understanding culture, society and politics

1. Understanding
culture, society &
politics

2. Objectives:
1. Define the concept of identity;
2. Relate it to society and culture
3. Explain the meaning of cultural variation, social
differences, political change, political identities;
4. Understand the meaning of anthropology, sociology
and political science;
5. Understand the significance of studying culture and
society;
6. Give perception about politics.
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3. Have you ever wondered why some people are
different from you and from one another?
How will you describe your social background
and identities?
Try introducing yourself to your seatmate by
telling him/her at least 5 of your identities.

4. Compare your list with that of your seatmate.
What similarities and differences in identity
do you have?
Do you see the possibility of your identities
changing in the future?

5. Identity, culture and society
Identity
-multiple identities depending on the groups to which they belong.
-the distinctive characteristic that defines an individual or is shared
by those belonging to a particular group.
-can be influenced by other factors such as sexual orientation and
gender and nationality.
-change over the course of a person’s lifetime. It is continuously
shaped and reshaped through the passage of time as well as the
overall context of one’s life cycle, including his or her activities within
the society and interaction with other people.

7. Do you think identities are
important?
Identities are important because they shape both
individual and group behavior as well as people’s view about
other people and society.

8. Cont.
-a holistic knowledge and understanding of the
characteristics and overall identities of one’s self, of
other people and of different groups in society can lead
to a better world.
-reflecting enables a person to appreciate what makes
him/her similar to and different from other people. It also
helps a person to understand that identities are
relational and contextual.

9. Culture
-refers to that complex whole which include
knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, laws, customs, and
any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as
member of a society. (Edward H. Taylor)
-a society’s way of life, provides the basis for forging
identities.
-allows people to understand themselves in relation to
others and provides them a lens through which they base
what is considered the “right way” of doing things.

10. 1. Material culture - composed of tangible things like
food, tools, dress, accessories and others.
2. Non-material culture – composed of intangible things
such as habits, ideas, religion, language and behavior
2 Types of Culture

11. Society
-refers to a group of people living in a community.
-a web of social relationship, which is always changing.
(MacIver and Page)

14. “
14

15. What is/are shown in the
pictures?
Example of Cultural Variation in Dress Styles
Examples of Cultural Variation in Dances
Cultural Variation
-refers to the differences in social behaviors that
cultures exhibit around the world. In the Philippines
differences in social behaviors are influence with
cultures in a specific places and tribes.

16. Social Differences
-refers to the situation where people are discriminated
based on economic status, social characteristics and
qualities.
common social differences among people in the world

17. What are the similarities and
differences in each group?
Do these differences affect
the life of the whole
community? Why?

18. Social change
-refers to any significant alteration over time in behavior patterns
and cultural values and norms. This change is brought about by
modernization and the impact of globalization that resulted to
cultural change among Filipino people.
Example - Filipino
way of courtship:

19. Explain the advantages and disadvantages brought
about by modernization as part of social change.

20. Political identities
-refers to political position based on the interests and
perspective of social groups with which people identify.
In the Philippines, we participated in
choosing the political leaders
through election and being a
democratic country. They are
mandated by law to lead the people
and implement good governance for
the common good of all Filipinos.

21. Anthropology, sociology and politicalscience
Social sciences-the disciplines under which identity,
culture, society and politics are studied collectively.
-study the overall functions of society as well as the
interactions among its individual members and institutions .

22. Anthropology, sociology and politicalscience
Anthropology- the systematic study of the biological,
cultural, and social aspects of man.
-derived from two Greek words “anthropos” which means
“man,” and “logos” which means “study or inquiry”.
-a significant branch of knowledge because it integrates
elements from the biological sciences and humanities to
fully comprehend the complex human species, including
their past practices and social patterns, across diverse
cultures.

23. Some renowned anthropologist
Edward Burnett Taylor Alfred Kroeber Bronislaw Malinowski
Franz Boas

24. Field of study and areas of interest
Social Anthropology- studies how social patterns and practices
and cultural variations develop across different societies.
Cultural Anthropology- studies cultural variations develop across
different societies and examines the need to understand each
culture in its own context.
Linguistic Anthropology- studies language and discourse and
how they reflect and shape different aspects of human society
and culture.
Biological/Physical Anthropology- studies the origins of humans
as well as the interplay between social factors and the process of
human evolution, adaptation, and variation over time.

25. Archeology- deals with the prehistoric societies by studying
their tools and environment.
Sociology- defined by Anthony Giddens as “the study of
human social life, groups and society.”
-provide a deeper assessment of individual and group
behavior as well as social phenomena by examining the
interplay between economic, political and social factors.
August Comte Herbert Spencer
Karl Marx
Emile Durkheim Max Weber

26. Political Science- the systematic study of politics which
Andrew Heywood describes as “ the activity through which
people make, preserve, and amend the general rules under
which they live.”
-focuses on the fundamental values of equality, freedom,
and justice and its processes.
Plato Aristotle Jean Rousseau John Locke

27. Public administration- examines how the government
functions and how decisions and policies are made.
Political economy- evaluates the interplay between
economics, politics, and law and its implications to the
various institutions within the society.
Comparative politics- compares domestic politics and
governance systems across different sovereign states.

28. What is the main difference
between sociology and
anthropology?
Sociology and anthropology are social science disciplines that
focus on studying the behavior of humans within their
societies. The main difference between the two concepts is
that sociology concentrates on society (social
institutions/structures) while anthropology focuses on
culture.

29. What is the role of culture in our lives?
Culture- is one of the important bases that define and
influence a society.

30. Relativistic approach- considers culture as equal. This view
holds that there are no “superior”, and “inferior” cultures
and each is unique in its own way.
Ethnocentric approach- the belief that one’s native culture is
superior to other cultures. Tend to have a negative view of
other countries and people.
Two Major Views

31. The significance of Culture:
 It makes possible for man to adopt and integrate himself
to his environment
 Establish patterns of acceptable social behavior such as
good manners and right conduct
 it conveys and facilitates meaning
 it contributes an overall human satisfaction like arts,
recreational activities
 It produce man-made things such as clothing, tools and
others

32. Culture- refers to the 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.
Folklore- the community stories and other types of narratives
shared within societies .
-myths, legends, folktales, proverbs and riddles

33. Symbols- things that convey meaning or represent an idea.
Language- set of symbols that enables members of society to
communicate verbally and nonverbally.
Values- shared ideas, norms and principles that provide
members of society the standards that pertain to what is right
or wrong, good or bad, desirable and undesirable.
Norms- shared rules of conduct that determine specific behavior
among society members.
Four Vital Components:

34. Folkways- norms that may be violated without serious
consequences.
Mores- norms with moral connotations.
Laws- legally enacted and enforced.

35. What are the Characteristics of
Culture?
 Culture is learned- culture is learned through the
process of interaction.
 Culture is shared- no one person knows the entire
culture, hence, the sharing of ideas.

36.  Culture is Dynamic- there is always change in culture.
One of the principle sources of change is diffusion,
which involves borrowing or transfer from one culture to
another.
 Culture is Cumulative- culture has a tendency to grow
and expand. Stored knowledge is transmitted from one
generation to another. Newly acquired knowledge is
then added to the stocks of knowledge as it passes
through the process of transmission.

37. Other cultural concept
 Ethnocentrism- it is a feeling that their particular way of
life is superior and right and that all other cultures are
inferior and often wrong.
 Cultural Relativism- norms, values, and beliefs should be
judged only from the viewpoint of that culture.
 Xenocentrism- it is the belief that what is foreign is the
best in terms of one’s lifestyle, product, or ideas.
 Tempocentrism- it is the belief that one's time is more
important than that of the past or future.

38.  subculture- a group within a society who shares in the
general culture but who maintain distinctive ways of
thinking, setting, and feeling.
 counterculture- a subculture that has values, and norms
that sharply contradict the dominant values and norms of
the larger society.
 cultural universal- common cultural elements that are
found within all known societies. They are norms, laws,
language, beliefs, and values.

39.  culture lag- the ability of a given society to adapt
immediately to another culture as a result of the disparity in
the rate of change between the material and non- material
elements of culture.
 culture shock- experience of disorientation and
frustrations that occurs when individuals find themselves
among those who do not share their fundamental premises.
 cultural diversity- the variation of culture in some ways
with another culture with which they guide human
behavior.

40. The significance of society:
 It is an avenue for economic inter-dependence
 Characterize the totality of a territory
 it serves as a representation of our identity
 a symbol of political independence

41.  Socialization-the lifelong process of forging identity
through social interaction
 Enculturation- the process by which an individual learns
or acquires the important aspects of his or her society’s
culture.
 Context- particular circumstances of a certain
culture and is defined by location, weather, time
period, and other factors.

42. Perception about politics:
 It is an art of government
 public affair
 power and distribution of resources
 It is academics
 consensus and compromise
 society

43. Thank you!

44. Social, cultural, and political change
The concept of identity is related to social, cultural and political
change. People’s individual and collective identities have
oftentimes transformed social order and paved the way for lasting
change.
-education enlightened
Filipino women about their
rights, particularly suffrage
or the right to vote

45. -Rapidly-advancing
technology also has
profound implications for
sociocultural and political
change.
-The phenomenon of
international migration has
also changed Filipino
identities and beliefs.