term “socioeconomic”, this social difference is the combination of
social class and economic status. In various community, it is inevitable that there is a dichotomy
of rich and poor. Villages are established for rich people and squatter for the poor.
- Typical determinants: income, value of assets and amount of savings, cultural interests
and hobbies, and economic status of his or her peers and relatives.
We can determine the socioeconomic class of a person through certain determinants. For
example, the higher the income you have the richer you are. In terms of value of assets, the rich
individuals are the ones who possess certain gallant houses, businesses, lands, vehicles, etc. On
the other hand, the poor suffers with no shelter and food for consumption. The rich deposits
their money in different banks, while the poor suffers with no single penny in the pocket. The
latter plays a bamboo-gun toy while the former enjoys their leisure time in a coffee shop or in
the gym.
In the Philippines, the perception of poverty is really different as compared to the well-
developed countries. For instance, the poor in America could still afford to own enough house
and simple vehicle. On the other hand, poor in the Philippines could not even afford to buy
food, living in squatter, railroads, and even under the bridge. Poor is literally poor.

Fragmentation of British traditional three-class system.

From: upper class, middle class, and working class.
To: elite
 established middle class
technical middle class
new affluent workers
traditional working class
emergent service workers
precariat
Philippine Social Class
• Mahirap
• Medyo Mayaman
• Sakto lang
• Mayaman

POLITICAL IDENTITY
This social difference is tensional when election is approaching. People are fighting for
their political party—family against family; relatives against relatives; and friends against
friends. However, there are still political parties that promote the welfare of a certain group of
people. And this identify the person as member of a certain political parties.
Political identity as a social category refers to the set of attitudes and practices that an
individual adheres to in relation to the political systems and actors within his or her society.
Political Parties in Philippines
These are few examples of political identities based on political parties:
“Ang Ladlad” – a party that negotiates for the welfare of the LGBTQI community.
“Kabataan” – a party that promotes youth empowerment.

Religion can also offer political identity to its followers.

The picture above illustrates the political identity of a particular religion—INC, during
the 2016 national election. The head of the said religion endorsed which political party to be
supported and be voted by his members.
In this example, it is indeed the right of any religion or group of people which political
party to be supported. However, as a democratic government, it is also the right of every
individual citizen of the Philippines which candidate to be voted. It is already rampant in our
country that during election the vote of some individuals can already be bought so that a
particular political party will win and sit on the highest authority of the Philippine government.
As young individual like you and as the future of the country, you are challenged that
this dirty tradition during election would already be eradicated through your integrity and
honesty.
Moreover, an individual can acquire political identity by subscribing to a political belief
such as communism, democracy, or socialism. In the case of our country, its political identity is
democracy.
Another social difference that human population experience is religion.
RELIGION
“The belief in the supernatural has been one of the universal preoccupations of humans
as early as 60 000 years ago. The earliest forms of religion revolved around making sense of
natural occurrences such as extreme weather conditions, natural and man-made calamities,
sickness, and even death.”
In some movies which contextualize old concept of gods, people equate their gods to
the natural entities and sometimes they call it as the god of moon, sun, rain, etc. For instance, if
they experience drought, they would consider that the god of sun punishes them on one hand
and the god of rain if they experience floods on the other hand.
“Today, religion has evolved to promote far complex forms of understanding human
nature, the afterlife, and natural events. “
In the context of the catholic church, many great philosophers and theologians
rationalized the truth of human nature as a composite of body and soul; that there is life after
death which can only be attained through following Jesus Christ; and the order of the universe
has been made possible through the omnipotence of a “supreme being.”
Some concepts of god:
Monotheistic – believing in the existence of one god. This concept is known to be the
concept of Christians most specifically Catholics.
Polytheistic – believing in the existence of multiple gods. In the Greek mythology, greeks
are known in their concept of gods and goddesses—Zeus the chief deity in a new pantheon,
Poseidon the god of sea, Hades the god of the kingdom of the dead, Aphrodite the goddess of
love, sex, and beauty, etc.
Some religions have gods arranged in a hierarchy, and others have gods that equally
coexist.
These social differences like gender, socioeconomic class, political identity, and religion
might differ one group from another group of people, but if every human person understands
and respects the culture of different societies, we can live the world in harmony.
Exceptionality/Non-exceptionality
Going back to the notion of human variation, the understanding of exceptionality or
non-exceptionality is very important especially for the young millennials who are prone to be
engaged in the issue of bullying.
The concept of exceptionality leans on the non-average capacity of an individual. This
could be understood in a spectrum of capabilities, wherein you have the geniuses in one
extreme and you have the disabled and challenged in the other extreme.
For instance, the one we sometimes call “bolok” in certain group of people is very
wrong considering the uniqueness of every individual. Considering the concept of multiple
intelligence of Howard Gardner, the one we consider “bolok” in the classroom might be expert
and knowledgeable enough in technological works and handicrafts. On the other hand, those
we consider “intelligent” in the classroom might not have any capacity in technology and
handicraft or might even be weak in sports. This implies that every human person is different
and has different capacity. And these differences do not make one person superior and inferior
on the other. Each human person is unique and gifted with different gifts and talents which
deserve to be respected.
In the world where human being experiences human variation, we also experience
cultural variation.
Cultural Variation
The variation in human conditions promotes diversity and plurality in cultural traditions.
This could lead to discrimination and ostracism or exclusion from a society or group.
Ethnocentrism is a “perspective that promotes an individual’s culture as the most
efficient and superior; hence, the individual who exhibits ethnocentrism feels that his or her
culture is the most appropriate as compared with other cultures.”
Since culture includes belief, moral values, language, etc., it is not proper to consider,
for instance, that committing “harakiri” in Japan is immoral, which, for them, it is an honorable
suicide ritual for those who are in shame, disgrace or execution. Another example of being
ethnocentric is the discrimination of language which is very common in the Philippines as what I
have discussed earlier.
Using the lens of ethnocentrism in understanding society is a problematic way.
When you are facing plurality of culture or encountering different kinds of culture, you
may adapt the conceptual tool of cultural relativism.
Cultural relativism “promotes the perspective that cultures must be understood in the
context of their locality.” This means that culture depends upon the place where it is being
practiced. It must be understood in relation to the place and time. We might call chili pepper as
“sili” here in Maasin, but we cannot assert that the “warays” are wrong in calling chili pepper as
“harang”.
“Another problematic form of classification for human groups is rooted in race. This
term was used as early as 17 th to 19th century as a form of human classification based on
observable human traits and characteristics.”
Earlier categories: Caucasoid, Australoid, Mongoloid and Negroid.
Basically, these earlier categories of human group are those we consider now the white,
brown, and black. Their differences from each category are classified based on skin color, size of
skull, height, body frame, and other physical characteristics. However, the clear difference
among these categories is now blurred due to constant intermarriages. It can no longer be
classified from its original category since intermarriages cause mixed traits from the parents. In
the Philippines, for example, Filipino individuals who marry Americans are already called” fil-
am” or mestizo/mestiza.
However, using racism in classifying human groups is not good idea. In fact, it is still a
hot issue in human history even after the fight of the black-american activist Martin Luther King
against the white.
Due to social contexts associated with racial groups, discrimination was further
exacerbated. From racial slurs to unequal access, and to benefits and opportunities, racism
creates a deep social cleavage that further marginalizes the subjects of racial oppression. It
gives a long gap between the black and white or the brown and the white. For example, there
are still black-americans who are not still treated equal in the country of America. And the very
known and latest incident regarding this issue is the black-american who was pinned down to
the ground by his neck by a white police officer in Minneapolis, USA, when arrested, which few
minutes later the black-american died.
Some scholars would argue that there should be biological egalitarianism among
humans to prevent further racism. This promotes the equality of our biological makeup despite
our ancestry. Whether our ancestor is black, white or brown, we are still the same human
being.