Unit 1: Studying Culture, Society, and Politics

Question-and-answer flashcards covering core concepts of culture, society, and politics from the lecture notes.

What are the four vital cultural components shared by all societies?

Symbols, language, values, and norms.

Differentiate material culture from nonmaterial culture.

Material culture includes tangible objects; nonmaterial culture includes beliefs, language, values, norms, and other intangible elements.

Define folkways, mores, and laws.

Folkways are everyday norms with no serious consequences when violated; mores have moral implications; laws are officially enacted norms.

What Filipino concept embodies communal unity and cooperation often seen in helping neighbors (bayanihan)?

Bayanihan.

What is ethnocentrism, and what extreme outcomes can it produce?

Ethnocentrism evaluates other cultures by one’s own; extreme forms can lead to wars or colonization.

What is xenocentrism and what does ‘colonial mentality’ refer to?

Xenocentrism is the belief that other cultures are superior; colonial mentality is the perception that one’s own culture is inferior.

What is cultural relativism versus cultural sensitivity?

Cultural relativism treats cultures as equal within their own contexts; cultural sensitivity promotes awareness and acceptance while maintaining a critical perspective on diversity.

What is multiculturalism in the Philippines, and what challenges does it face?

Recognition and promotion of cultural diversity; advancement depends on government policies and may challenge nationalist or ultranationalist ideas.

What is the national language policy in the Philippines?

Filipino (Tagalog-based) language that includes words from foreign and local languages, without replacing other languages; the government aims to preserve linguistic diversity.

What are socialization and enculturation?

Socialization is the lifelong process of forging identity through social interaction; enculturation is learning the important aspects of one’s own culture.

What is folklore, and what forms does it take?

Folklore comprises myths, legends, folktales (kuwentong bayan), proverbs, and riddles that embody a culture’s history and values.

What are the relativistic and ethnocentric approaches in anthropology?

Relativistic: cultures are equal; Ethnocentric: one culture is considered superior.

Name the main stages of societal evolution described in the notes.

Hunting and gathering, horticultural, pastoral, agricultural, industrial, post-industrial.

What does structural functionalism say about culture and social order?

Culture acts as the glue that binds society and maintains social order in a stable system.

What does conflict theory emphasize in relation to culture and social change?

Power struggles among social groups; social change arises from these conflicts, often through the domination of a class via culture.

What does symbolic interactionism propose about culture?

Culture provides shared meanings that guide individual and group behavior; more shared meanings strengthen social order.

What is the Chinatown example in Washington, D.C. used to illustrate?

A demonstration of two-way socialization and enculturation, with exchange between Chinese communities and host society.

Name two notable anthropologists mentioned in the notes.

Edward Burnett Tylor and Franz Boas.

How are primary identity and secondary identity formed according to Giddens and Sutton?

Primary identity comes from family socialization; secondary identity forms from exposure to work and other social networks.

What are personal, social, and collective identities?

Personal identity refers to individual traits; social identities relate to roles in groups; collective identity is a sense of belonging to a group with shared rewards or risks.

How can international migration affect Filipino identities and families?

It creates transnational families; about 10% of the population is abroad; identities become mixed; emigrants may assimilate other cultures; families stay connected via the Internet; diaspora influences society.

What is the definition of culture according to E.B. Tylor?

That complex whole comprising beliefs, practices, values, attitudes, laws, norms, artifacts, symbols, knowledge, and everything learned and shared as a member of society.

Give examples of material versus nonmaterial dimensions of culture.

Material: clothes, music, food; Nonmaterial: interpretations of behavior, concepts of right and wrong, and cultural values.

Why is context important in understanding cultures?

Context—location, weather, and time period—shapes which aspects of culture are shared or contested and how cultures adapt.

What is the role of political science in understanding culture, society, and politics?

Political science studies governance, power, law, policy, and political behavior; it includes public administration, political economy, comparative politics, and international politics.