Understanding Culture, Society and Politics

WEEK - 4 & 5 JAIME J. GILBUENA

Learning Competencies :

- Explain the anthropological and sociological perspectives on culture and society

- Describe culture and society as a complex whole
- Identify aspects of culture and society
- Raise questions towards a holistic appreciation of cultures and societies
- Become aware of why and how cultural relativism mitigates ethnocentrism
- Identify forms of tangible and intangible heritage and the threats to these

THE COMPLEXITY OF CULTURE

Culture is a people’s way of life. This classic definition appears generic, yet it prefigures both
the processes and structures that account not only for the development of such a way of life but also
for the inherent systems that lend it its self-perpetuating nature. The reason why E.B. Taylor
describes culture as 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
society. This also suggests that culture cannot be broken down into a set of attributes meaning an
understanding of a part can only be achieved in relation to the other parts of the system.

THE WHAT, HOW, AND WHY OF CULTURE

One way of achieving this is by asking not only about the “what” aspects of culture, but also the
“how” and the “why” of it. The “what” refers and contains the actions, artifacts, language and behavior
that characterize a given culture. The “how” identifies the processes that guarantee the transmission
and dissemination of the contents (how it is learned, shared and communicated). The “why” pinpoints
the reasons why individuals comply and the mechanisms that facilitate the performance of expected
behavior. It is assumed that sources of change, whether internal and external, simulate the generic
processes of culture formation.
 Discussion of culture cannot be done in isolation meaning other concepts are directly or
indirectly implicated, especially in relation to the “why” component.

THE ANATOMY OF CULTURE AND SOCIETY

Anthropology Sociology

The What The How The Why

Refers to the Refers to the Refers to the reasons for compliance and the
contents of culture processes that mechanisms that facilitate performance
guarantee the
transmission of the
contents

Through socialization :

Actions Learned Individuals are exposed to and experience lessons

in everyday interactions. This lessons are practical and
address their basic social needs.

Through Conformity :

Language Shared Actions of individuals are routinized and

institutionalized in contexts like family, church, schools,
and government. In time, they become part of their
habits.

Through Social Control :

Attitude Communicated Conformity, or its absence thereof, is meted out

through the system of giving rewards and imposing of
punishments.

ENCULTURATION AND THIRD CULTURE SHOCK

A counterpart concept of socialization, enculturation refers to the gradual acquisition of the

characteristics and norms of a culture or group by a person, another culture, etc. It is not as pervasive
as socialization which is a lifelong or “womb to tomb” journey. Enculturation starts with actual exposure
to another culture and the duration and extent of exposure account for the quality of the resulting
enculturation.

The culture shock is a good example of enculturation where individuals have stayed for quite a
good portion of their lives in a foreign culture that maybe a shocked by their birth culture once exposed
to it again. The shock created by their birth culture is a product of their enculturation in the second
culture.
DEFINITIONS OF CULTURE

There are several definitions of culture in the circulation. B. Malnowski defines it as “the
handiwork of man and the medium through which he achieves his ends.” R. Redfield, on the other hand
defined culture as “an organized body of conventional understandings manifest in art which, persisting
through tradition, characterizes a human group.” V. de Robert described culture as “ the body of
thought and knowledge, both theoretical and practical, which only man can possess.” But the one that
seems to capture the full essence of the concept is that of E.B. Taylor, who said that culture is “that
complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, art, morale, laws, custom, and any other capabilities
and habits as acquired by man as a member of society.”

CHARACTERISITCS OF CULTURE

A culture is a historically derived system of explicit and implicit designs for living, which tends to
be shared by all or specially designed members of a group.

Explicit culture refers to similarities in words and actions which can be directly observed. For
example, adolescent cultural behavior can be seen in how they dressed, their mannerisms and
conversations. Implicit culture exists in abstract forms which are not quite obvious.

The following characterizations revolves around the three essences of culture as a system : 1)
Super-organic because culture is seen as something superior to nature since serves as the ingredient of
any cultural productions (the tree from different point of views), 2) integrated because culture
possesses an order and system – its various parts are integrated with each other and any new element
which is introduced is also integrated and 3) This integrity of the culture system makes it pervasive and
touches the every aspects of life in two ways. One is culture provides an unquestioned context within
which individual action and response takes place.. Not only emotional action but relational actions as
well are governed by cultural norms. Two, culture pervades social activities and institutions. According
to Ruth Benedict, “ a culture, like an individual, is a more or less consistent pattern of thought and
action.”

1. Culture is social because it is a product of behavior.

Culture does not exist in isolation, it is a product of society. It develops through social
interaction. No man can acquire culture without association with others. Humans become
humans only among themselves. Culture learnings are the products of behavior.

2. Culture varies from society to society.

Every society has a culture of its own that differs from other societies. The culture of
every society is unique to itself. Cultures are not uniform. Cultural elements like customs,
traditions, morals,, values, beliefs, are not uniform. Culture varies from time to time as well and
these variations in cultural manifestations are explained by the fact that culture is a human
product.
3. Culture is shared.

Culture is not something that an individual alone can possess, it is shared. For example,
customs, traditions, beliefs, ideas, values, morals, etc. are all shared by people of a group or
society. The patterns of learned behavior and the results of behavior are possessed not by one
or a few persons, but usually by a large group.

4. Culture is learned.

Culture is not inborn. It is learned. Culture is often called “learned ways of behavior.”
Unlearned behavior is not culture. But shaking hands, saying thanks, etc. are cultural behavior.
It must be noted however that not all behavior is learned, but most of it is learned. Combing
one’s hair, standing in line, telling jokes, criticizing the president, and going to the movie all
constitute behavior that had to be learned.

The definition of culture indicates that the learned behavior of people is patterned.
Each person’s behavior is often depends upon some particular behavior of someone else. The
point is that, as a general rule, behavior is somewhat integrated or organized with the related
behavior of other persons.

5. Culture is transmitted among members of society.

The cultural ways are learned by persons from persons. Many of them are “handed
down” by elders, parents, teachers, and others (of a somewhat older generation), while other
cultural behaviors are “handed up” to elders. Some of the transmission of culture is among
contemporaries, for example, the style of dressing, political views and the use of recent labor-
saving devices.

One does not acquire a behavior pattern spontaneously. One learns it from someone
and much of the learning process both for the teacher and the learner is quite unconscious,
unintentional, or accidental.

Culture is transmitted from one generation to another and it is made possible by

language. Language is the main vehicle of culture. Language in different forms makes it
possible for the present generation to understand the achievement of earlier generations – this
may takes place by imitation as well as by instructions.

A specialized language pattern serves as a common bond to the members of a particular

group or subculture. Although culture is transmitted in a variety of ways, language is the most
important vehicles for perpetuating a cultural patterns. Culture is everything that is socially
learned and shared by the members of society.
 6. Culture is continuous and cumulative.

Culture exists as a continuous process . In its historical growth, it tends to become

cumulative. Sociologist Linton called culture “the social heritage of man.” It becomes difficult
for us to imagine what society would be like without culture.

Culture varies from society to society, hence we say the culture of Singapore or the
culture of Egypt. Furthermore, culture varies from group to group within the same society,
subcultures within a culture. Clusters of patters which are both related to the general culture of
the society and yet are distinguishable from it are called subcultures.

7. Culture is gratifying and idealistic.

Culture provides proper opportunities for the satisfaction of our needs and desires. Our
needs both biological and social are fulfilled in cultural ways. Culture determines and guides
various activities of man. Thus, culture is defined as the process through which human beings
satisfies their wants. Culture embodies the ideas and norms of a group and it is the sum total of
the ideal patterns and norms of a behavior of a group.

FUNCTIONS OF CULTURE

1. Culture defines situations.

Each culture has many subtle cues which defines each situation. It reveals whether one
should prepare to fight, run laugh, or make love. (hands outstretched at waist level).

2. Culture defines attitudes, values and goals.

Each person learns from his/he culture what is good, true and beautiful. Attitudes,
values and goals are defined by the culture, and the individual normally learns them as
unconsciously as he or she learns the language. Attitudes are tendencies to feel and act in
certain ways. Values are measures of goodness or desirability. Goals are those attainments
which our values define as worthy, e.g., winning the race, gaining the affections of a particular
girl, or becoming a resident of the firm.

3. Culture defines myths, legends, and the supernatural.

Myths and legends are important parts of every culture and may inspire or reinforce
effort and sacrifice and bring comfort in bereavement. Whether they are true is sociologically
unimportant. Ghosts are real to people who believe in them and who act upon this belief. We
cannot understand the behavior of any group without knowing something of the myths, legends
and supernatural beliefs they hold. Myths and legends are powerful forces in a group’s
behavior.
 4. Culture provides behavior patterns.

The individual need not go through painful trial and error to know what food can be
eaten or how to live among people without fear. People find a ready-made set of patterns
awaiting them which they need only to learn and follow. The culture maps out the path to
matrimony. The individual does not have to wonder how one secures a mate; he or she knows
the procedure.

ETHNOCENTRISM

The word ethno comes from the Greeks and it refers to a people, nation, or cultural grouping.
Centric, on the other hand, comes form Latin and refers to the “center.” The term ethnocentrism refers
to the tendency of each society to place its own culture patterns at the center of things. Ethnocentrism
is the practice of comparing other cultural practices with those of one’s own and automatically finding
those other cultural practices to be inferior.

Ethnocentrism a term coined by William Graham Sumner and it is the belief that yor native
culture is the most natural and superior way of understanding the world.

FUNCTIONS OF ETHNOCENTRISM

Frist, it encourages the solidarity of a group believing that one’s own ways are the best
encourages a “we” feeling with associates and strengthens the idea that loyalty to comrades and the
preservation of the basis for superiority are important values. Positively, it promotes continuance of the
status quo, and negatively, it discourages change.

Second, it hinders the understanding or the cooperation between groups. If the ways of one’s
group, there is little incentive to interact with “inferior” groups. Extreme ethnocentrism is likely to
promote conflict, as the records of the past wars and religious and racial conflicts reveal.

Third, conflicts of course often leads to social change. In that sense, ethnocentrism becomes a
vehicle for the promotion of social change.

When do we become ethnocentric and what is our way out? Take note of the following:

1. When you judge the behavior and beliefs of people who are different from you.
2. When you believe that there are primitive cultures, especially if their way of life is different from
yours.
3. When you believe that some cultures are backward if they lack the technology and
consumerism of your own culture

CULTURAL RELATIVISM

Cultural relativism is the idea that all norms, beliefs, and values are dependent on their cultural
context and should be treated as such. A key component of cultural relativism is the concept that
nobody, not even researchers, comes from neutral position.
 In way, cultural relativity is a belief that maintains it does not matter whether cultures are either
equal or different because equality and similarity does not necessarily translate to real or imagined
inferiority/superiority of cultures out there.

Cultural relativism is also research method. Social scientists strive to treat cultural differences
as neither inferior nor superior, in such a way that they can understand their research topics within the
appropriate cultural context and examine their own biases and assumptions at the same time, thus,
analysing objectively without using the values of one’s culture to judge the worth of another.

Cultural relativism means that the function and meaning of a trait are relative to its cultural
settings. A trait is neither good nor bad in itself.

The concept of cultural relativism does not mean that all customs are equally valuable, nor does
it imply that no customs are harmful. Some patterns of behaviour may be injurious everywhere but
even such pattern serve some purpose in the culture and the society will suffer unless a substitute is
provided.
Appreciation of other cultures may come about for two complimentary reasons : (1) acquisition
of sufficient knowledge about the culture in question, and (2) direct exposures to other cultures.

XENOCENTRISM AND XENOPHOBIA

Xenocentrism refers to a preference for the foreign and it is the exact opposite of
ethnocentrism. It is characterized by a strong beliefs that one own’s products, styles, or ideas are
inferior to those which originate elsewhere. For xenocentric individuals, the exotic has a special charm
which the familiar can never achieve.

Xenophopia on the other hand, is the fear of what is perceived as foreign or strange, it can be
seen in the relations and perceptions of an in-group toward an out-group. This may include fear losing
identity, suspicion of the other group’s activities, aggression, and the desire to eliminate the presence
of other group to secure a presumed purity.

CULTURE AS HERITAGE

Culture have tangible (visible) and intangible (non-material) components. The tangible ones are
those that are produced and created based on specific and practical purposes and aesthetic values.
Cultural artifacts both tangible and intangible may become “heritage objects” by their sheer age and
association with momentous historical events and noteworthy personalities. Hence, as icons of cultural
memory, they may serve as irreplaceable emblems of events and personalities that once made a culture
proud and pleased. The typical heritage artifacts are sites and objects (national flags), while typical
intangible heritage maybe associated with events. In the Philippines historical sites include, but are not
limited to, the abodes of heroes and significant historical personalities. Intangible heritage may include
our national anthem and literary creations such as music, dances and other literary genre unique to the
Philippines.

Preservation of cultural heritage is tantamount to protecting them from external threats such as
destruction (symbolic and physical), mutilation (in part or in its entirety), and desecration through
frivolous use/representation.
 Please answer the following questions in the answer provided for, only the answer sheet will be
returned and submitted.

1. How do humans learn and transmit culture?

2. Why is culture shock an example of enculturation?
3. Why is it important to preserve our cultural heritage? How should Filipinos preserve their
cultural heritage?

Reference :

Understanding Culture, Society & Politics :

Copyright. 2016 by Phoenix Publishing House, Inc.
and Antonio P. Contreras, Arleigh Ross D. Dela Cruz, Dennis S. Erasga
and Cecille C. Fadrigon

JAIME J. GILBUENA ERALLA B. MANALILI

Subject Teacher School Principal
ANSWER SHEET

JAIME J. GILBUENA ERALLA B. MANALILI

Subject Teacher School Principal