[11] UCSP - Cultural, Social, and Political Institutions

• Kinship - one of the most complex systems of culture; defined as family ties with "social bond" based on common ancestry, marriage or adoption; people who are related through blood relations or marriage ties
• Macionis (2012) - formally defined kinship as family ties with social bond based on common ancestry, marriage or adoption
• Kinship by Blood

  • Matrilineal Descent
  • Patrilineal Descent
  • Unilineal Descent
  • Bilateral Descent
• Matrilineal Descent - when people are considered members of the mother's group from birth onward
• Patrilineal Descent - when people are considered members of the father's group from birth onward
• Unilineal Descent - tracing of ancestry through only one parent (mother or father)
• Bilateral Descent - equally related to both mother and father's side of the kin; creates links to everyone part of the kin, sometimes even those who are not part of the bloodline
• In Philippines, tracing descent is bilateral.
• Kinship by Marriage

  • Monogamy
  • Polygamy
  • Polygyny
  • Polyandry
  • Endogamy
  • Exogamy
• Marriage - characteristic of human relations and social groupings that exists in all cultures; involves emotional and physical intimacy, sexual reproduction, companionship, legal rights and inheritance; social practice designed to address the needs of human beings
• Monogamy - 1 partner only; marriage between a man and a woman that is widely accepted norm worldwide
• Polygamy- more than 1 partner
• Polygyny - more than 1 woman
• Polyandry - more than 1 man; commonly practiced by Tibetan cultures
• Endogamy - marriage within a group; practice where an individual chooses who to marry within a specific social or ethnic group or in a caste system
• Exogamy - social practice of marrying outside a social group; traces kinship ties and social networks
• Family

  • Nuclear Family
  • Extended Family
  • Reconstituted Family
• Family - a group of 2 or more persons related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together; all related persons are considered as members of one family
• Nuclear Family - family unit consisting of an adult male and female and dependent children; regarded as the basic universal form of family structure; family consisting of 2 generations, husband and wife and children; who constitute a unit from the rest of the community
• Extended Family - when 3 or more generations live together in one household; grandparents, parents, and children; was popular amongst working-class individuals but is now more dominant within East-Asian families
• Reconstituted Family - a form of family diversity that moves away from traditional notions of the family is the step-family which is now more commonly known as this or blended family
• Political Dynasty - is formed in order to maintain political power
• Kinship may be established politically through political alliances.
• Political Organization - groups responsible for political and social cohesiveness, economic growth, and safety from internal and external threats
• Power - exercise of will or force in order to achieve the desired outcome
• Authority - ability to bring about results through one's status, reputation, and degree of respect received from its constitutents
• Legitimacy - right and acceptance of one's power and authority without the threat or exercise of force
• Kinds of Political Organizations

  • Bands
  • Tribes
  • Chiefdoms
  • State
• Bands - small group of mostly nomadic people in pursuit of a particular group; to ensure survival and subsistence through foraging and hunting
• Tribes - political group composed of several bands, occupying a particular territory with each having a common language and way of living; may be connected through a perceived common ancestor or lineage
• Chiefdoms - composed of allied tribes and villages under one chief which can reach up to thousands of members; larger and more socially complex than tribes; more politically and economically centralized
• Chief - considered to be an "office" or an "institution" rather than just someone who leads the economic activities of the group
• State - political organization that, through the government, exercises sovereign rule over a population within a defined territory
• Types of Authority

  • Traditional Authority
  • Charismatic Authority
  • Rational-Legal Authority
• Traditional Authority - synonym of hereditary authority or authority passed through the bloodline of leaders, as in absolute monarchies
• Charismatic Authority - authority drawn from a leader's personal charisma; the capacity of a leader to attract and retain loyal and devoted followings through their personal qualities, just like what some dictators and cult leaders are capable of
• Rational-Legal Authority - authority drawn from legal and constitutional mandates that are usually collectively agreed upon and approved by those who are governed, as in what is practiced in many modern democratic countries
• Economy - system which facilitates the movement of goods and services from the production stage to distribution and consumption
• Goods - refer to all commodities such as food and clothing to luxury items such as cars and jewelry
• Services - actions or activities done for an individual or a group