UCSP

Cultural, Social, Political

Development
Evolution
• Looking Back at Human Biocultural and Social
Evolution
• Social Institutions
• Social and Political Stratification
Looking Back at the Human
Biocultural and Social
Evolution
Evolution is often viewed as a ladder, with our apelike ancestors at the bottom
and us Humans (Homo Sapiens Sapiens)
at the very top.

But we often forget that our existence as a species has only been very brief

Our Ancestors, the Homo Erectus, had survived for over a few million years
while the earliest Homo Sapiens fossil only dates back to over 300000 years
ago.

We can say for sure that our forebears also had a culture like us, with their own
traditions and possibly their own spoken language
Biological Evolution
• Biological evolution is the change , modification and variations in the genetics and traits of
populations from one generation to another.
• Scientists study the changes in the physical body of humans, like the shape and size of their
bones, brain size, dentition.
• While these charts do show marked differences, the boundary for when exactly a species
becomes another is not clear.
Biological Evolution
• Evolution is driven by the process of natural selection.
• In short, traits that enhance survival and increase the chance of reproductive success tend to increase in
frequency over time.
• Desirable traits like a cactus being able to withstand more drought than normal will mean it has a better
chance of surviving an arid environment more than its peers. Its peers will die off while the desirable cactus
will live on and pass on the adaptation
Cultural Evolution
• Cultural evolution, or sociocultural evolution, on the
other hand, refers to the changes or development in
cultures from a simple form to a more complex form.

• This occurs as a result of human adaptation to the local

climate and other factors, like climate change or a
population increase.

• Here, scientists study the cultural evolution by

analyzing the changes in the different tools and other
human made objects.
From Hominids to Homo Sapiens Sapiens
• If you travel millions year back in time, you wouldn’t find any humans, you’d find our ape-like
ancestors, the Hominids.

• Hominids doesn’t actually refer to any specific species, but refers to the group of early
humans/humanlike creatures that could walk erect (on two feet).

• There were four categories of hominids based on what we’ve excavated. These are Sahelanthropus,
Ardipithecus, Australopithecus, and Homo

• Among those four, it was the Australopithecus and Homo that had the most number of species.

• In fact, many consider the Australopithecus to be the first stage and Homo as the last stage of
human evolution
From Hominids to Homo Sapiens Sapiens
• If you travel millions year back in time, you wouldn’t find any humans, you’d find our ape-like
ancestors, the Hominids.

• Hominids doesn’t actually refer to any specific species, but refers to the group of early
humans/humanlike creatures that could walk erect (on two feet).

• There were four categories of hominids based on what we’ve excavated. These are Sahelanthropus,
Ardipithecus, Australopithecus, and Homo

• Among those four, it was the Australopithecus and Homo that had the most number of species.

• In fact, many consider the Australopithecus to be the first stage and Homo as the last stage of
human evolution
From Hominids to Homo Sapiens Sapiens
• All of them, save for Homo, had ape-like and human-like characteristics. Only Homo exhibit the
characteristics of a modern human (Obviously)
• let’s quickly run through them
Australopithecines
PERIOD

4-2 million years ago

NOTABLE DEVELOPMENTS

• Appearance of hominids like Australopithecus afarensis

• Fossil "Lucy" is a famous example, discovered in Ethiopia in
1974
• Bipedalism (walking on two legs) marked a crucial adaptation
• Showed the first signs of tool use, although rudimentary
• Brain size relatively small compared to later hominids
Homo habilis
PERIOD

2.3-1.4 million years ago

NOTABLE DEVELOPMENTS

• Significant advancement in tool usage, known as "Handy Man"

• Lived in East Africa
• First hominids to manufacture and use tools, mainly made from
stone
• Dietary adaptations, potentially including increased meat
consumption
• Slight increase in brain size compared to Australopithecines
Homo erectus
PERIOD

1.9 million - 140,000 years ago

NOTABLE DEVELOPMENTS

• Spread from Africa to Asia and Europe, evidence of successful

migration
• More sophisticated tools, including the Acheulean handaxe
• Likely the first hominids to use fire for cooking and protection
• Displayed communal living in some instances
• Further increase in brain size, larger than Homo habilis
• Possibly spoke a language (huge development)
Homo neanderthalensis
PERIOD

400,000 - 40,000 years ago

NOTABLE DEVELOPMENTS

• Coexisted with early Homo sapiens in Europe and Western Asia

• Distinctive physical features, including a robust build and large nose
• Evidence of sophisticated tools and symbolic behavior
• Adaptations to cold environments, such as the use of clothing
• Cave art, personal ornaments, and burial practices as evidence of symbolic behavior
• Maybe had a spoken language
• I included these guys despite them not being the ancestors of modern humans, think of
them like a fork in the road
Homo sapiens (sapiens)

PERIOD

200,000 years ago - at least 2024

NOTABLE DEVELOPMENTS

• Gradual migration across the globe, replacing other hominid species

• Further development of symbolic thinking, language, and more
sophisticated tools
• Only animal able to communicate and express their thoughts and emotions
through language. (Probably)
• Have written Scripts like Latin, Cyrillic, etc
• Most successful species (at least technologically)
• Nothing else has as much control over its own fate as Homo sapiens
Human Social Evolution
 Social Animals
• The Humans evolution pushed them to form social organizations with other humans to increase
their chances of survival (and having offspring)
• From hunting-gathering groups to agricultural communities and, eventually industrial societies.
 Band-level societies
• Initially, these groups had a simple social structure
• Social roles were defined by age, sex and the division of labor
• Hunting was assigned to the men while women did the gathering
• These early societies were composed of hunter-gatherers.
• Small and nomadic family groups
• Highly egalitarian with no hierarchical traits.
• While there is a “leader” role, they often did not have enough power to impose a rule over others
• There were very little disputes because of the geographic distance between bands
• As a result of these characteristics Band-level societies aren’t considered political organizations
 The Impact of Agriculture
• Nothing really changed until the advent of agriculture.
• After we figured out farming, we started to have more sedentary communities.
• The development of more permanent settlements meant more complex tasks, tools and social
interactions.
• All of this eventually needed a new form of social and political organization.
• With these new organizations cam new problems like social inequality, lineage, and kinship ties,
indicating more complex relationships in society.
 The Tribe
• The changes brought about the Tribe
• It was composed of several bands that were connected through a
clan structure.
• There is now a leader, called a “Headman”. He had significant
influence among the members of the tribe.
• The Headman had responsibilities such as resolving conflict,
overseeing work done and organizing feasts and celebrations.
• The steady growth of tribes allowed them to interact with one
another.
• This eventually lead to the formation of a new political
organization.
 The Chiefdom
• Consists of tribes united under one leader or chief.
• With the Chiefdom came even more complicated interactions among the member tribes.
• The larger overall population had further transformed the leadership roles, giving the chief more
complex responsibilities
 The Industrial Revolution
• Beginning in the mid 1700s until the 1800s, many societies in the world, particularly those in Western
Europe, underwent the Industrial Revolution.
• Breakthroughs in technology such as the Steam Engine significantly altered economic activities as well as
causing massive political, social and cultural changes to society.
• As a result, Agricultural Societies were transformed into Industrial Societies
• The idea of power of being concentrated few with monarchy and aristocracy was waning.
 Theories on Society and State
Society as a Natural Institution
• Ancient Greeks saw society and its institutions as natural outcomes of human interactions.
• Aristotle believed humans are inherently social and political animals with basic needs fulfilled
through interactions.
• Basic biological needs met by family, while more complex needs are fulfilled through more
intricate social structures.
• Aristotle considered the city-state (polis) as the highest form of interaction, fulfilling the highest
human need for self-sufficiency.
• The city-state reflects the natural order, with citizens both governing and being governed.
• Greeks didn't distinguish between society and the state; Aristotle emphasized that living in society
allows individuals to fulfill their ultimate purpose.
 Modernization Theories
• Social evolution is viewed as progression from primitive to developed stages.
• Historical-materialist perspective (Marx and Engels): Societal stages linked to means of
production and ownership.
• Class struggle (Conflict between different classes) was prevalent in historical stages, from
primitive communal to capitalist societies, centered around control of means of production.
• State seen as a tool for the ruling class to maintain control over production.
• Modernization theories tie societal development to economic factors.
• Max Weber observed rationalization and bureaucratization in modern industrial societies.
• Specialized functions in social institutions increase as economies expand.
• State bureaucracy grows larger, requiring specialized and qualified personnel.
• Early social development characterized by traditional and charismatic authority; modern
industrial societies feature leadership based on a rational-legal framework.
Social Institutions
Social Institutions
• Refer to the organized sets of elements such as beliefs, rules, practices and relationships
to attain social order.
• Social institutions are established relationships among groups of people that essential
components of a society's culture.
• The elements of these institutions are defined differently by various perspectives.

Institutional Approach
• The Institutional Approach tells us that social institutions are ordered sets of rules,
norms, beliefs or values that organize Human Behavior
Relational Approach
• The Relation Approach, on the other hand, focuses on social relations rather than rules,
norms, beliefs or values.
 Social Institutions
• Examples of Social Institutions include family, economy, education, health, religion and other
nonstate institutions. They are different from political institutions under the state.

The Family
• A group of people who are related by blood, marriage, and a shared residence.
• There are several kinds of families
• Nuclear Families, aka Immediate families, are families that are composed of parents and children.
• Extended families are those that are composed of the nuclear family and more distant relatives
like grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
• Reconstituted families are composed of the spouses and their children from a previous marriage.
 Social Institutions
The Economy
• is an institution that addresses questions regarding limited resources of society.
• Liberal Economists say that the answer to the questions should be determined by the the market.
• According to Adam Smith, the market is a self-regulating mechanism.
• Consumers and Suppliers are free to decide for themselves in participating in market activities,
meaning there is no need to state intervention in the economy.

• Socialists, have a different point of view. They believe that the Bourgeoisie mainly controls the
means of production and that they are the only ones who benefit from a free market system.
• They argue that the market and state should be under control of the proletariat.
Educational and Health Institutions
• These two institutions uphold basic human rights.
• Educational institutions ensure that individuals are functionally literate, Health Institutions ensure
that individuals have access to health services to promote universal public health.
• Can be provided by state or private entities, with some offering free basic education and health
services.
• Ongoing challenge in developing societies where quality services may be provided by private
entities for a fee.
 Educational Institutions
• Transmit culture through beliefs, norms, values, and practices.
• Act as agents of socialization, preserving and depositing culture.
• Provide a sense of national history, contributing to the creation of a loyal citizenry.
• In a market-oriented economy, education equips students with skills for the workforce.

• Marxists see schools as supporting an exploitative bourgeois society, preserving proletarian

alienation.
• In the past, Education was only available to those that could afford it.
• Free education has brough literacy to the masses.
 Health Institutions
• Exists to ensure public health and to provide universal health services.
• There are different kinds of health systems.
• Western health systems use science and standardized skills taught in health sciences schools.
Patients are treated based on standardized diagnostic practices.
• On the other hand, there are still societies that use traditional medicine or alternative health
systems.
• These other systems predate the Western Health System.
• It is observed that traditional systems make use of more natural methods of healing and natural
medicine as well. They are less intrusive compared to the Western system.
 Religion Institutions
• is an institution that involves a set of beliefs and practices of a particular social group.
• It may be organized into a group that has universal membership called a church or it organized
into an exclusive group called a sect.
• Religion may be further classified into monotheistic or polytheistic.
• Monotheism refers to religion that believe in only one god, while polytheistic believe in many
gods.
• Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are examples of monotheistic religions while Hinduism is a
polytheistic religion.
• Statements with governments that are under the power of religious leaders are called theocracies.
Political Institutions
 Politics, Power and Authority
• Politics refers to activities through which people make, preserve and amend the general rules
under which they live. It involves the dynamics of conflict resolution and cooperation as well as
the exercise of power.
• Power refers to the ability to do something in order to achieve a desired outcome.
• Authority is legitimate power, meaning that a person who has authority has the right to exercise
power.

Legitimacy and Types of Authority

• The word Legitimacy originated from the Latin word “Legitimare”, meaning “to declare lawful”
and is broadly defined as “rightfulness”.
• Legitimacy confers on an order or command an authoritative or binding character, thus
transforming power into authority.
• Political philosophers treat legitimacy as a moral or rational principle that is the ground on which
governments may demand obedience from citizens.
• The claim to legitimacy is this more important than the fact of obedience.
 Types of Authority
Traditional Authority
• In many societies, authority is based on a sytem that is believed to have “always
existed”.
• This is referred to as traditional authority
• Some people have this type of authority because they inherited or they occupy a
position that has been passed on to them.
• The legitimacy of this type of authority is based on long-established customs and
tradition that do not need to be justified.
• Examples of traditional authority are those exercised by elders in a tribe as well as
by monarchs who have inherited their power authority.
 Types of Authority
Charismatic Authority
• is based on the presumed special and extraordinary characteristics or qualities possessed by a
certain individuals.
• People with charisma are often very popular, highly persuasive and inspire loyalty and obedience
from other people.
• However, charismatic authority is the most unstable type of authority as leaders may eventually
“lose” their charisma when people’s views regarding them change.
 Types of Authority
Legal-Rational
• Legal-Rational Authority is the most typical type of authority in modern societies.
• Power and authority in a legal-rational context are legitimized by a clearly defined set of written
rules and laws.
• Leaders can rightfully wield authority if they obtain their positions according to established
procedures such as elections or through appointment.
• Among the three types of authority, a legal-rational system has the highest degree of stability.
Social and Political Stratification
The Concept of Social Stratification
• Social stratification refers to the division of large social groups into smaller groups based on
categories determined by economics.
• Members of society are arranged in a hierarchy based on their access to or control over basic
economic resources
• Stratification gives rise to inequality in society.
• Related to the concept of social stratification is social exclusion, which is the process by which
individuals are cut off from full involvement in the wider circles of society.
• Sociologists distinguish between two primary systems of stratification, namely the closed and
open systems.
 Closed and Open Systems
• Closed systems impose rigid boundaries between social groups and limit interactions among
members who belong to different social groups, or at least occupy different levels in the social
hierarchy.
• Closed systems are also resistant to change, particularly in the social roles of its members.
• Open systems are based on achievement, allowing more flexibility in social roles, increased social
mobility, and better interaction among social groups and classes
 Stratification Systems
• For example, caste systems are closed stratification systems because people are unable to change
their standing.
• A class system, meanwhile, is a stratification system based on the ownership of resources and the
individual’s occupation or profession.
• A social class is composed of people who share the same background and characteristics such as
income, education, and occupation.
• Because social class is based on achievement, it is considered an open system
• In fact, exogamous marriages, or marriages between people who come from different social
classes are more prevalent in this system.
Theoretical Perspectives on Social Stratification
• In the context of sociology, there are three differ theoretical perspectives on social stratification,
namely functionalism, conflict theory and symbolic interactionism.

Functionalism
• Functionalism is a theoretical perspective that views society as a complex system with different
parts that work together to promote solidarity and stability. It is concerned with the overall
dynamics and workings of a society.
• Key concepts: social stability, manifest and latent functions, social institutions.

Conflict Theory
• This theory emphasizes the role of coercion and power in society, with a focus on resource
allocation and social inequality. Societies are viewed as platforms for class struggle.
• Key concepts: class conflict, inequality, power dynamics.
Theoretical Perspectives on Social Stratification
Symbolic Interactionism
Symbolic interactionism proposes that both the individual self and society as a whole are products of
social interactions based on language and other symbols.
• Key concepts: symbols, social construction of reality
That is all!
Some Cultural Indicators Affecting
Landscape
ETHNICITY LANGUAGE RELIGION

Groupings of people that have a A communication system that Beliefs and ideologies. Can be ethnic
shared culture, a shared biological has meaning to a group of (specific to national groups) or
ancestry, or a shared origin place. people through speech. universalizing (anyone can join).
Assignment
Over the weekend, talk to 2-3 of your neighbors. Like with our
activity, ask them about things that they believe are unique to your
area.

What languages do they speak? What events or celebrations do you

have? Is there any particular food that they haven't found else where?

Create a poster on Canva with your findings.

Resource
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Use these icons and illustrations in your

Canva Presentation. Happy designing!
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presenting.