Week 3-4 Cultural Practices PDF

 After going through this module, you are expected to: 1. Describe your own culture and compare it to the culture of others; 2. Determine the difference between ethnocentrism and cultural relativism; 3. Shows the ill effects of ethnocentrism...

 After going through this module, you are expected to: 1. Describe your own culture and compare it to the culture of others; 2. Determine the difference between ethnocentrism and cultural relativism; 3. Shows the ill effects of ethnocentrism; and 4. Become aware why and how cultural relativism mitigates ethnocentrism.  Before we proceed, let us go back with some of the important concepts about culture, which is the focus of our discussion. According to E.B. Taylor; culture is a “complex whole,” which encompasses beliefs, practices, values, attitudes, laws, norms, artefacts’, symbols, knowledge, and everything that a person learns and shares as a member of a society. Likewise, a society is understood or sometimes judged based on their culture. What comprises a culture? Let us refresh our mind by answering the matching type test below. Source: Wikimedia Commons. From Popular Science Monthly 26 (1884): 145. Public Domain.  Learning Task 1: Match the correct description in Column A to the aspect of culture in Column B. Description Aspect of Culture 1. Family is the most important unit a. Arts and literature of this aspect of culture. 2. Through family, children learn how they are expected to act and what to b. Customs and traditions believe in. 3. It usually answers basic c. Economic systems questions about the meaning of life. 4. This is considered the d. Forms of government e. Language cornerstone of culture. It is the way f. Religion of communicating and g. Social Organizations understanding each other. 5. These products of human imagination usually help people to pass on their culture’s basic beliefs. 6. It maintains order within a society and protects it from outside threats. 7. This refers to how people use their limited resources to satisfy their wants and needs. It is the rules of behavior that enforce ideas as right or wrong  Am I Different? Learning Task 2: Fill in “‘Me’ and My Culture” table by describing how you behave and practice your own culture under similar circumstances. “Them” and their Culture “Me” and my Culture Marriage Marriage A man can have multiple wives. He can share his wife to his brothers and visitors as a sign of hospitality. (Eskimos) Behavior Behavior When entering a nearly empty movie theater or public vehicle, you are rude when you do not sit beside the only person in the theater or public vehicle. (South Africa) Hand Gestures Hand Gestures The V- hand gesture is an offensive sign in United Kingdom, Australia, and South Africa. In Japan, China, and South Korea, using this symbol with the palm facing the person means he/she is looking cute in picture. Child-rearing Child Rearing In order to control their population in difficult environments, Eskimos sometimes kill their children if they could not take care of them. They also kill females more than males. (Infanticide)  Religion Religion Individuals practicing Hinduism believe in millions of gods and goddesses. All are responsible for governing their lives, destiny, and fate Reading text Reading Text Hebrew and Arabic books are read from right to left. Table Manners Table Manners Europeans and Americans use spoon and fork in eating, while Chinese and Koreans use chopsticks And so I am Different 1. What can you say about the culture of these people? __________________________________________________ 2. Are their respective cultures the same as your own culture? In what ways are they similar and in what ways do they differ? __________________________________________________ 3. Do you think that the cultures of these groups are bad? Why or why not? 4. Can we consider some of their cultural practices as right or wrong? Explain. ___________________________________________________ 5. Which of the two sets of cultures is the best, their cultures or your own culture? Why? _________________________________________________ 6. If one culture behaves in a particular act, does it mean that all cultures can behave the same way? Discuss further. _________________________________________________  What is Ethnocentrism? Ethnocentrism is a belief that one’s own culture is better than others. They tend to compare, evaluate, and even judge other people’s ways based on the values and standards set in one’s own culture. Their worldview is based on the beliefs, assumptions, expectations, and values shaped by one’s language, behavior, customs, values, religions and other aspects. Due to ethnocentric beliefs, many people are blinded from seeing things in another perspective. Ethnocentric people tend to dislike or make false judgment on other cultures. They tend becoming biased and judge another culture as bad and wrong. Even though we deny it, most of us are ethnocentric at some point in our lives. Some do not even realize that they are being ethnocentric at that moment. Below are some of the examples of ethnocentrism: a. The American society sees themselves as a world leader. As a result, they interfere in the political affairs of other countries and try to control them, leading to misunderstanding and miscommunication amongst nations which sometimes result to war. b. During the time of Adolf Hitler, Germans believed that they are a superior race. This led to the death of 6 million Jews whom they considered as an inferior race. c. European countries go beyond their ethnocentric biases and saw nonEuropean cultures as uncivilized and underdeveloped countries of savages and barbarians. They used this perspective to justify colonialism and imperialism. d. Cases of hate crimes and terrorism violence can usually be traced back to religious conflicts and misunderstandings. Cultural Relativism as the Opposite View Cultural relativism is a belief that cultures are equally complex. There is no such thing as superior or inferior culture. Cultural relativism is very important in studying the culture of other people. It is a way of viewing the beliefs, values, and practices of a culture from its own viewpoint. Another way to say this is that others should understand an individual’s beliefs and activities in terms of that person’s own culture. Cultural relativism promotes greater appreciation of the cultures that an individual might encounter along the way. Cultural relativism is a good way to rehearse the norms and values of a society –-- a requirement that one must subscribe to, regardless of his/her cultural origin. It means that the function and meaning of a trait are relative to its cultural setting.  To understand better the main difference between ethnocentrism and cultural relativism, an illustration was provided below: Hello, I am Lisa. I am a cultural relativist. I believe that culture of Hello, I am Ben. I am an people must be looked at in terms of ethnocentric. I always believe that the world these people inhabit. I try my culture is superior from others. to look at their culture based on what I often use my own culture to judge their practices bring in to them. If others. I consider their beliefs and Eskimos kill their infant sometimes, I practices as savage or corrupt. believe that there is a practical Most of the time I tend to reason why they do that. That is why discriminate others, bully them for for me, culture is relative. There is no their practices, and get into conflict right or wrong, and I don’t have the with them. right to say if it is good or bad.  Learning Task 3: People tend to be more tolerant of another culture’s customs when they understand and learn the meaning behind them. In order to understand an unfamiliar culture, social scientists conduct researches. The best way to do this study is to experience that culture by living with people practicing it. Additionally, this experience should be done for a long period. In this activity, you will be asked to conduct a simple case study examining the culture of other people that is somehow different from yours. If you are an Ilocano, the subject of your study could be people who identify themselves as Tagalog, Bisaya, Bicolano, or other ethnicity. If you know someone who belongs to an indigenous group of people, it is much better to have them as subjects. Since you are not allowed to go out at present because of the threat of COVID-19 pandemic, look for someone who is near to your place or whom you have contact with through social media. Be guided with the following questions as you write your case study: 1. Describe the group of people that you chose. Who are they? What do they do? Where did they come from? What do you know about them? 1. Discuss their way of life in terms of: a. Social organizations b. Language c. Religion d. Arts and literature e. Economic systems f. Values, beliefs and traditions 2. Summarize what you have learned using the 3-2-1 chart below: 3 Things I learned from them 2 Things I found interesting 1 Thing I realize  Task 4: Give some concrete instances when unity exists even though there are differences happening among people. Unity in Diversity: Pagkakaisa sa kabila ng pagkakaiba-iba Learning Task 5: Group Activity On a separate sheet, create a slogan that promotes respect and tolerance towards other cultures all over the world. Learning Task 6: “T-M-L Phrase Complete the following phrases. The Topic was about __________________________________________________________________________________ It Matters because __________________________________________________________________________________ I’ve Learned today that __________________________________________________________________________________  Learning Task 7: #i-beg to Disagree because State your reason why you beg to disagree to the given statements below. You have to remember that you are a CULTURAL RELATIVIST; you have to place yourself in the shoes of these people in order to understand them better. Culture is not good or bad, neither it is right or wrong, but instead it is relative. 1. One society can call another society as evil such as those nations where terrorist live. These places are also called an “axis of evil”. ________________________________________________________________________ 2. Western culture is superior and opposite of non-Western culture. ________________________________________________________________________ 2. When you don’t say “po” at “opo,” you are impolite. ________________________________________________________________________ 3. The Mangyan tribe of Mindoro are backwards people because they are uneducated. ________________________________________________________________________ 5. We have to avoid going to places like Siquijor and Capiz because monsters called Aswang infest these places. __________________________________________________ 6. Eating Dalagang Bukid, Salagubang, Palakang Bukid and other organisms are not healthy. _______________________________________________ 7. Ilocanos are thrifty because they are poor. ___________________________________________________