LESSON 2:Understanding Culture and society

Society

Is a group of individual sharing a common culture, geographical location, and government.

Society

❖Human beings are considered to be naturally inclined to establish societies (to ensure survival)

Society

Enable individuals to acquire necessary survival skills, maximize potential and share resources

Social solidarity

members of the community live together for mutual benefit

Shared Identity and culture

serve as basis for their patterns of actions and behavior

A.Hunting and gathering
B.Horticultural and pastoral
C.Agricultural
D.Industrial
E. Post-industrialist

5 major types of societies

Hunting and gathering

Considered the first society

Hunting and gathering

Date as far back as several million years ago

Horticultural and Pastoral

Was brought about by the gradual shift from the hunting-and-gathering lifestyle to a more sedentary life, and the introduction of agricultural as a more stable food production method.

Horticultural societies

relied on the cultivation of plants as their primary source of food.

Pastoral Societies

depended on the domestication of animals.

Agricultural society

food production became more efficient due to the new methods of farming, the invention of more advanced tools, and the establishment of permanent settlements.

Industrial societies

Technological advancements resulted in the invention of machines that improved production

Industrial societies

Major development was on the rise of urban centers or cities

post-industrialist societies

Developed at the latter portion of the 20th century

post-industrialist societies

Knowledge is a commodity and technological innovation is key to long-lasting growth and development

Culture

One of the important bases that define and influence a society

Culture

Refers to the set of beliefs, ìdeas, 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.

NON - MATERIAL

Categories of culture

Consists of the intangible properties and elements of society that influence the patterns of action and behavior of its members.

MATERIAL

Categories of culture

Composed of the physical or tangible objects produced, shared, and utilized within society.

Folklore

community stories and other types of narratives shared within societies

1.Symbols
2.Languages
3.Values
4.Norms

Vital Cultural components

Symbols

Refer to things that convey meaning or represent an idea

Symbols

Essential in communication, shaping thoughts and ideas, and defining a society’s culture

Language

Set of symbols that enables members of society to communicate verbally and nonverbally

Values

Shared ideas, norms and principles that provide members of society the standards that pertain to what is right or wrong, good or bad, desirable and undesirable

Shared rules of conduct that determine specific behavior among society member

Folkways

Categories of norms

may be violated without serious consequence

Mores

Categories of norms

with moral connotations

Laws

Categories of norms

legally enacted and enforced

Culture and identity formation

Facilitated through SOCIALIZATION and ENCULTURATION

SOCIALIZATION

-refers to the lifelong process of forging identity through social interaction
- Language (social agent)

ENCULTURATION

refers to the process by which individual learns or acquires the important aspects of his or her society’s culture

CONTEXT

- Refers to particular circumstances of a certain culture and is defined by location, weather, time period, and other factors.

1.Anthropology
2.Sociology
3.Political science

THREE DISCIPLINES

Anthropology

Considers culture as the central focus of its discipline

Relativistic Approach

-considers cultures as equal

Cultural Relativism

recognizes and accepts the cultural differences between societies

Ethnocentric Approach (Ethnocentrism)

one’s culture is superior to other cultures

Xenocentrism

Tendency to consider their culture as inferior to others

Sociology

Relates culture with the overall context of social order

Structural Functionalism

society is a stable and orderly system
** Culture – glue that binds society together

CONFLICT THEORY

-there is a constant power struggle among the various social groups and institutions within society.

SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM

view individual and group behavior and social interactions as defining features of society.

Political science

examines culture as a vital aspect of society

Political science

analyze the voting pattern and behavior of a culture

-ideology that acknowledges and promotes cultural diversity within society

advances awareness and acceptance of cultural differences but encourages a critical stance in dealing with issues regarding diversity.