Module 2

• Anthropological Perspectives (6)

  • Unilineal Evolutionism
  • Cultural Diffusionism
  • Historical Particularism
  • Anthropological Functionalism
  • Anthropological Structuralism
  • Cultural Materialism
• Sociological Perspectives (4)

  • Functionalism
  • Conflict Perspective
  • Symbolic Interactionism
  • Evolutionism
• Unilineal Evolutionism (Anthro Perspective)


  New cultural forms emerge from the past that pass through similar stages of development
• Cultural Diffusionism (Anthro perspective)


  Asserts that culture originates from one or more culture centers, which are results of borrowed elements of the new culture.
• Historical Particularism (Anthro Perspective)


  Believes each group of people has its own unique culture influenced by its history, geography, and environment.
• Anthropological Functionalism


  Cultural elements and practices are interrelated and interdependent, and persist because they have a purpose.
• Anthropological Structuralism


  Conveys that cultural phenomena and practices have a relationship to one another, by which humans organize and structure their experiences.
• Cultural Materialism (Anthro Perspective)


  Culture is influenced by the technology, resources, economic values, and utilization of things.
• Functionalism (Socio Perspective)


  Views society as an organized network cooperating groups operating orderly to generally accepted norms. e.g.) social roles
• Conflict Perspective (Socio Perspective)


  Sees the social environment in a continuous struggle which is in contrast with functionalism.
• Symbolic Interactionism (Socio Perspective)


  Deals with patterns of behaviour in large units of society.
• Evolutionism (Socio Perspective)


  Explains how human groups came to exist, grow, and develop.
• Society is derived from the Latin word 'societas' which means 'companion' or 'associate'. Society refers to all people, collectively regarded as constituting a community of related, interdependent individuals living in a particular place, following a certain mode of life.
• Anthropology perceives society as a group of people sharing a common culture within a territory.
• Sociology views society as an association organized by men with a territory.
• Culture has two notions:

  • It may refer to the individual's taste, inclination, and interest in the "fine arts"
  • It is referred as being civilized.
• Anthropology perceives culture as a unique character of every human society which includes how we think, act, and what we own; your culture makes you unique.
• Sociology perceives culture as the imprint made by people; you are unique because of your culture.
• In cultural relativism, culture only has meaning when taken into context.
• Ethnocentrism is the perception of one's own culture as superior compared to other cultures
• Xenocentrism is the pereception of one's own culture as inferior compared to other cultures.