4_Culture-and-Society-as-Anthro-Sociological-Concepts.pptx

Ucsp g12

1. Understanding Culture, Society and Politics ROXAN M. LEBARIOS SHS_12

2. Culture and Society as Anthropological and Sociological Concept .

3. Culture and Society as Anthropological and Sociological Concept “Culture is the process by which a person becomes all that they were created capable of being” - Thomas Carlyle

4. There are different ways of defining culture and society . Each definition is always associated with man’s relationship to his environment. Hence, man’s social interaction serves as an avenue for creating patterns of behavior that will guide the members of society to live in an organized and orderly manner. Society , in this context, refers to a group of people sharing a common culture within a defined territorial boundaries.

5. Likewise, every human society is organized in such away that there are rules of conduct , customs, traditions , folkways , and mores , and expectations that ensure appropriate behavior among members. Thus, every society is unique in terms culture.

6. Culture is a composite or multifarious areas that comprise beliefs, practices, values, attitudes, laws, norms, artifacts, symbols, knowledge, and everything that a person learns and shares as a member of society. Therefore, culture is: A product of human interaction. A social heritage that is complex and socially transmitted. Provides socially acceptable patterns for meeting biological and social needs. A distinguishing factor. An established pattern of behavior. Cumulative (increasing) Meaningful to human beings.

7. Types of Culture: Material Culture Architectural Structure Food Technological Tools Fashion and Accessories Culture is composed of material and non-material elements. Material culture is consist of tangible things whereas nonmaterial elements consist of intangible things. Non-Material Culture Language and Symbols Behavior, gesture and habits Religion Ideas

8. Elements of Culture: Knowledge To understand culture, it is necessary to understand the different elements that compose it: --It refers to any information received and perceived to be true. Beliefs --The perception of accepted reality. --Reality refers to existence of things whether material or nonmaterial. Social Norms --These are established expectations of society as to how a person is supposed to act depending on the requirements of the time, place, or situation.

9. Indeed, social norms are very important in understanding the nature of man’s social relationship. In the social interaction process, each member possesses certain expectations about the responses and reactions of another member. Hence, it is very essential to determine the different forms of social norms:

10. Norms In sociology, norms are social expectations that guide behavior. Norms explain why people do what they do in given situations. For example, in the United States, it is a norm that people shake hands when they are formally introduced. This expectation accounts for why a job candidate extends a hand toward the interviewer upon meeting — as opposed, say, to giving the interviewer a hug.

11. Some norms are enforced by legal sanctions; for example, walking nude in public is often a legal offence that could result in arrest. Mores are norms it is considered very serious to violate, such as the norm not to murder. Folkways are norms that are less strict. People typically feel strong pressure to conform to norms. Norms Are the ground rules that dictate how people interact Norms

12. Folkways --The patterns of repetitive behavior which becomes habitual and conventional part of living. Folkways are not as compulsive and obligatory as that of laws or morals. Those who violate it are not punished by formal means. They are not absolutely obligatory though they are considered as necessary. For example, one who does not brush his teeth regularly, take bath daily, and wash his clothes regularly and properly, is not going to be punished by law. But such an individual is put to gossip and ridicule. One can neglect and violate one or a few of it but no sane person can neglect and violaAte all of them.  

13. In simple words, we can say when the folkways clearly represent the group standards, the group sense of what is fitting, right and conducive to well-being, then they become mores. For example, having sexual relations with women without marriage, entering into other's house without permission, breaking purdah of women, selling and eating unclean (haram) meat,  drinking, abducting children are the violation of mores. Such incidents create unrest among the people. On violation the people take very serious action and sometimes they even beat the violator Police action is seldom required because such violations are mostly out of police jurisdiction. Mores --The set of ethical standards and moral obligations as dictates of reason that distinguishes human acts as right or wrong or good from bad.

14. A taboo is a very strong negative norm; it is a prohibition of certain behavior that is so strict that violating it results in extreme disgust and even expulsion from the group or society. Often the violator of the taboo is considered unfit to live in that society. For instance, in some Muslim cultures, eating pork is taboo because the pig is considered unclean. At the more extreme end, incest and cannibalism are both considered taboos in most places. Taboos

15. Laws exist to discourage behavior that would typically result in injury or harm to another person, including violations of property rights. Those who enforce laws have been given legal right by a government to control behavior for the good of society at large. When someone violates a law, a state authority will impose a sanction, which can be as light as a payable fine or as severe as imprisonment. Laws A law is a norm that is formally inscribed at the state or federal level and is enforced by police or other government agents.

16. Violation of Mores Mores deal with higher values of people. The violation of mores is a serious threat to higher values of life, honor and property. People want protection of their values. If these are followed there is no problem of value endanger. These group standards are so important in society that their boundary sometimes touches the border of law. Keeping to the left on roads is a mores as well as a law.

17. Values --Anything held to be relatively worthy, important, desirable, or valuable. Values are a culture’s standard for discerning what is good and just in society. Values help shape a society by suggesting what is good and bad, beautiful and ugly, sought or avoided. When people go against a society’s values, they are punished. A boy who shoves an elderly woman aside to board the bus first may receive frowns or even a scolding from other passengers. A business manager who drives away customers will likely be fired. Breaking norms and rejecting values can lead to cultural sanctions such as earning a negative label—lazy, no-good bum—or to legal sanctions, such as traffic tickets, fines, or imprisonment. Values are the beliefs, philosophies and principles that drive a group.

18. To remember: Values is anything you think is important Ex: Love House Food Money What is important. Beliefs is anything what you think is true Ex: I believe that ICT help students learn faster. I believe that being a ______ student is way better compared to other. What is thought to be true.

19. Technology --The practical application of knowledge in converting raw materials into finished products. Ex.: In many parts of Africa and the Middle East, it is considered normal for men to hold hands in friendship. How would Americans react to these two soldiers?

20. Aspects of Culture: Since culture is very complex, there are important aspects of culture that contribute to the development of man’s social interaction. Dynamic, flexible, and adaptive Shared and contested Learned through socialization or enculturation Patterned social interactions Integrated and at times unstable Transmitted through socialization Requires language and other forms of communication

21. The complexity of Culture Culture is a people’s way of life . This classic definition appears generic, yet 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. According to British literary scholar, Raymond Williams , the first thing that one has to acknowledge in defining culture is that culture is ordinary . This means that all societies have a definite way of life , a common way of doing and understanding things.

22. Culture consists of patterns, explicit and implicit, of and for behavior acquired and transmitted by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievement of human groups, including their embodiment, in artifacts , ideas and their attached values. The complexity of Culture

23. Explain the Importance of Cultural Relativism in Attaining Cultural Understanding.

24. Cultural relativism is the ability to understand a culture on its own terms and not to make judgments using the standards of one's own culture. is important to anthropology and one of the things that makes anthropology unique. does not mean that anything a culture does is good or moral. This is one of the ones that confuse people. teaches us that, marriage patterns are cultural options, not objective truth . doesn’t mean that cultures can’t be compared. This is one of the reasons why those trained in cultural anthropology are often great problem solvers for complex issues.

25. Conceptualize Me : Use the given picture to conceptualize the importance of cultural relativism in attaining cultural understanding.

26. POST TEST: Directions: Choose the letter of the best answer. 1. It refers to all alterations affecting new traits or trait complexes and changes in a cultures content and structure. A. Cultural change B. Social change C. Political change D. Sociological change 2. It refers to valuable tools for exploring the past and using them to understand the past. A. Values B. Norms C. Artefacts D. Language 3. It is the ability to understand a culture on its own terms and not to make judgments using the standards of one's own culture. A. Sociological view B. Culture C. Cultural relativism D. Society 4. These are rules or expectations of behavior and thoughts based on shared beliefs within a specific cultural or social group. A. Values B. Norms C. Artefacts D. Language

27. POST TEST: 5. Cultural relativism teaches us that, marriage patterns are__________, not objective truth. A. Social option B. Political option C. Cultural option D. Socio-cultural option 6. It is a person's principles or standards of behavior. A. Values B. Norms C. Artefacts D. Language 7. It refers to a group or community which shares common experiences that shape the way its members understand the world. A. Politics B. Society C. Political Science D. Culture 8. Refers to a system of words and symbols used to communicate with other people. A. Symbols B. Norms C. Artefacts D. Language 9. It is anything that is used to stand for something else. A. Symbols B. Norms C. Artefacts D. Language 10. It is a variations or modifications in the patterns of social organization of sub groups within society. A. Cultural change B. Social change C. Political change D. Sociological change

28. Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism As mentioned by Dean Champion and his associates, “the range of variations between culture is almost endless and yet at the same time cultures ensemble one another in many important ways”. Somehow, cultural variation is affected by man’s geographical set-up and social experiences . Cultural variation refers to the differences in social behaviors that different cultures exhibit the around the world.

29. Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism

30. Ethnocentrism It is a perception that arises from the fact that cultures differ and each culture defines reality differently. Judging another culture solely by the values and standards of one’s own culture. A literal meaning of ethnocentrism is the regard that one’s own culture and society is the center of everything and therefore far more superior than others ( Kottak 2012: 39; Eriksen 2001:7). Such a perspective can harden into chauvinism , a position that everything about the other culture is wrong, unreasonable, detestable, and even wicked.

31. Ethnocentrism is the belief of superiority is one's personal ethnic group, but it can also develop from racial or religious differences. An example of ethnocentrism in culture is the Asian cultures across all the countries of Asia. Throughout Asia, the way of eating is to use chopsticks with every meal . These people may find it unnecessary to find that people in other societies, such as the American society, eat using forks, spoons, knives, etc . Since these countries use chopsticks to eat every meal, they find it foolish for other cultures to not use utensils similar to chopsticks; however, they do accept the fact that they use different utensils for eating. This example is not something extreme that could lead to genocide or war, but it is a large enough gap between these cultures for people to see their way of eating as the natural or best way to typically eat their food.

32. Cultural Relativism

33. Cultural Relativism The attempt to judge behavior according to its cultural context. The principle that an individual person’s belief and activities should be understood by others in terms of that individual’s own culture. The concept of cultural relativism underscores the idea that the culture in every society should be understood and regarded on its own terms.

34. These differences can cause problems interpreting what the other person is doing. Some simple examples: In the US, a firm, short handshake indicates self-confidence and (heterosexual) masculinity. A limp handshake by a man can be interpreted (usually wrongly) as a sign of homosexuality or wimpiness . But in most parts of Africa, a limp handshake is the correct way to do it. Furthermore, it is common in Africa for the handshake to last several minutes, while in the US a handshake that is even a few seconds too long is interpreted as familiarity, warmth and possibly sexual attraction. In Britain, men do not look at women on the streets. The French do. Recently, a French public figure mentioned in a speech that the Brits are all gay -- the evidence was their lack of overt interest in women.

35. Increasingly, managers must deal with multiple ethnic groups with every different cultures. Thanks to globalization, you are likely to work with Japanese, French, Chinese, German and all sorts of other nationalities. It is important to recognize that people from different cultures have are different in a variety of ways, including different ways of looking at things different ways of dressing different ways of expressing personality/goodness

36. Xenocentrism and Xenophobia Xenocentrism refers to preference for the foreign. In this sense it the opposite of ethnocentrism. It is characterized by a strong belief that one’s own products, styles, or ideas are inferior to those which originate elsewhere. Xenophobia - is the fear of what is perceived as foreign or strange.

37. Activity: Lights, Camera, Action! The class will be grouped into two. The first group will be assigned to do a short skit on ethnocentrism while the other will do a short skit on cultural relativism. After each presentation, the students will be asked to write a reflection paper on what they have learned/realized after watching the performance of each group.

38. I. Directions : Identify the following. _____ 1. It refers to a group of people sharing a common culture within a defined territorial boundaries. _____ 2. A composite or multifarious areas that comprise beliefs, practices, values, attitudes, laws, norms, artifacts, symbols, knowledge, and everything that a person learns and shares as a member of society. _____ 3. It consists of tangible things used by man in his everyday life.

39. _____ 4. The patterns of repetitive behavior which becomes habitual and conventional part of living. _____ 5. The set of ethical standards and moral obligations as dictates of reason that distinguishes human acts as right or wrong or good from bad. _____ 6. It refers to anything held to be relatively worthy, important, desirable, or valuable. _____ 7. It refers to the practical application of knowledge in converting raw materials into finished products.

40. _____ 8. It refers to the differences in social behaviors that different cultures exhibit around the world. _____ 9. It is a perception that arises from the fact that cultures differ and each culture defines reality different. _____ 10. The attempt to judge behavior according to its cultural context.

41. II. Directions : Choose the best answer. _____ 1. The following are examples of material culture except. a. Tools c. Dwelling units b. Weapons d. Customs. _____ 2. These are guides or models of behavior which tell us what is proper and which are appropriate or inappropriate, right or wrong. a. Folkways c. Beliefs b. Norms d. Laws

42. _____ 3. These are customary patterns of everyday life that specify what is socially correct and proper in everyday life. a. Mores c. Laws b. Norms d. Folkways _____ 4. They embody the code of ethics and standards of morality in society. a. Mores c. Folkways b. Norms d. Fads

43. _____ 5. They represent the standards we use to evaluate the desirability of things. a. Fads c. Laws b. Folkways d. Values _____ 6. The following statements are characteristics of culture except; a. It is learned and acquired b. It is deliberated and enacted c. It is shared and transmitted d. It gratifies human needs

44. _____ 7. This arises from the fact that cultures differ and each culture defines reality differently. a. Indoctrination c. Ethnocentrism b. Relativism d. Imitation _____ 8. The following are four principal ways of cultural adaptation except; a. Ethnocentrism c. Fission b. Convergence d. Parallelism

45. _____ 9. The following are modes of learning and acquiring culture except; a. Diffusion c. Indoctrination b. Imitation d. Conditioning _____ 10. It is an attempt to judge behavior according to its cultural context; a. Cultural Indoctrination b. Subcultures c. Cultural relativity d. Culture shock

46. III. Directions : Answer the question as follows; 1. Is there such as superior and inferior culture? Explain.