Anthropological

and Sociological
Perspectives on
Culture and
Society

S O C I A L S C I E N C E S D E PA R T M E N T
Since the study of anthropology deals with culture, it perceives society as
a group of people sharing a common culture within a territory (Banaag,
2012).
ANTHROPOLOGICAL
PERSPECTIVES

Unilineal Cultural Historical Anthropological Anthropological Cultural

Evolutionism Diffusionism Particularism Functionalism Structuralism Materialism
Unilineal Evolutionism

states that new cultural forms emerge from the past that
pass through similar stages of development

Example: Animism to Monotheism i.e. Roman Catholic

or Islam
Cultural asserts that culture originates from
Diffusionism one or more culture centers, which
are results of borrowed elements
of new culture

Example: Filipino culture is

influenced by Western Civilization
brought by the colonization of
Western countries i.e. Spain
 Historical
Particularism
• believe that each group of people has its
own unique culture influenced by its
history, geography, and environment.
• Example: Filipino people are influenced
by superstitious beliefs, which originate
from their ancestors.
Anthropological Functionalism

Believes that cultural

elements and practices are
Example: Filipino’s action is
interrelated and
strongly influenced by their
interdependent and persist
religion.
because they have a
purpose.
Anthropological
Structuralism

• conveys that cultural phenomena and practices

have a relationship to one another by which
human organize and structure their experience.

• Example: Father and Son; Husband and Wife

Cultural Materialism

considers the idea that culture is Example: It is through the improvisation of

influenced by technology, resources, infrastructure that society manipulates its
economic values, and the utilization of environment by modifying the amount of
things. materials needed.
SOCIOLOGICAL
PERSPECTIVES
FUNCTIONALIS
M

CONFLICT
EVOLUTIONISM
PERSPECTIVE

SYMBOLIC
INTERACTIONIS
M
Functionalism

views society as an organized

network cooperating groups,
operating orderly to generally
accepted norms.

Example: to be able to produce

more productive graduates in
the community, the government
must pour money into
education.
Conflict Perspective

sees the social

environment in a
Example: Rich
continuous struggle
versus poor
which is in contrast
with functionalism
Symbolic Interactionism

deals with patterns of Example: Why does an

behavior in large unit of individual in the
society such as community avoid eye
organization, contact when talking to
communities, etc. a stranger?
Evolutionism

Before people used telephones to

communicate with one another, now with
explains how human groups came to exist,
the advancement of technology, many of us
grow, and develop.
use cellphones as a means of
communication.