Anthropological Perspectives on culture and society

• Anthropology and Sociology offer different lenses through which to examine culture and society.

Anthropological Perspectives

• Unilineal Evolutionism suggests cultures evolve through similar stages, progressing from past to present forms, like animism evolving into monotheism (e.g., Roman Catholic or Islam).
• Cultural Diffusionism posits that culture arises from one or more cultural centers, resulting from the borrowing of elements, such as Filipino culture being influenced by Western civilization due to Spanish colonization.
• Historical Particularism emphasizes that each group possesses a unique culture shaped by its history, geography, and environment, for example, superstitious beliefs influencing Filipino people are deeply rooted in their ancestors' traditions.
• Anthropological Functionalism views cultural aspects as interconnected and purposeful, in which Filipinos' actions are greatly influenced by their religious beliefs.
• Anthropological Structuralism proposes that cultural phenomena are related, shaping how humans organize their experiences, like the social roles of father and son, or husband and wife.
• Cultural Materialism considers technology, resources, economic values, and utilization influencing culture, for example, the prohibition of pork in the Muslim diet.

Sociological Perspectives

• Functionalism sees society as an organized network where cooperating groups operate systematically according to generally accepted norms, for instance, governments investing in education to produce more productive graduates.
• Conflict Perspective views the social environment as a continuous struggle, contrasting with functionalism, exemplified by the disparity between the wealthy and the impoverished.
• Symbolic Interactionism studies patterns of behavior in large societal units such as organizations and communities, shown by an individual avoiding eye contact with strangers

Society

• Society is derived from the Latin word 'societas', meaning "companion" or "associate", referring to interdependent individuals in a specific location, sharing a way of life.
• Society is a population organized cooperatively to fulfill essential life functions, including reproduction, sustenance, shelter, and defense.
• Society is a population within a territory, subject to political authority, and sharing a common culture.
• Anthropology studies society perceiving it as people sharing culture in a territory.
• Sociology looks at society as an association organized by people within a territory.

Culture

• Culture includes an individual's taste and interest in the "fine arts."
• Culture has been referred to as a sign of being civilized
• Culture is a complex whole of beliefs, practices, values, attitudes, laws, norms, artifacts, symbols, knowledge, and everything individuals learn and share as society members
• Anthropologically speaking, culture encompasses a society's unique character, shaping how people think, act, and possess.
• Sociologically, culture is seen as the imprint people make.

Aspects of Culture

• Culture is defined as dynamic, flexible, adaptive, shared, learned, patterned, and integrated.

• Artifacts are objects made by humans, either by hand or mass-produced.

• Arts and Recreation include arts, music, drama, literature, games, sports, and leisure activities.

• Clothing refers to the attire people wear.

• Customs and Traditions are activities commonly practiced.

• Food is the staple diet of a community

• Government is the entity that implements rules, maintains order, and resolves conflicts.

• Knowledge is the psychological outcome of perception, learning, and reasoning.

• Language is the mental capacity for vocal communication.

• Religion is a belief in a supernatural power the controls destiny.

• Shelter provides privacy and security.

• Tools enhance task performance.

• Values are the standards that determine our behavior.

Orientations in Viewing Other Cultures

• Cultural Relativism means culture is only understood in context.
• It argues against judging one's culture by another's standards.
• Ethnocentrism views one's own culture as superior.
• Xenocentrism views one's own culture as inferior.