MODULE 2: STUDYING CULTURE, SOCIETY, AND POLITICS

(Understanding Culture and Society)

Learning Objectives

At the end of this module, you should be able to:

1. define society and discuss its essential characteristics and elements; and
2. identify the society and culture according to the Three disciplines

Time Frame

January 25 -29, 2021

Materials Needed

Desktop computer or laptop or tablet or mobile phone, activity sheet

Content
Content

In this module, you will learn about society and its essential characteristics and elements. And also, you
will learn about society and culture according to the three disciplines.
Anthropology, Sociology, and Political Science are the three essential academic disciplines that take a
closer look at society and culture. Understanding how individuals behave, interact, and develop within societies can
enlighten us on the factors, forces, and processes that encourage and hinder the progress of societies and cultures
in today’s world. An appreciation of the underlying principles and concepts that define society and culture can set us
on the road toward understanding, analyzing, and solving the significant issues and concerns that confront our
society
Social, cultural, and political issues go beyond the news and classroom discussions. As you learn the
concepts, theories, and views that shaped and defined how we view and examine the various aspects of Philippine
culture, society, and politics, you will realize that these topics have been closely intertwined with our experiences.

SOCIETY AND ITS ESSENTIAL

CHARACTERISTICS AND ELEMENTS
 SOCIETY
 Society is a group of individuals sharing a common culture, geographical location, and government.
 Human beings are considered to be naturally inclined to establish societies since it is in interacting with
others that they can ensure their survival by establishing mutually beneficial relationships with one another.
 Societies enable individuals to acquire necessary survival skills, maximize their potential, and share
resources.

NOTE:
The classic definition of society is based on E.B. Tylor’s concept which states that society is “that
complex whole which encompasses beliefs, practices, values, attitudes, laws, norms, artifacts, symbols,
knowledge, and everything that a person learns and shares as a member of society.”

 A society is characterized by the presence of the following elements:

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 1. Social solidarity, whereby members of the community live together for mutual benefit;
2. Shared identity and culture among members that serve as the basis for their patterns of action and
behavior;
3. A common language;
4. A large population and the ability to sustain succeeding generations of members;
5. Definite geographical area; and
6. Political, economic, and social organization.
 The basic social and economic units were the family and local clan which organized hunting and gathering
activities and distributed the accumulated food supply.
 The earliest societies soon gave way to horticultural and pastoral societies.
 Their emergence was brought about by the gradual shift from the hunting-and-gathering lifestyle to a more
sedentary life, and the introduction of agriculture as a more stable food production method.
 Horticultural societies relied on the cultivation of plants as their primary source of food, while pastoral
societies depended on the domestication of animals.
 Technological advancements resulted in the invention of machines that improved production. The rise of
urban centers or cities was also a major development during this period.
 Since the latter portion of the 20th century, many countries have become post-industrialist societies, where
knowledge is a commodity, and technological innovation is key to long-lasting growth and development.
 CULTURE
 Is one of the important bases that define and influence society.
 Culture refers to the set of beliefs, ideas, values, practices, knowledge, history, and shared experiences,
attitudes, as well as material objects and possessions accumulated over time and shared by the members
of society.
 There are two primary categories of culture:
Material culture and
Nonmaterial culture.
 Material culture is composed of the physical or tangible objects produced, shared, and utilized within
society such as tools or implements, paintings, and other works of art, architectural styles, weaponry, and
toys.
 Nonmaterial culture, meanwhile, consists of the intangible properties and elements of society that influence
the patterns of action and behavior of its members.
Examples of nonmaterial culture include language, beliefs, values, attitudes, ideas, and norms shared
among members of society.
 The community stories and other types of narratives shared within societies are collectively called folklore.
 Folklore, which comes in the form of myths, legends, folktales (kuwentong bayan), proverbs, and riddles,
embodies the history, beliefs, ideas, values, and practices that define a society.
 One example of such is the story of Malakas at Maganda, a creation myth that tells about the origin of
the Filipino people.
 Though individual societies have varying histories, experiences, identities, and organizations, all of them
have four vital cultural components:
1. Symbols 3. Values and
2. Language 4. Norms.

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  Symbols refer to things that convey meaning or represent an idea.
They are essential in communication, sharing thoughts and ideas, and defining a society’s culture.
 Language, meanwhile, is a set of symbols that enables members of society to communicate verbally
(spoken) and nonverbally (written, gestures).
 Values are shared ideas, norms, and principles that provide members of society the standards that pertain
to what is right or wrong, good or bad, desirable or undesirable.
 Norms are shared rules of conduct that determine specific behavior among society members.
 There are various categories of norms according to their social importance.
 Folkways are norms that may be violated without serious consequences.
 Mores are norms with moral connotations.
 Laws are norms that are legally enacted and enforced.
 The process of culture and identity formation within society is facilitated through socialization and
enculturation.
 Socialization refers to the lifelong process of forging identity through social interaction.
Language, as well as social agents that teach aspects of culture to the members of society, also
contributes to the socialization of the individual.
 Enculturation refers to the process by which an individual learns or acquires the important aspects of his
or her society’s culture.
It is important to understand that culture is dynamic.
 There are elements of culture that have remained through the ages but there are also some aspects that
have adapted to the realities of the present context.
 Context refers to particular circumstances of a certain culture and is defined by location, weather, period,
and other factors.

NOTE:
When we become aware of the whole context of our own culture, we are able to understand that
some of its aspects are shared, some are contested, some are indigenous, and others are influenced by
other societies.

 A contextual and relational approach enables us to understand the existence of a multitude of societies that
have their own unique cultures. An example of this is the presence of Chinese communities or
“Chinatowns” in several countries.
 These communities allow a two-way process of socialization and enculturation as various aspects, of their
culture, including their food, language, and customs, are shared with their host or adopted countries.
 Likewise, these Chinese communities also adopt some of the cultural elements of their host or adopted
countries.

SOCIETY AND CULTURE ACCORDING

TO THE THREE DISCIPLINES

1. ANTHROPOLOGY
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  Considers culture as the central focus of its discipline.
 It studies the different cultures of different societies.
 Anthropology examines and provides explanations for the existence of different cultural patterns as
well as the similarities and differences between different cultures.
 In their studies of various cultures, anthropologists have adopted two major views concerning how
cultures should be considered in comparison to others.
 The relativistic approach considers cultures as equal.
 This view holds that there are no “superior” and “inferior” cultures, and each is unique in its way.
 The ethnocentric approach is the belief that one’s native culture is superior to other cultures.
Ethnocentric societies tend to have a negative view of other countries and people.
 Ethnocentrism diminishes or invalidates “other” ways of life and creates a distorted view of one's
own.
 William Howard Taft, for example, once referred to the Filipinos as the Americans’ “little brown
brothers” who needed to be supervised by the United States of America in establishing society and
government that approximates “Anglo-American standards.”
 Conversely, some societies tend to consider their culture as inferior to others. This is called
xenocentrism.
 Some Filipinos share the perception that some aspects of Philippine culture are inferior compared to
foreign cultures, particularly those of our former colonizers.
 Filipinos who have this perception are considered as Filipinos with a “colonial mentality.”
 Another manifestation of xenocentrism and colonial mentality is the preference of Filipinos to speak in
English or other European languages.
 At present, the majority of modern societies emphasize cultural relativism, which recognizes and
accepts the cultural differences between societies.
 Interaction between members of different societies is more likely to succeed if everybody is aware and
is respectful of cultural diversity.
2. SOCIOLOGY
 Sociology relates culture with the overall context of social order.
 Different sociological perspectives explain this order.
 Structural functionalism operates on the assumption that society is a stable and orderly system.
 Structural functionalists consider culture as a glue that binds society together, leading to social order.
 Conflict theory assumes that there is a constant power struggle among the various social groups and
institutions within society.
 Conflict theorists study the culture of “dominant classes” and analyze how this culture is imposed on
other classes.
 Symbolic interactionism views individual and group behavior and social interactions as defining
features of society.
 Symbolic interactionists believe that culture provides shared meanings to the members of society. The
more meanings are shared, the more society ensures social order.

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  Using a structural-functional approach, we can examine the significance of religion in binding Filipino
Roman Catholics, Filipino Muslims, and other Filipinos who belong to other faiths, and how they can
relate to each other using the same sacred texts, doctrines, beliefs, practices, and other related
symbols.
 Religion, in this view, becomes the glue that unites Filipinos together.
 Through the lens of the symbolic interactionist model, religion could be viewed as the major factor that
affects the general patterns of behavior and life situations of the members of society.
 It could also be suggested that symbols outside the realm of religion can be used to promote
interactions and unite Filipinos of different religions and other cultural orientations.
3. POLITICAL SCIENCE
 Also examines culture as a vital aspect of society.
 Culture, together with political socialization, is analyzed to explain political behavior such as voting
patterns and the behavior of leaders.
 Culture is seen as an important element in building social capital and could also lead to future conflicts
and division.
 Political science also looks into the decline of cultural domination by Western countries and the
subsequent rise of multiculturalism, an ideology that acknowledges and promotes cultural diversity
within society.
 Multiculturalism entails the establishment of political groups and institutions comprised of people from
diverse cultures.
 Multiculturalism in the Philippines is still an ongoing process, and its advancement is largely dependent
on government initiatives and policies.
 The issue of our national language, for instance, reflects the intricate nature of advancing
multiculturalism in a highly diverse society.
 While the Filipino language is mainly based on Tagalog, its main proponents strive to include words
from foreign and local languages.
 The national language, however, is not intended to replace the other local languages that the
government still recognizes and intends to preserve.
 Instead of cultural relativism, some have advanced the concept of cultural sensitivity.
 Cultural relativism implies that all aspects of a particular culture should be accepted and even
celebrated.
 Cultural sensitivity advances awareness and acceptance of cultural differences but encourages a
critical stance in dealing with issues regarding diversity.

References
Atiensa, MA, Rico, RL, et.al, (2016). Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics for Senior High
School. C & E Publishing, Inc. 839 EDSA, South Triangle, Quezon City