Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics Anthropological Perspectives

• culture • cultural relativism • fieldwork

Module 1: The Nature, Goals, and Perspectives of
• human diversity • holism • bio-cultural focus
Anthropology, Sociology, and Political Science
The Four Main Perspectives of Anthropology
Anthropology • cross-cultural or comparative emphasis
• scientific study of man or human beings • evolutionary or historical emphasis
• describes human, human behavior and human societies • ecological emphasis
• a comparative science that examines all societies • holistic emphasis

Sociological Perspective
Cultural Anthropology
• introduces the discipline of sociology, including something
• studies human societies and elements of cultural life
about its history, questions, theory, and scientific methods,
ex: linguistic anthropology - language
and what distinguishes it from other disciplines
• Central Features - include social interaction and
Goal of Anthropology
relationships, social contexts, social structure, social
• to understand the origin of human evolution and the
change, the significance of diversity and human variation,
diverse forms of its existence throughout time
and the critical, questioning character of sociology

Sociology Three Major Theoretical Perspectives of Sociology

• study of human social relationships and institutions 1. The Functionalist Perspective
• crime to religion; from the family to the state; from the 2. The Conflict Perspective
divisions of race and social class to the shared beliefs of a 3. The Symbolic Interaction Perspective
common culture; and from social stability to radical change
• a social science that focuses its aspects on man, his Theoretical Perspective

social manners, social activities, and social life • used to analyze and explain objects of social study, and
facilitate, and organize sociological knowledge

Goal of Sociology
Functionalist Perspective
• to understand how human action and consciousness both
• Societies are thought to function like organisms, with
shape and are shaped by surrounding cultural and social
various social institutions working together like organs to
structures
maintain and reproduce societies

Political Science Conflict Perspective

• study of state and government • sees social life as a competition, and focuses on the
• deals with the nature and formation of the state and distribution of resources, power, and inequality
attempts to understand its forms and functions
Political Science Perspective
• studies the tendencies and actions of people that cannot
Goal of Political Science
be easily quantified or examined
• to constantly deepen the knowledge, discover progress,
• more focused than most social sciences.
and protect the quality of life within a group, community,
• sticks to the political arena and to the realm of politics
country, and the world
Religion
• “Religare” is a Latin word - to bond together
• a system of beliefs and practices; systems of actions
directed toward entities that are above men
• organized system of ideas about the spiritual sphere as
the supernatural
Ethnicity
• expression of the set of cultural ideas held by a distinct
ethics or indigenous group
• common national or cultural tradition
Nationality
• tied to being part of a nation or country; legal relationship
• allows the state to protect and have jurisdiction over a
person
Acquisition of Nationality
a. Natural-born Citizen - by birth
b. Jus Soli - by state’s territory
c. Jus Sanguinis - by descent from a state’s national
d. Naturalization - the citizenship laws of each state dictate
whether it applies jus soli or jus sanguinis
Article 15 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
“Everyone has the right to a nationality”
Module 2: Characteristics, Types, Functions, and
the Dissolution of Society
Society
• derived from the Latin term “societas,” from socius, which
means companion or associate
• a group of people who share a common territory,
interaction, and culture (Arcinas, 2016)
• a group of people living together in a definite territory,
having a sense of belongingness, mutually interdependent
on each other, and following a certain way of life
2 Definitions of Society
Functional Point of View (responsibility)
• society is defined as a complex of groups in reciprocal
relationships, interacting with one another, enabling human
organisms to carry on their life activities and helping each
person to fulfill his wishes and accomplish his interests in
association with his fellows.
Structural Point of View (activities)
• society is the total social heritage of folkways, mores,
institutions; habits, sentiments, and ideals. The important
aspect of society is the system of relationships, the pattern
of the norms of interaction by which the members of the
society maintain themselves
Reasons Why People Live Together as a Society
(Ariola, 2012)
For Survival
• no man is an island; man always depends upon his
parents and others. the care, support, and protection given
by them are important factors for survival
Feeling of Gregariousness
• the desire of people to be with other people, especially of
their own culture; people flock together for emotional
warmth and belongingness; the need for approval
Specialization
• professionals organize themselves into societies or
associations to promote and protect their own professions
Characteristics of a Society
1. It is a Social System. A social system consists of c. Ancient Societies - private land ownership; rich (owned
individuals interacting with each other big tracts of private properties) and poor (laborers)
2. It is Relatively Large. The people must be socially d. Feudal Societies - aristocrats (feudal lords) owned the
integrated to be considered relatively larger than if the wealth of the country due to their ownership of big tracts of
people who were individually scattered land; peasants worked on the lands of the feudal lords
3. It Socializes its Members and those from Without.
2. According to Evolutionary View
Since most of society’s members are born into it, they are
a. Simple Societies - are predominantly small, and
taught the basic norms and expectations.
nomadic, and leadership is unstable. the people had no
4. It Endures, Produces, and Sustains its Members for
specialization of skills; and lived in a simple life.
Generations. For society to survive, it must have the ability
b. Compound Societies - two or more simple societies
to produce, endure, and sustain its new members.
merged to form a new and bigger society.
5. It holds its members through a common culture.
c. Doubly Compound Societies - completely integrated,
Individuals in a society are held together because of the
more definite in political and religious structure, and more
symbols, norms, values, patterns of interaction, vision, and
complex division of labor
mission that the members commonly share.
d. Militant Societies - (a) existence of a military
6. It holds its members through a common culture. It
organization, (b) individual lives and private possessions,
has a clearly defined geographical territory.
(c) individual activities such as recreation, movements, etc
Major Functions of Society
3. According to People’s Subsistence
1. It Provides a System of Socialization. The family, the
a. Food Gathering Societies - hunting larger animals,
peer group, the school, the church, and other government
collecting shellfish, and vegetable gathering; tools were
and non-government organizations.
made of stones, wood, and bones
2. It Provides the Basic Needs of its Members. Food,
b. Horticultural Societies - the people planted seeds as a
clothing, shelter, medicine, education, transportation, and
means of production for subsistence
communication facilities
c. Pastoral Societies - nomadic; follow their herds in quest
3. It Regulates and Controls People’s Behavior. Police,
of animals for food and clothing to satisfy their needs.
armed forces, law enforcement agencies, and the church
raised animals to provide milk, fur, and blood
4. It Provides the Means of Social Participation. The
d. Agricultural Societies - people used plows rather than
individuals learn to interact with each other, present and
hoes in food production. Irrigation farming was introduced
discuss their concerns, and solve their own problems.
which resulted in a larger yield of production
5. It Provides Mutual Support to the Members. This
assistance may come from the family, neighbors, clans, etc Dissolution of Societies
1. When people kill each other through civil revolution
Types of Societies
2. Outside force exterminates the members of the society
1. According to Economic and Material Systems 3. When the members become apathetic among
a. Pre-Class Societies - are characterized by communal themselves or have no more sense of belongingness
ownership of property and division of labor. 4. When a small society is absorbed by a stronger and
ex: earliest clans and tribes larger society by means of conquest or territorial absorption
b. Asiatic Societies - people are economically 5. When an existing society is submerged in water killing all
self-sufficient but their leaders are despotic and powerful the people and other living things in it
6. When the people living in such a society voluntarily
attach themselves to another existing society
Module 3: Culture
Cultural Variation
• Refers to the rich diversity in social patterns that
different human groups exhibit around the world
• Music, dance, languages, cuisine, and art are
different from one culture to another
• The variation in human conditions promotes
diversity in cultural traditions
Cultural Universals
• Patterns or traits that are globally common to all societies
• Example of cultural universal is the language and the
concept of giving names to members of the family
Variation Between Cultures
1. Subculture is a culture that is shared with a distinctive
pattern of mores, folkways, and values that differ from a
larger society. ​
2. Counter Culture is a culture practiced by groups whose
values and norms place it at odds with mainstream society
or a group that actively rejects the dominant cultural values
and norms.
3. High Culture is a culture practiced and patronized by the
upper classes of ​society; watching opera, live theater
4. Popular Culture is a culture practiced or patronized by
the middle and working classes of society; watching soap
operas on the television, movies, and rock concerts
Ethnocentrism
• A person who exhibits ethnocentrism feels that his or her
culture is correct and appropriate as compared to others
• Ethnocentric attitude can be a problem in understanding
each other culture and foster tensions, misunderstanding
and conflicts between societies
Culture Shock
• Feeling of disoriented, uncertain, out of place or even
fearful when immersed in an unfamiliar culture
• May appear because people aren’t always expecting
cultural differences
Cultural Relativism
• The practice by assessing a culture by its own standards
rather that viewing it through the lens of one’s own culture
Advantages of Cultural Relativism
1. It promotes cooperation. Embracing the differences of
the different societies can create cooperation because it
allows a stronger bond with one another in society.​
2. Respect and Equality are encouraged. People from
different cultures with different ideas who share their own
perspectives and experiences in society can promote
respect and equality. ​
3. It preserves human cultures. Respect for the diverse
set of traditions, ideas, and practices would help preserve
the culture.​
4. Cultural relativism creates a society without
judgment. Worrying and practicing your own culture
prevent disagreement and judgment in society.​
Cultural Change - observed when new opens up new
ways of living and when new ideas enter a culture as a
result of globalization
Concept of Society and Culture
Anthropological Perspective
Society
• group of people who share a common culture, language,
and traditions.
• to understand human behavior, beliefs, and practices
• how societies are formed, how they evolve over time, and
how they interact with their environment
Culture
• beliefs, customs, arts, etc
• to understand its (beliefs, etc) impact on human behavior
and the ways it shapes societal norms and values
Sociological Perspective
Society
• view society as a complex system composed of various
social institutions, such as family and education which
influence human behavior and interactions
Culture
• Seen as a set of shared ideas, values, and practices that
define a group or society
• Sociologists study culture to examine how it influences
social interactions, shapes identities, and contributes to the
formation of social solidarity or conflict