Anthropol and Sociolog Perspectives on Culture and Society

• Unilineal Evolutionism states that new cultural forms emerge from the past that pass through

  similar stages of development.

  Example: from Animism to Monotheism i.e. Roman Catholic or Islam
• Cultural Diffusionism asserts that culture originates from one or more culture centers, which are

  results of borrowed elements of the new culture.

  Example: Filipino culture is influenced by Western civilization brought by the colonization

  of Western countries i.e. Spain.
• Historical Particularism believes that each group of people has its own unique culture influenced

  by its history, geography, and environment.

  Example: Filipino people are influenced by superstitious beliefs, which originate from their

  ancestors.
• Anthropological Functionalism believes that cultural elements and practices are interrelated and

  interdependent and persist because they have a purpose.

  Example: Filipinos’ actions are influenced strongly by their religion.
• Anthropological Structuralism conveys that cultural phenomena and practices have a relationship

  to one another by which human organize and structure their experiences.

  Example: Father and Son; Husband and Wife
• Cultural Materialism considers the idea that culture is influenced by technology, resources,

  economic values, and the utilization of things.

  Example: Pork is prohibited in the Muslim diet.
• Functionalism views society as an organized network cooperating groups operating orderly to

  generally accepted norms.

  Example: To be able to produce more productive graduates in the community, the government

  must pour money into education.
• Conflict Perspective sees the social environment in a continuous struggle which is in contrast with

  Functionalism.

  Example: Rich versus poor
• Symbolic Interactionism deals with patterns of behavior in large units of society such as

  organization, communities, etc.

  Example: Why does an individual in the community avoid eye contact when talking to a

  stranger?
• Evolutionism explains how human groups came to exist, grow, and develop.

  Example: Before people use telephones to communicate with one another, now with the

  advancement of technology, many of us use cellphones as a means of

  communication.
• It is derived from the Latin word ‘societas’, which means ‘companion’ or ‘associate’. Thus, 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 (Ariola, 2012).
• According to Kornblum as cited in Baliao & Parcon (2011), society refers to a population of people

  that is organized in a cooperative manner to carry out the major function of life including

  reproduction, sustenance, shelter, and defense.
• Robertson (cited in Baliao & Parcon, 2011) defines society as a population that occupies the same

  territory which is subject to the same political authority and participates in a common culture.
• Anthropological and Sociological Perspectives on Society

  Since the study of anthropology deals with culture, it perceives society as a group of people sharing a

  common culture within a territory (Banaag, 2012). While sociologist view society as an association

  organized by men with a territory (Banaag, 2012).
• CULTURE

  · According to Zulueta (2006), the term culture has two notions:

  o It may refer to the individual’s taste, inclination, and interest in the “fine arts.”

  o It is referred to as being civilized
• · Culture is a complex whole which encompasses beliefs, practices, values, attitudes, laws, norms,

  artifacts, symbols, knowledge, and everything that a person learns and shares as a member of

  society (E.B. Tylor 1920 [1871]).
• Anthropological and Sociological Perspectives on Culture

  Baliao & Parcon (2011) states that culture, in anthropological perspective, is a unique character of

  every human society which includes how we think, act, and what we own. Banaag (2012) implies that

  culture, in sociological perspective, is viewed as the imprint made by people.
• ASPECTS OF CULTURE

  Aspect here is defined as a part or feature of culture which has the following characteristics: dynamic,

  flexible, & adaptive; shared & contested through time; learned through socialization or enculturation;

  patterned social interactions; and integrated and at times unstable.
• Artifacts – Objects made by human beings, either hand-made or mass produced
• Arts and Recreation – Arts, Music, Drama and Literatures, Games and Sports, and Use of

  Leisure Time
• Clothes – The people usually wear in the community
• Customs and Traditions – The things we do
• Food – The staple food that the people in the community often eat
• Government – The one that implement rules, keep peace and order, and address conflicts in the

  community
• Knowledge – The psychological result of perception, learning, and reasoning
• Language – The mental faculty or power of vocal communication
• Religion – A strong belief in a supernatural power that control human destiny
• Shelter – A structure that provides privacy and protection from danger
• Tools – Objects used to improve the performance of a task
• Values – The morals that we live by
• in cultural relativism, culture only has meaning when taken into context.

  This means, it is wrong to compare, apply, and/or judge one’s own culture from another culture.
• Ethnocentrism is the perception of one’s own culture as superior compared to other cultures.

  Example: Filipinos are outstanding workers all around the world.
• Xenocentrism is the perception of one’s own culture as inferior compared to other cultures

  (Banaag, 2012).

  Example: Philippines is only a Third World country.