Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics

Mr. Diether M. Paz, LPT

 Prayer
Dear Lord, I come to you to ask for your guidance and direction in this
study session. I ask that the holy spirit fill me with strength, creativity,
and understanding to get through my studies without difficulty or sin.
Help me hold my focus and attention. Help me to retain all that I
learned. Please make my mind sharp and keep distractions at bay. If
any part of my studying is weak or lacking in some way, let it be
revealed so that I may correct it. Thank you for this opportunity to
learn. Amen.
Lesson 2

Understanding Culture
and Society
 Society is a group of individuals sharing a common culture,
geographical location, and government.

Humans are inclined to established societies, since it is in

interacting with others that they are able to ensure their survival
by establishing mutually beneficial relationships with one another.
 Society is a group of individuals sharing a common culture,
geographical location, and government.

Humans are inclined to established societies, since it is in

interacting with others that they are able to ensure their survival
by establishing mutually beneficial relationships with one another.

Societies enable individuals to acquire necessary survival skills,

maximize their potential, and share resources
 Elements of Society
Society is characterized by the presence of the following:

Social solidarity
Shared identity and culture among members serve as the basis for their
patterns of behavior
Common language
Large population and the ability to sustain succeeding generations of
members
Definite geographical area
Political, economic, and social organization
5 Major Types of Societies
according to how they changed and developed over time
 5 Major Types of Societies
according to how they changed and developed over time

1. Hunting and gathering

humans were nomadic
basic social and economic units were the family and local clan
hunting and gathering activities and distributed the accumulated
food supply
 5 Major Types of Societies
according to how they changed and developed over time

2. Horticultural and Pastoral Societies

introduction of agriculture as a more stable food production
method.
used small, temporary tools such as digging sticks or hoes
Horticultural societies formed in areas where rainfall and other
conditions allowed them to grow stable crops
Pastoral societies rely on the domestication of animals as a
resource for survival.
 5 Major Types of Societies
according to how they changed and developed over time

3. Agricultural Societies
relied on permanent tools for survival.
the invention of more advanced tools, and the establishment of
permanent settlements.
 5 Major Types of Societies
according to how they changed and developed over time

4. Industrial Societies
technological advancements resulted in the invention of machines
that improved production.
Industrial revolution started in England
 5 Major Types of Societies
according to how they changed and developed over time

5. Post-Industrial Societies
knowledge is a commodity and technological innovation is key to
long-lasting growth and development
known as information societies or digital societies
 5 Major Types of Societies
according to how they changed and developed over time

Horticultural Societies
 5 Major Types of Societies
according to how they changed and developed over time

Pastoral Societies
 5 Major Types of Societies
according to how they changed and developed over time

Agricultural Societies
 5 Major Types of Societies
according to how they changed and developed over time

Industrial Societies
 5 Major Types of Societies
according to how they changed and developed over time

Post-industrial Societies
Culture is one of the important bases that define and influence a
society. It refers to the set of beliefs, ideas, values, practices,
knowledge, history, and shared experiences, attitudes as well as
material objects and possessions accumulated over time and
shared by the members of society.
 The community stories and other narratives shared within
societies are called folklore. It comes in the form of myths,
legends, folktales (kuwentong bayan), proverbs, and riddles,
embodying the history, beliefs, ideas, values, and practices that
define a society
 “that complex whole which encompasses beliefs, practices, values,
attitudes, laws, norms, artifacts, symbols, knowledge, and everything
that a person learns and shares as a member of a society.”
-E. B Tylor
Though individual societies have varying histories, experiences,
identities, and organizations, all of them have four vital cultural
components: symbols, language, values, and norms.
 4 Vital Cultural Components

1. Symbols
refer to things that convey meaning or represent an idea.
These are essential to communication, shaping thoughts
and ideas, and defining a society’s culture.
 4 Vital Cultural Components

2. Language
set of symbols that enable members of society to
communicate verbally (spoken) and nonverbally (written,
gestures).
 4 Vital Cultural Components

3. Values
are shared ideas, norms, and principles that provide
members of society with the standards that pertain to
what is right or wrong, good or bad, desirable or
undesirable.
 4 Vital Cultural Components

4. Norms
shared rules to conduct that determine specific behavior
among society members.
 4 Vital Cultural Components

4. Norms
shared rules to conduct that determine specific behavior
among society members.

Categories of Norms:
1. Folkways - norms that may be violated without serious consequences
2. Mores - norms with moral connotations
3. Laws - norms that are legally enacted and enforced
The process of culture and identity formation within society is
facilitated through socialization and enculturation.
 The process of culture and identity formation within society is
facilitated through socialization and enculturation.

Socialization refers to the lifelong process of forging identity

through social interaction.

Enculturation refers to the process by which an individual learns

or acquires the important aspects of his or her society’s culture.
 Acculturation and Assimilation

Acculturation is the adaptation process that occurs when two or

more cultures come into contact. It involves adopting new
beliefs, behaviors, and forms of culture of the dominant group in
the new culture. It does not require rejection of your home
culture
 Acculturation and Assimilation

Assimilation is a more extreme form of cultural change and

involves the complete adoption of the dominant culture as well
as the rejection of the previous culture. This is often demanded
of new immigrants to a soceity
Lesson 2.1

Society and Culture according

to the Three Disciplines
 Anthropology
In their studies of various cultures, anthropologists have adopted two major
views concerning how cultures should be considered in comparison to others

relativistic approach considers culture as equal. This view holds that there
are no “superior” and “inferior” cultures, and each is unique in its own way
Ethnocentrism diminishes or invalidates “other” ways of life and creates a
distorted view of one’s own. It is a belief that one’s own culture is superior
to others
Xenocentrism is a belief that one’s own culture is inferior to others.
 Anthropology
In their studies of various cultures, anthropologists have adopted two major
views concerning how cultures should be considered in comparison to others

modern societies place emphasis on cultural relativism, which recognizes and

accepts the cultural differences between societies. This view believes that every
aspect of a culture can justified by the context in which the culture has been
formed.
 Sociology
relates culture with the overall context of social order

Structural functionalism operates on the assumption that society is a

stable and orderly system. It considers culture as a glue that binds society
together, leading to social order.
Conflict theory assumes that there is a constant power struggle among the
various social groups and institutions within society.
Symbolic interactionism views individual and group behavior and social
interactions as defining features of society.
 Political Science
analyzed in order to explain political behavior such as voting patterns and the
behaviors of leaders.

Multiculturalism is an ideology that acknowledges and promotes cultural

diversity within society. It entails the establishment of political groups and
institutions comprised of people from diverse cultures.
Cultural sensitivity advances awareness and acceptance of cultural
differences but encourages a critical stance in dealing with issues regarding
diversity. It advocates a respectful view of the uniqueness and distinctness
of other cultures.
Quiz.