HUMAN CULTURAL VARIATION, SOCIAL CHANGE, AND POLITICAL IDENTITIES

Human Cultural Variation

-It refers to the differences in social behaviors that different cultures exhibit around the world.
What may be considered good etiquette in one culture may be considered bad etiquette in another.

CULTURE

Culture is a collection of learned behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs that encompass both the material
and non-material things which are shared by all the members of a society.

Culture is an important element of a society as it provides a design or patterns of living for every
member of a society to be able to communicate and cooperate effectively from one another.

CULTURAL VARIATION

Humans around the world have been separated by geographical barriers; thus, allowing the
creation of societies with different cultures and traditions which eventually results to cultural
variation.

KEYS ELEMENTS OF CULTURE

Symbols and languages values and beliefs norms

Religions custom laws and politics

Cultural Variation: Symbols and languages (verbal or non-verbal)

- represents the cultural reality in one culture

Culture uses symbols and languages to communicate with one another as well as to shape the
thoughts of the people.

Cultural variation: Religions

- is an important element of a culture as it dictates the moral beliefs of the people which guide their
everyday lives. According to Durkheim, without it, there would be no social border, social control,
and social cooperation.

Cultural Variation: Values and beliefs

- Act as guidelines for the people in reference for what s good, desirable, important, and
worthwhile.

-when the people have different values and beliefs, it can cause conflict as the people might have
incompatible goals or perception in life.

Cultural Variation: custom

- is a practice or a behavior that is common to a particular class or group of people that it becomes
an unwritten law followed in a group basis.

Cultural Variation: Laws and politics

Laws – govern the everyday decisions making of the people as these can either award them certain
rights and privileges or prevent them from doing something or given them specific obligation.

Politics – govern the people depending on the characteristics of the leader who will lead them.
Those who lead or in top members of the society have the power to influence the actions and
behaviors of the majority.
Social differences

- can be explained as the differences among individuals on the basis of social characteristics and
qualities.

It is important to understand the causes of social differences as this will help us understand the
social inequalities caused by denial, marginalization, and alienation of a particular group of people
which can observe in our communities and in other parts of the world.

Social differences: class

- Most cultures and societies have classes which categorize people according to their social or
economic status.

Brahmins – priestly, academic class

Kshatriyas – Rulers, administrators, warriors

Vaishyas - artisans, tradesmen, farmers, merchants

Shudras- manual laborers

Dalits – street cleaners, menial tasks

Social differences: age

- the “age” of a person is usually associated with “maturity” and “wisdom” by different cultures.
Some people perceiver older people as weak while some perceive them as wise men of a
community.

Social difference: race

- comes from the idea that human beings are divided into distinct groups which have certain shared
and inherited physical and behavioral characteristics. Most of the tine, people classify people with
their race according to their skin color.

Social difference: Ability/education

- the education level of a person dictates how one will perceive oneself in contrast to other
members of the society. Moreover, the higher the level of education of a person the more
opportunities he or she usually gets.

Social differences: gender

- is the attitudes, feelings, and behaviors that a given culture associates with a person’s biological
sex.

SOCIAL CHANGE- refers to the alteration in the behavioral patterns and cultural values and norms
of the people which yield long-term effects on significant changes in cultural, behavioral, social, and
value systems of the people.

Social change: Demographic processes

- is the study of the size, territorial, distribution, and composition of population, changes therein,
and the components of such changes.

There are two causes of social changes in demographic processes such a population growth and
population density.
Social Change: Technological innovations

- involve significant changes in new technological products and processes which affect social
changes through breaking geographical barriers and introducing new types of freedom of
expression.

Social change: Economic processes

- involve formation, extension, and modifications of markets, properties, businesses, and economic
opportunities. It also helps in the organization of labor relations in a society, thus allowing changes
in social status of the people to happen.

Social change: Physical Changes

- changes in the natural environment can affect a society through natural disasters, spread of
diseases, and climatic variations. The consequences of the changes in the natural environment like
flashfloods from deforestation and sickness due to mining can all influence a social change.

Social Change: Social movement

- is an organized, collective mobilization of a group of people under an individual is a collective

whose agenda is either to create change or maintain the status quo.

POLITICAL IDENTITY

- is concerned with the differences between groups of people, and with allowing individuals to
express those differences.

According to Harriet Bradley, politicized identities exist where they provide a platform of action
which uses the identity as a basis for organizing collective action.

Political Identity: Class

- inequalities among economic class occurs as the gap between the rich and the poor continues to
worsen. The class of a person can influence his or her political identity as his placement on the class
structure of his society influences the satisfaction of his needs.

Political Identity: Age

- the age of a person can affect his or her political identity as they relate his physical age, maturity,
and physiological similarities differences, and needs with other age groups.

Young people experience several legal constraints. However, older people experience physiological
limitations due to ageing.

Political identity: Gender

- can influence the political identity of a person as he relates to himself the experiences of the group
of people who belongs to the same gender orientation.

Political Identity: race/ethnicity

- both important sources of identity as they give sense of belongingness and history to a person
Adaptation and integration

Culture make it possible the man to adapt and integrate himself to his environment by being
creative and resourceful in coming up with way and means of survival

Patterns of acceptable social behavior

Culture establishes patterns acceptable social behavior such as etiquette, protocol, good manners,
and right, etc. As established by folkways, more, and laws

Conveys facilitates meaning

Conveys facilitates meaning through verbal and non- verbal communication, written and non-
written language forms of expression and symbolism

Production of man-made things

Culture produces man made things such as clothing, tools, instruments, structure, etc., made
possible by technological know- how

Human satisfaction

Culture contributes to overall human satisfaction as we develop ways to make life more enjoyable,
more comfortable, easier and more rewarding such as recreational activities, leisure,
entertainment and arts.

Aspects of culture

Culture is social because it is the product of behavior. Culture does no exist in isolation.

Culture varies from society to society. Every society has a culture of its own that differs from other
societies.

Culture is social because it is the product of behavior

CULTURAL RELATIVISM AND ETHNOCENTRISM

Ethnocentrism – is a belief that one’s own culture is better than others. They tend to compare,
evaluate, and even judge other people’s ways based on the values and standards set in one’s own
culture. Their worldview is based on the beliefs, assumptions, expectations, and values shaped by
one’s language, behavior, customs, values, religions, and other aspects.

In sociological terms, “society” refers to a group of people who live in definable community and
share the same cultural components. On a broader scale, society consist of the people and
institutions around us, our shared beliefs, and our cultural ideas.

STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM

It is a sociology theory stating that “the society is a framework that sees society as a complex
system of puzzle pieces and those pieces work together to promote solidarity and stability

It is why schools, government, hospitals and church have their own function to perform in society.

SOCIAL INEQUALITY

Direct social inequality – occurs when unfair treatment of a group is deliberate and can be present
in both community or government capacities. It is a purposeful act that takes away resources,
opportunities, and/or rights from some and not others.

Indirect social inequality – occurs when unfair treatment of a group is not the explicit purpose of a
policy or action, but still results in social inequality.

TIPS ON HOW TO MAKE YOUR SOCIALZATION PRODUCTIVE AND MEANINGFUL:

BULLYING IS NOT SOCIALIZATION

MAKE YOUR GROUP ACTIVITIES PRODUCTIVE

LEARN TO SOCIALIZE MORE OFTEN PROFESSIONAL PEOPLE

BE CRITICAL ON INFORMATION YOU ENCOUNTER FROM SOCIAL MEDIA

PRIORITIZE MORE IMPORTAN ACTIVITIES

Studying politics has allowed us to see beyond our initial belief that we have no real say in the
running of our country

DIFFERENT TYPES OF ASPECTS OF POLITICS

COLLECTIVE ACTIVITY - politics is a political activity, involving who accept a common membership
or at least knowledge a shared fate

INITIAL DIVERSITY VIEWS - politics presumes an initial diversity of views, if not about goal then
least about means

RECONCIILIATION OF DIFFERENCE - politics reconciling differences through discussion and

persuasion.

AUTHORITATIVE POLICY – politics decisions became authoritative policy for a group, binding
members to decisions that are implemented by force if necessary.

Origin – the study of political science was started by the ancient Greeks

- Aristotle on his book stated that Man is a politic “politics al animal”. It means that it is in
our nature to live in a society and to have power over another.

Concepts – Political Science is the systematic study of government, politics, and political power

- it is often defined who gets what, when where ND HOW

Subjects of Inquiry – political theory, philosophy and different political ideologies

- public management

- human rights

- international relations and foreign policies

Goals – make people a better citizens

- keep social order and harmony among different group of people

- protect the rights of an individual

- avoid conflict and promote cooperation

THE RATIONALE FOR STUDYING ANTHROPOLOGY, POLITICAL SCIENCE AND SOCIOLOGY

ANTHROPOLOGY
- Based on etymology comes from the greek words Anthropos which means “man’’ and Logos which
means “science or study of .‘’
- A discipline of infinite curiosity about human beings.
- A Scientific study of physical , social , and cultural development.

Branch of knowledge which deals with the :

SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF MAN
HIS OR HERWORKS
BEHAVIOR
VALUE IN TIME AND SPACE

ANTHROPOLOGY AS A SCIENCE

- The proper sphere of anthropology as a science is to strive to secure historical , sociological and
psychological laws that describe the overall trends of process among the people of all prehistoric
and historic periods.

FOUR BRANCHES:

PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY – Biological anthropology. It deals with man’s biological foundation,

race evolution, racial classification and differentiation.

CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY – Social anthropology.

Deals with one of the most significant and revolutionary concepts in the social sciences
ARCHAELOGY- A branch of general anthropology. Concerned with the study of man’s culture and
society in the past ( prehistoric times ).

LINGUISTICS – The systematic study of recorded and unrecorded languages all over the world .
Deals with the relationship between language and culture and how the culture affects the language
vice versa.

Why do we study Anthropology ?

. To understand the origin of mankind.

. To observe the common things of human beings.

.To understand what made us different from each other.

SOCIOLOGY
*The word “ sociology” , based on etymology , comes from the word socius which means “group of
partners ’’ and logos which means “science or study of ”.
*Sociology deals with the study of groups.
*According to H . Fichter , “ sociology is the scientific study of patterned , shared human behavior”.
*Deals with the study of group life.
AREAS OF SOCIOLOGY

*SOCIAL ORGANIZATION – covers the study of various social institutions ,social groups ,social
stratification , social mobility,bureaucracy ,ethnic groups and relations , and other related subjects.

*SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY- deals with the study of human nature as an

outcome of group life , social attitudes, collective behavior and personality formation.

*SOCIAL CHANGE AND DISORGANIZATION- includes the study of the change in culture and social
relations and the disruption that may occur in the society.

*HUMAN ECOLOGY – Studies the nature and behavior of a given population and its relationship to
the group’s present social institutions.

*POPULATION OR DEMOGRAPHY- the study of population number ,composition ,and quality as

they influence the economic , political and social system.

*SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY AND METHOD – concerned with the applicability and usefulness of the
principles and theories of group life as bases for the regulation of man’s social environment.

*APPLIED SOCIOLOGY - utilizes the findings of pure sociological research in various fields such as
criminology, social work, community development, education, industrial relations, marriage, ethnic
relations, family counseling and other aspects and problems of daily life.

S0CIOLOGY AS A SCIENCE

*Sociology deals with the systematized or organized body of facts about patterns of human
interactions , of group life , and of people living in interdependence.
*Sociology is science.

WHY DO WE STUDY SOCIOLOGY?

Better understanding of humankind.
Understand and cope with changes in society
Enhance your ability to be an active and informed citizen.

POLITICAL SCIENCE
*Focuses on the theory and practice of government and politics at the local , state , national and
international levels.

*Dedicated to developing understandings of institutions , practices and relations that constitute

public life and modes of inquiry that promote citizenship.

RELATIONSHIP OF ANTHROPOLOGY WITH OTHER SOCIAL SCIENCES

*Both sociology and anthropology are social sciences.

*Psychology , history , economics , political science and social work among others contribute
information useful to sociological and anthropological.
RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SOCIOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY
*Both science attempt to understand the way of life of various cultures or various societies.
*Concept in one discipline are used in the other.
*The emphasis of sociology is on society and social processes , while that of anthropology is on
culture . It is a fact that society and culture are interrelated and interdependent concepts.
*Both sciences are also interested in the study of
social issues.(Population growth , environment,
urban poverty, and similar subjects.)
*Have common subjects . Both disciplines synthesize and generalize data about human behavior
and social systems . Both are related to humanities.

WHY STUDY POLITICAL SCIENCE?

*To discover the principles that should be adhered to in public affairs and study operations of the
government.
*To deepen knowledge and understanding of one of the most powerful forces operating on people ,
communities and corporations today.
*Necessary and important for the citizen to study to have knowledge and understanding of the
government.