Understanding Culture, Society and Politics

Defining Culture and Society from the Perspectives of

Anthropology and Sociology

D. Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism as Orientations in

Viewing Other Cultures

• Ethnocentrism- diminishes or invalidates “other” ways of life

and creates a distorted view of one’s own. As a result, this
could affect individual behavior and relationships with other
cultures.

Week 2
 Understanding Culture, Society and Politics
Defining Culture and Society from the Perspectives of
Anthropology and Sociology

• Extreme forms of ethnocentrism have led to wars or

colonization. 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 a society and government that approximates
“Anglo American standards.”

Week 2
 Understanding Culture, Society and Politics
Defining Culture and Society from the Perspectives of
Anthropology and Sociology

• Cultural Relativism- recognizes and accepts the cultural

differences between societies.
• This view believes that every aspect of a culture can be
justified by the context in which the culture has been formed.
• Interaction between members of different societies is more
likely to succeed if everybody is aware and is respectful of
cultural diversity.

Week 2
1. What are the contributions of other cultures to Philippine culture? Did
they endanger or enrich the evolution of the Philippine culture?

2. What is the best way to manage conflicts based on cultural

differences in the Philippines?
 Understanding Culture, Society and Politics
Defining Culture and Society from the Perspectives of
Anthropology and Sociology

C. Aspects of Culture
• a. Dynamic, flexible, and adaptive
• b. Shared and contested (given the reality of social differentiation)
• c. Learned through socialization or enculturation
• d. Patterned social interactions
• e. Integrated and at times unstable
• f. Transmitted through socialization/enculturation
• g. Requires language and other forms of communication

Week 2