Introduction to Culture, Society, and Politics

These flashcards provide a comprehensive review of fundamental concepts in culture, society, and politics, including sociological and anthropological definitions, Filipino cultural examples, and historical social structures.

Culture

The set of beliefs, ideas, values, practices, knowledge, history, shared experience, attitudes, and material objects shared by members of a society.

Clifford Geertz (1973)

Defined culture as a system of inherited conceptions expressed in symbolic forms by which people communicate and develop their knowledge about life.

Margaret Mead (1935)

Defined culture as the learned behavior of a society or a subgroup.

Pagmamano

A traditional Filipino gesture of respect where a younger person takes an elder's hand and presses it to their forehead, often using "po" and "opo".

Bayanihan

The Filipino spirit of communal unity and cooperation, helping one another without expecting anything in return.

Belief

The mental acceptance or conviction that an idea, statement, or claim is true, representing a subjective perspective on reality.

Propositional Beliefs

Acceptance of specific statements about the world, such as believing the Earth revolves around the sun.

Values

Core beliefs, principles, or standards that guide a person's behavior and act as an internal compass for interacting with the world.

Norms

Unwritten rules, behaviors, and standards that a society or group expects from its members in various situations.

Folkways

Casual, everyday routines and manners; breaking them is generally seen as odd rather than immoral.

Mores

Strict, moral rules tied to a society's core values, where violations usually result in severe consequences or legal action.

Taboos

Behaviors that are deeply forbidden and unthinkable within a culture, such as incest or cannibalism.

Formal Norms

Written, explicit rules and laws, such as workplace codes of conduct or traffic regulations.

Society (Max Weber)

A complex of social relationships and actions based on a shared understanding of norms and values.

Politics

The way people living in groups make planned decisions and agreements to live together in tribes, cities, or countries.

Anthropology

The study of humans, covering human origins, what it means to be human, and the different cultures people live in.

Sociology

The study of society, patterns of social interactions, and the culture of everyday life.

Franz Boas

Considered the father of modern American anthropology, he developed the doctrine of "historical particularism."

Historical Particularism

The doctrine stating that each society has a unique form of culture that cannot be understood under an overarching theory.

Auguste Comte

A French philosopher and mathematician who coined the term sociology.

Ethnography

A special research method used in anthropology where researchers live with their subjects for a long period of time.

Biological Anthropology

The study of human origins, including genetics, race, evolution, fossils, and primates.

Linguistics

The study of language, its evolution, and its connection to other languages.

Archeology

The study of dead culture, including religion, social systems, language, and traditions within past societies.

Aristotle

Stated in his book "Politics" that "Man is a political animal," meaning it is human nature to live in society and seek power.

Gender

The social, cultural, and psychological characteristics associated with males and females within a specific social context.

Gender Roles

Attitudes and behaviors that society expects individuals to display based on their sex.

Babaylan

Pre-colonial Filipino individuals, both male and female, who functioned as shamans and conducted ceremonies.

Maharlika

The highest social standing in pre-colonial Philippines, comprised of community leaders ($datu$) and their kin.

Timawa

The intermediary social stratum in pre-colonial Philippines consisting of free individuals like laborers and warriors not subject to debt bondage.

Aliping Namamahay

Pre-colonial slaves with limited autonomy who owned property and could potentially reclaim freeman status.

Aliping Saguiguilid

Pre-colonial slaves lacking property rights who performed menial tasks and were susceptible to sale or exchange.

Peninsulares

Spaniards born in Spain but living in the Philippines, enjoying the highest social status during the colonial era.

Insulares

Spaniards born in the Philippines during the Spanish occupation.

Mestizos

Individuals of mixed ancestry, often Spanish-Chinese or Spanish-indigenous unions, occupying a privileged colonial position.

Indios

Indigenous Filipinos who constituted the lowest tier of society during Spanish colonization.

Principalia

Indigenous leaders and their descendants who were frequently educated and occupied roles in local governance.

Poor (Income Class)

Households with incomes less than the official poverty threshold, specified as less than $Php\,9,520$. house

Enculturation

The specific acquisition of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values that enable individuals to become active members of their own cultural community.

Socialization

The broader, lifelong process through which individuals learn and internalize the norms, values, and roles of their society.

Material Culture

The physical components of culture, including technology, artifacts, relics, and fossils.

Non-material Culture

Also known as symbolic culture, it consists of abstract ideas, beliefs, values, norms, and language.