Lesson 2 Handout PDF - Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics

Republic of the Philippines Laguna State Polytechnic University Province of Laguna College of Teacher Education...

Republic of the Philippines Laguna State Polytechnic University Province of Laguna College of Teacher Education SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT 1st Sem / S.Y. 2024–2025 Subject: Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics Lesson No.: 2 Lesson Title: Defining Culture and Society from The Perspectives of Anthropology and Sociology Subtopic: Description of the This lesson will cover the discussion understanding human societies and culture. This lesson Lesson: will also cover the topic about the dynamic of culture and general themes for studying culture. Week Duration: 3-4 Date: August 12 - 23 Objectives: 1. Explain how society and culture is being seen by sociologists, political scientist, and anthropologists; 2. Identify and describe the different social and intellectual forces that shaped the way we see society; and 3. Describe and use the different anthropological themes in studying societies and cultures. LECTURE A. Understanding Human Societies Humans by nature are social animals. We belong to an animal species that finds strength in numbers. In the past man started as nomads who transferred from different geographical places to search for food. As domestication of food became widespread, people began to settle in communities thus societies were born. A society is a community where humans live and practice social life. It is a place and a state where man can fully live his social life together with his fellow human beings. As the saying goes, no man is an island. Man cannot live isolated in an island forever. Man is too complex to be left in isolation. Man has so many needs both personal and social which can only be fulfilled inside the society. Society and the Modern World In order to have a better understanding of present societies, it would be better, to consider how technology has changed the life of the individual. Lenski point out that technology plays a vital role in the development of the society. It shapes, the direction of society’s progress and molds how man will see the environment around him. The development of human technology was never a stagnant process. It is always on the move, progressing through the various challenges man has hurdled. As man evolves, its technology also evolves. As the technology of man progresses, society and culture also have concomitant evolutionary changes. In short, the society and its culture evolve too. New technologies will signal dramatic changes which somehow resemble a domino effect that will revolutionize the society’s way of life. This chain reaction will continue as new technologies will the discovered in the future. B. The People Behind the Development of Sociological Thinking Auguste Comte (1798-1857) -Auguste Comte was born on January 17, 1798 in Paris France. Auguste Comte believed that studying the society must only be undertaken by sociologists who are actually scientists who follow the scientific method. Karl Marx (1818-1883) -In the 19th century, poverty was rampant and the streets were full of maltreatment of the poor and alienation of the lower class. Marx saw the horrors of capitalism that brought the industrialization of the world. For Marx, social change was brought about by class conflict. Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) -Herbert Spencer was well known for his social Darwinism. Social Darwinism is a sociological theory that asserts the idea that society evolves through the cruel process of survival of the fittest. Emile Durkheim (1858-1918) -Durkheim conceived the concept of division of labor ang solidarity. Division of labor is the mechanism of dividing different tasks among society members hence each have their own tasks to fulfill. The tasks performed by different individuals in a society affect the solidarity of the society. Solidarity, is the term referred to by Durkheim as the hardbound societal ties that bonds the society altogether. Max Weber (1864-1920) -The main concern of his theoretical framework is motivation. He wants to understand the different social movements or actions that shape the course of a society’s life. WE.B. DuBois (1868-1963) -Dubois was an American born sociologist. His main ideas focused on the man-made division between whites and non-whites. The whites represent the westerners or the Europeans while the non-whites represent the non-westerners especially the Africans. Jane Addams (1860-1935) -She was one of the sociologists who practiced what they we teaching. She claimed that sociologist should immerse themselves into the community. C. Societal Changes Political Revolutions -If there was a political revolution that influenced the rise of the modern period, it was none other than the French revolution. It was the French people through the French revolution that kick-started the rapid rise of the age of enlightenment. The French people overthrew their ruler. The justification for such revolution was the idea of the equality and dignity of all people. Industrial Revolution and Capitalism Not only the various political revolutions that were somehow ubiquitous sprouting all over Europe that influenced the intellectuals during their time. Rapid technological advances utilized in day-to-day lives including almost all aspects of human endeavor also helped shaped the ideas of early sociologists. These changes happening in the European way of life was generally called the industrial revolution. Capitalism was an economic system that focuses on the liberty of individuals in order to create a mechanism for large production of goods. It was a system devised by Adam Smith that centers on individual liberty in the pursuit of individual economic goals. Socialism -Capitalism was thought to be the crowning glory of the industrial revolution because through its wealth has been accumulated among the nations of Europe. However, capitalism did not only produce good fruits, it also produced evil ones. The horrors of the capitalistic perspective were observed by the sociologist Karl Marx. He saw how capitalists abused their wealth by undermining the condition of the lower classes, the laborers.  Feminism -Women have been regarded since the olden times as weaker counterpart of males. The liberal idea which developed through the course of the enlightenment project in Europe influenced certain thinkers to fight for women’s rights. Urbanization -People who were once sojourning in the rural areas who were used to rural life were suddenly uprooted from the rural area and transported into the urban regions. This created a major shift in the frame of mind of people. This is so because the urban area has a life of rapid phasing compared to the slow phase lifestyle of the rural areas. Religious Change -Almost everyone in the society is influenced by a certain religion in many ways possible. This is also true when it comes to sociologists. Sociologists thought that religion was a major driving force that affects human behavior. Human moral standards were also great influenced by religious principles. Science -Because of science that the industrial revolution became possible. Technological innovations improved the lives of humans in so many ways. The impact of science was not limited to its technological advances. Science also had an impact to sociological investigations. This is so because the study of society was inspired by the scientific method which was used in scientific explores. D. The Dynamics of Culture Culture Culture can be basically characterized as the people’s way of life which is shared by other people living in a certain cultural region. Culture encompasses a broad spectrum of an individual's social and personal life. “That complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society” (Tyler, 1871). Cultural Universal and Particulars -Cultural universals are the things that all cultures have such as the need for interaction, utilization of resources and leadership. Example: religious rituals, food, clothing - Cultural particulars these are the specific practices that distinguish cultures from one another (Ferrante 2014). Example: Rosary (for the Catholics), pandesal for Filipino and baguette for French Material and Non-Material Culture -Material cultures are those physical or material things that people create which reflects their different cultural orientations, there are endless examples for material culture. Examples of which are cars, clothing, food, utensils and many more -Non-material culture is non-tangible human creations which does not exist in the material world but can be transcended through the human intellect and human actions. Examples of nonmaterial culture are philosophy, traditions, norms, values, customs and norms. Cultural Diversity -sociologists use the term cultural diversity to capture the cultural variety that exists among people who share some physical or virtual space. That space may be as large as the planet or as small as a household (Ferrante,2014). Subculture and Counterculture -Subculture shares some parts of the mainstream cultural tradition differs in it at some points. Subculture has its own cultural anchors such as values, norms, traditions, and symbols. -Counterculture refers to the kind of subculture that goes against the mainstream culture.  Culture Shock -Culture shock is that feeling of unusual uneasiness and mental stress because of an experience of another culture which is contrary to one’s home culture. Culture shock can be experienced not only when someone moves to another place having a different cultural setting. Culture can be felt also even if the person is inside his home culture. This happens because of the presence of cultural diversity and subcultures. Ethnocentrism, Xenocentrism and Cultural Relativism -Ethnocentrism is the belief that one's own culture is superior to that of other cultures. -Xenocentrism is the belief that one’s own culture is inferior to that of other cultures. -Cultural relativism is a point of view that sees all cultures to be equal with each other. There is no such thing as superior or inferior culture. A culture must always be evaluated using its own context and not the context of other cultures. Elements of Culture Beliefs -Beliefs are actually the conceptions and ideas of man regarding his environment which was shaped by religions, traditions, folkways, law and even science and technology. Symbols -Symbol can be defined as anything that has meaning and represents something else. (Kendall 2013). Symbols can actually take many possible forms. Symbols in different culture may also tend to vary depending on the cultural context of a particular social environment. Language -Language refers to a set of symbols that expresses ideas and concepts which enables people to formulate thoughts and communicate with one another (Kendall 2013). Language is a manifestation of the use of symbols. Values -It is a sum of all ideas and concepts that is considered by a particular culture to be good, desirable and correct conduct in day-to-day lives. It should not be seen as a mandate for what is wrong and what is right but values are considered to be the basis for evaluating the rightness or wrongness of an action. Norms -In order to understand the concept of a norm, we must first distinguish it from values. Values generally cannot dictate how a particular good act must be portrayed in a social setting. It merely provides for a tool for people to evaluate a particular human conduct. Norms, on the other hand, serves as a more concrete set of rules and standards to be observed by man in his cultural setting. Norms could be in the form of folkways, mores and laws. -Folkways are informal norm which people do not seriously comply with because it is not vital for the survival of the society. Mores on the other hand has more serious consequences compared to folkways because it concerns ethical standards. Nevertheless, infractions of folkways and mores are not punitive because they are not formalized into a state law. Law which is considered to be rules of conduct or action which is binding to man and if transgressed is punishable has a compelling force because of its punitive nature. Aspects of Culture 1. Culture is learned - Culture can be learned by anyone who will be under the influence of such culture. This process of learning culture happens in early life and continues until a person dies. Cultural learning is an unending process. 2. Culture is shared - An individual who learns a particular culture can share his knowledge of that particular culture to other individuals who in turn can learn it and share too other as well. In this fashion, culture can be shared by everyone in a given social setting.  3. Culture is cumulative - Human experiences and the knowledge and understanding gained from such experiences shape how people will think and act in a social environment. This process of accumulation will go on and on ani will not stop as long as social life is present. 4. Culture is dynamic - Culture is always on the move. It is never stagnant. It constantly changes. 5. Culture is diverse - The world is composed of many different cultures. It is apparently observable that a particular culture has many differences compared to other cultures. 6. Culture is integrated - There could be many different cultures. Despite these countless variations, a particular culture could be integrated to another culture. In effect harmonization of culture is always a possibility. Society and Culture It is now imperative for us to discuss the deep connection between society and culture. It was established previously that man as social animals are naturally inclined to form societies. We have also learned that culture is also inherent to man because it is a natural consequence of human intelligence. Since human beings live inside the society, culture also becomes an inescapable variable that needs to be considered in assessing human societies. As a matter of fact, society is greatly influenced by culture that culture itself is a determinant of the outcome and destiny of a specific society. Culture and Individual Freedom Since it is undeniable fact that culture has greatly influenced everything in the individual from his personality, way of thinking and behavior, biases, goals and aspirations, one cannot but think about how this so many influences affect human freedom. Is there really human freedom despite the fact that everything seems to be greatly influenced by cultural orientations? Globalization This refers to the ever-increasing flow of goods and services, money, people, technology, information and other cultural items across political borders (Ferrante, 2014). Globalization signaled a new trend in the diffusion of culture. REFERENCE ▪ Riodique III, F. (2016). Defining Society and Culture from the Perspective of Sociology and Anthropology. In Understanding Culture, Society and Politics (1st ed., Vol. 1). Mindshapers Co. Inc. Prepared by: KENNETH MAR A. ICO, LPT Faculty