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MODULE 4
Art and Anthropology: Cultural Relativism

Lesson 4.1. Cultural Relativism in Aesthetics

Lesson 4.2. Culture, Beauty and the Female Body

Lesson 4.3. The Art of Pleasure from various Culture and Religion

Lesson 4.4. Aesthetic Relativism in Popular Culture

Lesson 4.5. Batok: Art of the Tattoo

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 Chapter Overview

Cultural relativism is one of the most important concepts in the field of sociology, affirming and
recognizing the relationship between social structure and the day-to-day life of an individual. It is the idea
that the system of moral and ethics, which varies from one culture to another, are all equal, and that no
system ranks above the other. A person’s belief and value system should be understood in the context of his
own culture rather than against the criteria of another culture. Cultural relativism is based on the fact that
there is no specific ground rule for what is good or evil. Thus, any judgment on what is true or wrong
depends on the society’s rules, culture, and belief system. Therefore, any opinion on morality or ethics is
dependent on a person’s cultural perspective. Ultimately, no particular ethical position can be considered
the best.
By recognizing cultural relativism, a person recognizes that his or her culture shapes what is
considered beautiful or otherwise, funny or abhorrent, good or bad, tasteful or tacky. Understanding
cultural relativism enables one to escape the unconscious bond of their culture which biases their
perceptions and reaction to the world. It also helps one to make sense of a different culture. Cultural
relativism gets people to admit that though their moral principles and values may seem evidently true and
may form the basis for passing judgment on other people, the evidence of these moral principles is just
illusions.
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 Lesson 4.1. Cultural Relativism in Aesthetics

1. Relate Arts and Aesthetics to the Field of anthropology.

REFERENCES

Readings
Misachi, J. (June 10, 2021). Cultural Relativism. World Atlas.
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/atd-sac-artappreciation/chapter/oer-1-11/
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/cultural-relativism.html

Silverman, R. (2008). Learning About Art: A Multicultural Approach. California State University.
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/masteryart1/chapter/oer-1-11/

Ben Smart. (April 17, 2017). Burning Widows: A Case Study Against Cultural Relativism. The Ben Smart Blog.
https://thebensmartblog.com/2017/04/12/burning-widows-a-case-study-against-cultural-relativism/

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 Burning Widows: A Case Study
Against Cultural Relativism

Sati: Hindu Widow-Burning

Sati (or ‘suttee’) was a Hindu custom where
widows were expected to be burned alive along
with the corpse of their recently deceased
husband. If the widow refused, she brought great
shame on her family, and had to spend the rest of
her life with a shaved head locked inside her
family’s house, never allowed to remarry or go out
in public.
Understandably, William Carey was horrified by Sati.
By the time Christian missionary William Carey
arrived in India in 1793, this custom had been But if cultural relativism had its way, he should have stayed silent. The
practiced for centuries. It was deeply ingrained in practice of widow-burning simply feels wrong to him because of his
the culture and its practice was widespread. cultural background, but he has no right to impose his morals on a
different culture.
In 1802, Carey sent people out to document the
practice of Sati in Calcutta (where he lived), and in Thankfully for the women of India, however, Carey was no cultural
a single year they recorded 438 widow-burnings in relativist. He campaigned tirelessly against Sati, and it was eventually
that city alone. outlawed by the British government in 1829. 5
 The concept of cultural relativism as it is known and used today was developed as an
analytic tool by Franz Boas, a German-American anthropologist, in the early years of the 20th
century. The idea was subsequently popularized by some of his students. However, neither Boas
nor the 21st-century relativist, James Wray-Miller coined the term “cultural relativism.” The
term was first recorded by Alain Locke in 1924, who used the term to describe Robert Lowie’s
cultural relativism. The concept of cultural relativism was an important concept in countering
the ethnocentrism that often tarnished research at the time. Ethnocentrism was often conducted
by the wealthy white western men and focused on people who belonged to the lower economic
class and other races. Ethnocentric judges other people’s cultures based on their own values and
beliefs. From their point of view, they frame other cultures as weird and exotic.

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What right does a person in one culture have to tell someone else that their cultural practices are ‘wrong’?
In our modern Western society, anyone who tries to do so would surely be shouted down as arrogant and
ethnocentric.

This is because of a popular idea called ‘cultural relativism‘, which says each culture should be allowed to
determine for themselves what is right or wrong. Most Australians would agree with the idea, even if
they’ve never heard the name for it.

Cultural relativism flows out of the idea that there are no absolute truths or objective morality. If the
material world is all that there is, then it’s up to us as humans to create morals.

And since there is no objective morality ‘out there’ in the universe, then societies can determine what is
right and wrong for themselves. What is considered wrong in one culture (e.g. stealing) might be considered
right in another.

Because of this, no-one has a right to say that someone else’s cultural practice is wrong. All practices of
every culture are equally good and valid.

It sounds like a lovely idea in theory, doesn’t it?

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 SOCIAL
PHILOSOPHY
STATE OF NATURE
Savagery (People against one another)

SOCIETY
Civilization (People live in community)
FRANZ BOAS
THEORY ON CULTURE, TRADITION, LAW
(1848-1942)
THE ORIGIN CUSTOM, CONVENTION
OF SOCIETY Anthropology
Jean Jacques and Modern Life
Rousseau JUDGEMENT OF MORALITY The Mind of
(1712-1788) PERCEPTION AND CONCEPT OF BEAUTY Primitive Mind
Social Contract (Ethnocentric) Primitive Arts
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 CULTURAL RELATIVISM
HISTORICAL PARTICULARISM
• Reject Comparative Approach in Anthropology CULTURAL
Favors Inductive Method: “Collect data first,
theorize later.” RELATIVISM
• Reject Cultural Evolutionism asserts that culture IN AESTHETICS
not race determines behavior.

• The elements of culture has its own unique,

distinctive history: No one, universal culture for all CULTURE Perception
people at all times, but each culture for each People in the Conception
society.
Society BEAUTY
• Cultural forms that may look familiar are actually
far from identical because their different histories.

• Avoid value judgment in Ethics and Aesthetics “Beauty is in the

(culturally conditioned)
• “The art and characteristic styles of every people eye of the beholder.”
can be understood by studying its production as a
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whole independent of those of other people.”
 Lesson 4.2. Culture, Beauty and the Female Body
1. Interpret cultural relativism as an anthropological theory of art and
beauty.

REFERENCES
Resources:
Lumen Learning. Module 1: What is Art? Simple Book Production. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/atd-sac-
artappreciation/chapter/oer-1-11/

Videos:
BBC. “Lip Plate of Suri Women-Tribe,” in https:// www.youtube.com/ watch?v=2Mz1vaTeUSY.

National Geographic. “Why do these [Padaung] women stretch their necks?” In https:// www.you
tube.com/watch?v=0FME1At3vmI.

“History Day Documentary: Chinese Foot Binding,” in https://www.you tube.com/watch?v=BPknlFz4Aqg

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 SURI
WOMAN
The plate on
her lower lip
CULTURAL STANDARD determines
her beauty and
OF THE BEAUTY OF acceptance in
her society
WOMEN

SOCIETY OF THE
SURI PEOPLE
Africa
Video 9.1
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 PADAUNG
WOMAN
CULTURAL STANDARD The long neck
OF THE BEAUTY OF with spiral
rings
WOMEN determines
her beauty
and
acceptance in
the society

SOCIETY OF THE
PADAUNG PEOPLE Video 4.2
Myanmar
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15
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 FOOT
BINDING
TRADITION
CULTURAL STANDARD IN CHINA
OF THE BEAUTY OF
WOMEN Traditional
Chinese
Women with
Lotus Feet

SOCIETY OF
CHINESE PEOPLE
China before 1917
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 LOTUS
FEET
of the
Chinese
women
determine
beauty

BARE
LOTUS
FOOT

Video 4.3

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 BUDS OF THE Golden Lotus
LOTUS FLOWER (4 inches)

BEGINNING OF FOOT
BINDING IN 800 BC

The legend of the

court dancers and the
emperor’s wife with
feet like golf club 19
 PAINFUL
PROCESS
OF FOOT
BINDING
Lotus Shoes
Sign of social status

From age
3 to 17
years

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Women with lotus feet could not
walk properly. They could not do
productive works, and this had
retarded the development of Chinese
economy for almost 2,500 years from
800 BC to 1917.
“The second vagina”

The sexual
connotation of
the lotus feet
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 THE MODERN LOTUS FEET

“TIIS GANDA”
Some women today wear these high heels just to make
themselves look beautiful, although very uncomfortable.
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 Lesson 4.3. The Art of Pleasure from various Culture and Religion

1. Discover the cultural norms of beauty of different societies in the

world.

REFERENCES
Resources
Suojanen, M. (2016). Aesthetic experience of beautiful and ugly persons: a critique. Journal of Aesthetic and Culture.
Vol 8, 2016, Issue 1. Taylor Francis Online.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3402/jac.v8.30529

Videos
KWolf93Garou. (May 2, 2009). Charlie Chaplin's The Tramp with benny hill theme.
https://youtu.be/DJ4opMyIU-w

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 BASIC CONCEPTS IN HINDU LIFE AND RELIGION
TWO LAWS OF LIFE Rebirth MOKSHA
SAMSARA Law of reincarnation Death
KARMA Law of cause and effect Rebirth

Death Rebirth DHARMA

ARTHA
Death Birth KAMA
SAMSARA
DUE TO
KARMA
Life Life Life Life
FOUR GOALS OF LIFE 2 3 4
1
DHARMA Duty in family and society
ARTHA Accumulation of wealth and power
KAMA Experience of pleasure
MOKSHA Spiritual release
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 REALITY
SPIRITUAL RELEASE (Moksha)
Bhraman

HINDU WORLDVIEW & WAY OF LIFE

SELF-REALIZATION
WANDERING BEGGAR

STAGES OF LIFE
HERMIT: Solitude,
Yoga Meditation
ILLUSION
Maya HOUSEHOLDER:
Family & Society (Dharma)
Wealth & Power (Artha)
Pleasure (Kama)
PUPIL: Studies

Real: Atman = Bhraman

5 SHEETS
Intellectual: Mind
Samsara
Karma Psychological: Emotion
Perceptual: Senses
Physical: Body 25
Kama Sutra, 400-200 BC
Compiled by Vatsyayana,
200 AD

SANSKRIT kama:
“desire” or “pleasure”
Sutra: “string” or
“thread,” metaphorically
“a collection of
aphorisms that form a
manual or text”

ART OF PLEASURE
The experience of
pleasure (kama) is one of
the four aims of Hindu
life necessary for a
person to attain spiritual
release (moksha).

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RELIEF SCULPTURE IN KAJHURAHO TEMPLE, INDIA 27
ANEKAPARIGRA
HA
Sacred Prostitute

Fulfills men’s
experience of
pleasure, therefore,
helping them to
attain spiritual
release.

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GEISHA HENTAI
Japanese Japanese images
Traditional and cartoons
Professional showing sexual
Woman activities
Entertainer

HOKUSAI
The Pillow Book
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 Lesson 4.4. Aesthetic Relativism in Popular Culture

1. Identify artworks, styles and artists that abide with cultural relativism.

REFERENCES
Readings
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (2020). Beauty.
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/beauty/

SlideShare. (2011). A concise history of western art.

https://www.slideshare.net/spiller37/a-concise-history-of-western-art

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 CULTURAL RELATIVISM IN
THE AESTHETICS OF POPULAR CULTURE
Trend, Fashion
Fad, The “in” thing

Baduy, Bakya
Jologs, Conyo

Passing, temporary and

recycling conventional
concept of beauty

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 Where are the eyebrows?
Leonardo,
Leonardo, Lady with
Ginebra d’Benci an Ermine

Vermeer,
Girl with
a Pearl
Shaving the eyebrow was Earing
the fashion of feminine beauty
during the Renaissance. 32
 MODERN Eyebrows
STANDARD of the
modern
Amorsolo women
Girl with
a Basket
of Mango
(Detail),
1956

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 2015’s 2010’s 2000’s 1990’s 1980’s
Fashion Fashion Fashion Fashion Fashion

FASHION
OF CLOTHING
THROUGH THE
1970’s 1960’s
Fashion Fashion DECADES 34
 Seurat, Sunday Aftenoon in the Island of La Grande Jatte, 1888

1880’S
FRENCH
FASHION

Seurat, Sunday
Aftenoon in the
Island of La Grande BUSTLE
Jatte, (Detail) Framework
worn at the
back of the
1880’s woman to
prevent heavy
FRENCH
skirt from
FASHION dragging
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 Diane Kruger wearing a bustle gown
1880’s FRENCH FASHION during the 2012 Oscar Awards

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FASHION OF CLOTHING IN THE PHILIPPINES DURING THE SPANISH PERIOD
Damian Domingo, Water color painting showing Filipinos in native costumes
STREET
ILLUSTRADO
VENDORS
CLASS

Water Vendor Fish Vendor of Manila A Native Laborer

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 Lesson 4.5. Batok: Art of the Tattoo

1. Formulate an anthropological approach to Art Appreciation.

2. Evaluate the merit or demerit of works of art based on cultural relativism.

REFERENCES
Readings
Philosophy Faculty Research and Publications. (2014). Introduction to Aesthetics of Everyday Life: East and
West. https://epublications.marquette.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1449&context=phil_fac

Videos
I-Witness. “Ang Huling Mambabatok,” in https:// www.youtube.com/wat ch?v=x83lUBrxp4A.

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PHILIPPINES
Las Islas de
los Pintados

Illustration in
Boxer Codex,
1590

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The natives put tattoos which are believed to
enhance bodily beauty.

Bodily marking
were
signs of status,
beauty, family
and pride. They
signify acts of
combat,
courage and
strength.
The more
tattooed a
warrior is, the
more he
is revered.

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TATTOO IN POPULAR
CULTURE

PINTADOS FESTIVAL, TACLOBAN CITY

Batista, WWF 41
Filipino-American Wrestler
APO WANG UD

Mambabatok from
Mountain province

GAMABA Awardee

Video 4.4
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Instructions: The answer to each question should have at least a minimum of 50 words.

Analysis 1. Do you find any Filipino Cultural Relativism challenges from belief in the
objectivity and legitimacy of your moral judgement? Site an example

Assessment
1. Can Filipino somehow adopt the old Hindu Culture? (Lesson 4.1)

Reflection
1. Which group do you belong: Trend Setter or follower? Explain why?

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 RUBRICS FOR GRADING
EXCELLENT ABOVE AVERAGE AVERAGE BELOW AVERAGE POOR
(9-10 PTS) (7-8 PTS) (5-6 PTS) (3-4 PTS) (1-2 PT)
CRITERIA

Uniqueness of idea Uniqueness of idea Uniqueness of idea Minimal detail Absolute minimal
ANALYSIS: is thorough, is informative and is present, but some provided, needs effort.
Creativity and informative, and well thought. details improvement.
uniqueness demonstrates missing/incorrect.
significant effort.

Message is Message is Message is present, Minimal detail Absolute minimal

ASSESSMENT: thorough, informative and but some details provided, needs effort.
Clarity: Message is informative, and well thought. missing/incorrect. improvement.
clearly addressed demonstrates
significant effort.

The relevance is The relevance is The relevance is Minimal detail Absolute minimal
REFLECTIONS: thorough, informative and present, but some provided, needs effort.
Impact: The idea is informative, and well thought. details improvement.
relevant to present demonstrates missing/incorrect.
situation significant effort. 44
 Module 4

GROUP ACTIVITY
1. Group yourselves into 7 members per group and research the topic provided related to cultural relativism.
2. Answer the question:
➢ How it came about?
➢ How their practice/s became unique and significant to society?
➢ How is it related to arts?
3. Share your research with your groupmates.
4. Write your analysis with your groupmates.
5. Present your findings by using PowerPoint for your class report.

TOPICS: (Draw lots)

1. Tattooing 3. Birth or Death rituals
2. Arts and Fashion 4. Filipino courting and marriage
➢ Pre-Spanish Time 5. Matriarchal/Patriarchal community
➢ Spanish Time 6. Planting and harvest rituals.
➢ American and Japanese Colonization
➢ 50’s-70’s
➢ 80’s-2000
➢ 2010-present
DR. ALLAN C. ORATE, UE
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 RUBRICS FOR ACTIVITY 4
Excellent Good Fair Needs Improvement
CRITERIA
(16-20 points) (11-15 points) (6-10 points) (1-5)

The presentation is
Content and The presentation reacts The presentation is The presentation is
thoroughly incomplete
substance of the on the issue completely complete but not very incomplete and not
and not persuasive at
research and persuasively. persuasive. persuasive.
all

Reports and All points are stated but

All points are stated and Only some points are No points are stated
Demonstrations some are not well
well supported stated and supported nor supported.
presented supported

The presentation has

The presentation abides The presentation is There are many mistakes
many mistakes in
Language and with all the rules of understood although in language, and the
language, and it is
comprehension language, at it is easily there are some mistakes presentation is hard to
totally not
understood. in language DR. ALLAN C. ORATE, UE
understand.
understood. 46
MODULE 4

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