Sociology and Filipino Culture Overview

Sociology

• The scientific study of society, human behavior, human interaction and relationships
• Defined by various experts, including Auguste Comte, Max Weber, Park and Burgess, Emile Durkheim, Tonnies, Simmel, and Marck Young
• Aims to address pressing issues such as street crimes, welfare or education reform, and problems of peace and war

Filipino Culture

• A blend of diversity and homogeneity
• Influenced by Southeast Asian and Euro-American cultures
• Characterized by the following traits:

  Helpful and Cooperative (Bayanihan)

  • A tradition of communal work and unity practiced for centuries
  • A spirit of cooperation and camaraderie that inspires Filipinos to help one another, especially those in need, without expecting material rewards.

  Regionalistic

  • Regionalism can be both positive, fostering love for one's heritage, and negative, leading to excessive attachment to regions over the country.
  • Examples include using regional languages for humor and voting for candidates from one's region.

  Pakikisama

  • An intensive signification of camaraderie or spirit of comradeship.
  • Characterized by unselfishness and good faith, free from deceit, dishonesty, or subversion of justice.
  • "Mabuting makisama" are honest and unselfish, while "masamang makisama" are selfish and lacking empathy.
  • Modern interpretations may view "pakikisama" as a manipulation tactic to gain favor.

Social Norms

• Folkways are informal norms governing casual interactions, emerging from repetition and routines. They are often unconscious but useful for societal order.
  • For example, waiting in line is a folkway in many societies.
• Mores are stricter than folkways, defining moral and ethical behavior, distinguishing right from wrong. Violating a more usually leads to disapproval or ostracizing.
  • Religious doctrines and beliefs against discrimination and oppression are examples of mores.
• Taboos are the strongest negative norms, prohibiting behavior that evokes extreme disgust and even expulsion from society.
  • For instance, eating pork is taboo in some Muslim cultures.

Cultural Relativism

• The belief that ethical practices vary across cultures, and what is considered right in one culture may be wrong in another.
• No one society is superior; they are simply different.
• Different societies possess distinct moral codes, and there is no objective standard for judging these codes' goodness or badness.
• The task of cultural observers is to describe cultures, not to compare them to their own.
• The aim is to avoid ethnocentrism (believing one's own culture is superior) and promote understanding of diverse cultures.
• Examples include:
  • Using bare hands to eat, which is acceptable in some Asian societies.
  • The diverse views on human rights and female genital mutilation.
  • Different interpretations of President Rodrigo Duterte's communication style.

Xenocentrism

• The opposite of ethnocentrism, believing one's culture is inferior to another.
• Xenocentric individuals admire other cultures while disdaining or being embarrassed by their own.
• Examples:
  • Filipinos preferring imported products over locally made ones, believing foreign products are higher quality.
  • The popularity of East Asian culture (J-pop, K-pop) over Philippine pop culture.