Defining Culture And Society PDF

DEFINING CULTURE AND SOCIETY Chapter 2 Defining Culture and Society ◦ Recent studies show that culture is not only present to human beings but also to other species. ◦ People can learn many things, transmit what they have learned to the next generation, and even control their environme...

DEFINING CULTURE AND SOCIETY Chapter 2 Defining Culture and Society ◦ Recent studies show that culture is not only present to human beings but also to other species. ◦ People can learn many things, transmit what they have learned to the next generation, and even control their environment. SOCIETY AND CULTURE Lesson 1 Lesson 1: Society and Culture ◦ Since society and culture are closely related concepts, anthropology and society study both. ◦ A society has more comprehensive sets of culture in the sense that the group is culturally self-sufficient (e.g., a society may engage on trade with other societies). Lesson 1: Society and Culture ◦ Society arises when people are knit together in a network of mutual stimulus and response. ◦ Culture develops as a response to a society’s conditions and immediate solutions to the problems of individuals and groups. Lesson 1: Society and Culture ◦ As John Honigmann, an anthropologist, as pointed out, there are three components that go together that make up culture: ideas, activities, and artifacts. ◦ Ideas – thoughts, beliefs, feelings, rules, abstract concepts ◦ Activities – what people do as opposed to what they feel or believe ◦ Artifacts – man-made products of ideas and activities Lesson 1: Society and Culture ◦ Culture is learned, shared, and symbolic. Culture is not biological or genetic. ◦ Learned- from parents, peers, teachers, leaders, and others. ◦ Shared- basic ideas about the world and their place in it. ◦ Symbolic- manifested in language, wherein meanings are socially constructed. ASPECTS OF CULTURE Lesson 2  Dynamic, Flexible, and Adaptive ◦ Cultural behaviors allow people to fit into and adapt to their respective environment. ◦ The cumulative and social nature of human ideas, activities, and artifacts gives a tremendous potential source in adaptation. Dynamic, Flexible, and Adaptive ◦People can also borrow from other groups if their cultural behaviors are found to have survival value. ◦Culture for people is like water for fish, so omnipresent and important that they could hardly fathom its significance. Share and Contested ◦Members of a society or group commonly share ideas, activities, and artifacts. ◦The transmission of culture is not simply automatic, this largely depends on the willingness of people to give and receive it. Share and Contested ◦People usually alter ideas, activities, and artifacts if they no longer give them satisfaction and even reject them afterwards. Learned through Socialization or Enculturation ◦Every normal infant has the potential to learn culture as he/she grows and survives. ◦Because culture is learned rather than transmitted biologically, it is sometimes called man’s social heritage. Learned through Socialization or Enculturation ◦ Students as members of society commonly share ideas and beliefs and do activities together. Patterned Social Interactions ◦Social interaction implies theories of reciprocity, complementarity, and mutuality of response. ◦The patterns may be viewed (a) as the subject is willing to interact and (b) the subject interacts because of the stimuli to respond. Integrated and at times Unstable ◦For a society, ideas, activities, and artifacts are not only shared; their arrangement are fit together to form a consistent whole. For example, technology and its relation with social and political patterns. Integrated and at times Unstable ◦The tools available, preconceived ideas, social behaviors, religion, must in some degree be interrelated if the whole culture is to be effective. Transmitted through Socialization or Enculturation ◦ Cultural ideas, activities, and artifacts can be learned and transmitted through education. Transmitted through Socialization or Enculturation ◦Acquired through learning and handed down from generation to generation. ◦Establishment of School of Living Traditions (SLT) through the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) Transmitted through Socialization or Enculturation ◦SLT facilitates and ensures the transmission of dying or endangered facets of Philippine traditions. ◦Cultural ideas are also acquired through communication and language – “the soul” of culture. Requires Language and Other Forms of Communication ◦Language is a shared set of spoken (often written) symbols and rules used in meaningful ways. ◦Language has been called “the store house of culture”. Requires Language and Other Forms of Communication ◦ Language is the primary means that people use to communicate with each other. Requires Language and Other Forms of Communication ◦The study and analysis of language and other human communication system is called linguistics. ◦Linguistics is not just learning languages but a fitting means to understand the nature of human beings and the ways they connect with other species. Requires Language and Other Forms of Communication ◦Aside from language, much of human behavior involves symbols or non-verbal forms, such as signs, sounds, emblems. ETHNOCENTRISM AND CULTURAL RELATIVISM Lesson 3 Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism ◦Each culture differs from another and as a result, some people find it difficult to understand. ◦Members of a particular society have the tendency to regard its culture as more superior compared to another society. Ethnocentrism ◦The view that one’s group is superior compared to another is called ethnocentrism. A group is considered as the center of everything. ◦Some may assert their culture as the only right and regard others as improper. Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism ◦All societies display ethnocentrism and in moderation has the positive effect of promoting solidarity and loyalty within the group. ◦Collectivism develops cultural pride and identity. However, ethnocentrism in excess leads to conflict with other groups. Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism ◦To mitigate negative effects of ethnocentrism, cultural relativity must be popularized. ◦No culture should be considered better than another; different cultures should be accepted, tolerated, and appreciated rather than condemned. Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism ◦One must keep an open mind to appreciate different cultures. For example, open-mindedness are necessary to appreciate the practice of ancient Igorots in Sagada of burying their deceased in hanging coffins. Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism Cultural Relativism ◦Cultural Relativism states that there are no universal norms or moral absolutes. ◦One can gain a meaningful view of the values and beliefs of other people and societies. CULTURAL FORMS AND THREATS Lesson 4 Cultural Forms and Threats Click the link for the reading assignment. https://tinyurl.com/yay4z36a Reference Santarita, J. B., & Madrid, R. M. (2016). In Understanding Culture, Society and Politics. essay, Vibal Group, Inc.