Chapter 1 - Introduction to Culture, Society, and Politics PDF

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION TO CULTURE, SOCIETY, AND POLITICS  OBJECTIVES 1. Define the concept of identity and relate it to society and culture. 2. Define the social sciences and describe its various fields of studies. 3. Discuss how each socia...

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION TO CULTURE, SOCIETY, AND POLITICS  OBJECTIVES 1. Define the concept of identity and relate it to society and culture. 2. Define the social sciences and describe its various fields of studies. 3. Discuss how each social sciences contributes to understanding society, culture and politics. 4. Describe how social backgrounds shape vies about society and the world. 5. Analyze social, political, and cultural change, and give examples each. 6. Relate their observations on social differences, social change, and identities, and discuss their interrelatedness. 7. Demonstrate an interest and willingness to explore the origins and dynamics of culture, society, and politics. IDENTITY, CULTURE, AND SOCIETY  WHAT IS IDENTITY? It is the distinctive characteristic that defines an individual or is shared by those belonging to a particular group.  IDENTITY IN A FAMILY Daughter Son Brother Sister  IDENTITY IN SCHOOL Member of student council Club member Member of organization Varsity Player (Football, Basketball, etc.) Music Enthusiast Performance artist  Factors that influenced identity: 1. Sexual orientation and gender a. Male, female, transgenders, transexuals, intersex, gender queers 2. Nationality a. Filipino, Japanese, French, Korean, etc.  Identity can also change over the course of a person’s lifetime. It continuously shaped and reshaped through the passage of time as well as the overall context of one’s life cycle. Son Father Daughter Mother Student Doctor, Engineer, etc. WHAT MADE IDENTITY VERY IMPORTANT? it shape both individual and group behavior as well as people’s views about other people. Learning one’s self, culture, and society entails knowledge about various identities and how these shape people’s view and behavior. Enables a person to appreciate what makes him similar to and different from other people. Helps a person to understand that identities are rational and contextual. ▪ Ex: - Understand why muslim does not eat pork - Avoid stereotyping on ‘istambays’  WHAT IS CULTURE? Defined as society’s way of life. Provides the basis for forging identities. Allows people to understand themselves in relation to others. Provides them a lens through which they base what is considered the ‘right way’ of doing things.  Material Dimension of Non Material Dimension Culture of Culture Clothes Interpretations of Music others behavior Food Bases as what is right or wrong Ex: Belief, Religion, Morality  WHAT IS SOCIETY? It refers to a group of people living in a community. ▪ All societies have some form of subcultures depending on geographical origin, religion, and class. “ Society is a web social relationship, which is constantly changing.” - MacIver and Page SOCIAL, CULTURAL, AND POLITICAL CHANGE  THE CONCEPT OF IDENTITY IS RELATED TO: 1. Social change 2. Cultural change 3. Political change  In the year 1900s: Filipinos held its first elections and only Filipino males could vote and participate in politics. Later, Filipino women became more educated and were enlightened about their rights particularly suffrage or right to vote.  1930s: The campaign for women’s suffrage gained ground.  The 1935 Constitution: The framers of this constitution allowed women to vote by virtue of the law that was passed by the National Assembly. The law mandated a plebiscite on the question of Filipino women suffrage which required 300,000 votes to grant women the right to vote.  1937: The results of the plebiscite yielded more than 400,000 votes in favor of women’s suffrage.  Suffragist movement is said to be the precursor of current rights that Filipino women enjoy. It is also a good example of how political and social changes have transformed Filipino women’s identities.  Rapidly advancing technology also has profound implications for sociocultural and political change.  People know more about what is happening in the world. Now, people across the world are becoming more similar in tastes than they were 50 years ago.  TRENDS THAT TRANSFORMED OVER TIME: 1. Clothing 2. Hair style 3. Fashion style 4. Food choices  FILIPINO WORKING ABROAD: 10% of the Philippine population is now abroad either as temporary migrants or permanent immigrants. Some of their aspects of their beliefs and values may have also changed. Because of perceived success, there is a high societal expectation from them. Ex: Pasalubong  FILIPINO WORKING ABROAD: They are regarded as modern day heroes.  FILIPINO WORKING ABROAD: Positive effects Negative effects Filipino restaurants and Transnational families most groceries abound. esp. children no longer Filipino nurses abroad are identify with a household known for their kindness whose members live in the and care for patients esp. same house. to the elderly. They primarily interact with each other through internet and other social media forms.  These examples manifest that international migration is creating social, cultural, and political changes both here and abroad.  ANTHROPOLOGY, SOCIOLOGY, AND POLITICAL SCIENCE  Social Sciences It is where the disciplines under which identity, culture, society, and politics are studied. It is comprised of a wide array of academic disciplines that study the overall functions of society as well as the interactions among its individual members and institutions.  SOCIAL SCIENCES PROMINENT DISCIPLINES: 1. Anthropology 2. Sociology 3. Political science  Anthropology Is the systematic study of the biological, cultural, and social aspects of man. It is derived from two Greek words ANTHROPOS w/c means MAN, and LOGOS w/c means STUDY or INQUIRY.  Anthropology It is a significant branch of knowledge bec. it integrates elements from the biological sciences and humanities to fully comprehend the complex of human species, including their past practices and social patterns, across diverse cultures.  RENOWNED ANTHROPOLOGISTS: 1. Edward Burnett Taylor 2. Franz Boas 3. Alfred Kroeber 4. Bronislaw Malinowski 5. Clifford Geertz 6. Margaret Mead  DIVERSE FIELDS OF STUDY AND AREAS OF INTEREST AMONG ANTHROPOLOGISTS: 1. Social anthropology 2. Cultural anthropology 3. Linguistic anthropology 4. Biological or physical anthropology 5. Archeology  Social Anthropology It studies how social patterns and practices and cultural variations develop across different societies. Cultural Anthropology Studies cultural variations 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 or Physical Anthropology Studies the origins of humans as well as the interplay bet. social factors and the processes of human evolution, adaptation, and variation over time.  Archeology Deals with prehistoric societies by studying their tools and environment.  WHAT IS SOCIOLOGY? As defined by Anthony Giddens, “it is the study of human social life, groups, and society.” It is an academic discipline that attempts to provide a deeper assessment of individual and group behavior, as well as the phenomena by examining the interplay between economic, political, and social factors. 1. August Comte SOCIOLOGY HAS BEEN LARGELY SHAPED BY THE WORKS OF: 2. Herbert Spencer 3. Karl Marx 4. Emile Durkheim 5. Max Weber  By incorporating other methods and knowledge from other academic disciplines, sociologists examine and present new insights and perspectives on the different elements and aspects of society such as culture, gender, race, ethnicity, social movements, class and other forms of social stratification, crime, and other organizations and institutions.  WHAT IS POLITICAL SCIENCE? It is the systematic study of politics. “The activity through which people make, preserve, and amend the general rules under which they live.” – Andrew Heywood It focuses on the fundamental values of equality, freedom, and justice and its processes are linked to the dynamics of conflict, resolution, and cooperation.  INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN THE FIELD OF POLITICAL SCIENCE: 1. Plato 2. Aristotle 3. Niccolo Machiavelli 4. Jean Jacques Rousseau 5. Baron de Montesquieu 6. Thomas Hobbes 7. John Lock 8. Karl Marx  IMPORTANCE OF POLITICAL SCIENCE Political scientists help us understand the nature and characteristics of authority and power distribution and how it shapes the way society is organized. It also analyze a wide array of topics including systems of governance, political theories, lawmaking process, political behavior and ethics, policies, and their implications, political organization, and electoral process.  AREAS OF INTEREST IN POLITICAL SCIENCE: 1. Public administration Examines how the government functions and how decisions and policies are made. 2. Political economy Evaluates the interplay between economics, politics, and law and its implications to various institutions w/in society. 3. Comparative politics Compares domestic politics and governance systems across different sovereign states.  OTHER IMPORTANCE OF POLITICAL SCIENCE Analyze the fundamental concepts, theories, and doctrines related to politics such as: a. Power b. Authority c. Law d. Justice  Though each of the social sciences focuses on a particular subject and adheres to specific perspectives, their views often overlap and complement one another. In this sense, continuous discourse and exchange of knowledge among the three disciplines are instrumental in deepening the discussion of culture, society, and politics toward a better understanding of the world around us.  REFERENCE Atienza, M.E. et. al. (2016). Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics. C&E Publishing, Inc.