UCSP Reviewer

Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics
Lesson I: Society, Culture, and Politics as Conceptual Tools
Concepts are created and have been used to have a firm grip of the
phenomenon. Pierce (1998) describes concept as “the rational purport of
a word or a conception.”
Just like any other words, concepts are initially invested as icons
to capture (present) phenomena and in the process assist their
users/inventors “to describe” facets of social experience in relation to
the phenomena concerned.
As a heuristic tool (i.e., simplifying tool), concepts allow the
discovery of new aspects of a phenomenon. In this case, a concept can be
conceived more as „means‟ rather than as “end”. Culture is a perfect
example. With the concept of culture, anthropologists are able to
explore and make sense of the complex processes and dynamics that
characterize the great variety of “ways of living” practiced and
observed around the world. In the same way, society as a concept has
been exploited by sociologists to explain the oftentimes confusing
matrices of social interactions.
Students as Social Beings

The way we live our lives – or should we say, the way we are being
steered to live our lives – presupposes omnipotent forces shaping the
very fabric of our existence. The categories that we possess as
individuals – labels that are ascribed or given to us individually and
collectively – are testament to the operation of these forces which
leave us unsuspecting of their intrusive and punitive implications in
our lives. Our categories as male/female, rich/poor, or tall/short, and
even the problematic effect of the color of our skin are evidence of the
operation of these social forces.
In other words, our sociality is defined by the very categories
that we possess, the categories assigned to us by society at large.
These “labels” so to speak, function as tags with which our society read
our worth and value. Surprisingly, these categories that we possess are
not natural; rather they are socially constructed.
Values and beliefs as behavior motivators

In the five situations above, it can be observed that human
behavior, whether individual or collective, is propelled by powerful
motivators. Within the perspective of the social sciences, these
motivators may be in the form of values and beliefs. Values are a
person’s or a collectivity’s principles or standards of behavior and are
considered as judgment of what is important in life. They are important
and lasting beliefs or ideals shared by the members of a culture about
what is good or bad and desirable or undesirable. Values have major
influence on a person’s behavior and attitude, and they serve as broad
guidelines in behavior in all situations. Values are the criteria people
in use in assessing their daily lives, arranging their priorities, and
choosing between alternative courses of action.
Belief, on the other, is something one accepts as true or real.
More often than not, belief takes the form of firmly held opinion or
conviction, regardless of the lack of verifiable evidence. Beliefs may
be based on tradition, faith, experience, scientific research, or some
combination of these. Both values and beliefs are commonly shared by a
particular culture.
Lesson II: Human Cultural Variation, Social Differences, Social Changes,
and Political Identities
Human variation
 Nationality and Ethnicity
 Gender
 Socioeconomic Class
 Political Identity
 Religion
 Exceptionality/Non-exceptionality
Cultural variation
 Ethnocentrism
 Cultural Relativism
 Xenocentrism and Xenophobia
Lesson II: Human Variation
HUMAN VARIATION
As each human group experiences differing environmental conditions,
variations are established. Comparing the traditions crafted by the
Eskimos of Alaska with those of the Maasis of Kenya, you can see the
stark difference in types of clothing, which are highly functional for
the type of climate and environment that they live in. The Eskimos, who
live in frigid areas of Alaska, wear thick layers of garment made in
animal fur, whereas the Maasis wear loose, single-layer clothes made of
cotton, which are meant to make them comfortable despite the hot climate
of the grasslands of Africa.
Nationality and Ethnicity

The concepts of nationality and ethnicity are not interchangeable.
Both, however, are capable of informing an individual‟s behaviors and
habits due to a set of cultural norms that each category provides.
Nationality is the identity that is tied to being part of a nation or
country – “a group of people who share the same history, traditions, and
language” and who inhabits a particular territory delineated by a
political border and controlled by a government. Nationality can be
acquired by being born in a country or by the process of legal
applications called naturalization. If one is born in the Philippines,
he or she is called a Filipino citizen.
Within a nation are smaller cultural groups that share specific
environments, traditions, and histories that are not necessarily
subscribed by the mainstream culture. These are called ethnic groups.
There are about 180 indigenous ethnic groups in the Philippines and more
than 100 tribal groups who mostly inhabit ancestral domains in the
lowland, upland, and coastal areas.
Ethnic Groups in the Philippines

Luzon Visayas Mindanao
 Tagalog  Cebuano  Badjao

 Ilocano  Waray  Yakan
 Kapampangan  Ilonggo  B’laan
 Bicolano  Ati  Maranao
 Aeta  Sulodnon  Tboli
 Igorot  Tausog
 Ivatan  Bagobo
 Mangyan
Gender
According to the World Health Organization (2013), gender “refers
to the socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities and attributes
that a given society considers appropriate for men and women. Unlike
sex which refers to the biological characteristic of humans such as
male or female, gender categories are varied, accommodating identities
such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex
(LGBTQIA+) among others.
Socioeconomic Class
The concept of socioeconomic class varies between societies as the
ideas associated with being poor or rich differ based on the collective
experiences of individuals. As such, Filipinos who are from the Global
South (developing countries) would perceive poverty differently from
Singaporeans who are from the Global North (developed or industrialized
countries).
In some countries, Great Britain for example has three-class system

which includes the upper, middle, and working classes, to the seven-
class system: “elite, established middle class, technical middle class,
new affluent workers, traditional working class, emergent service
workers, and the precariat” (Smith, 2013). In the Philippines, our
indicators of social class are different, given the economic and
political context in which our country is in. Filipinos often describe
their social class in personalized contexts (based from income and
assets). Hence, when you ask a Filipino what his or her social class is
the response can be any of the following: mahirap, medyo mayaman, sakto
lang, mayaman and the like.
Political Identity
Political identity as a social category refers to the set of
attitudes and practices that an individual adheres to in relation to
the political systems and actors within his/her society. Political
parties in the Philippines such as Gabriela, a party that negotiates
for the welfare of the women, and Kabataan partylist which promotes
youth empowerment, are examples of how sectors in our society use their
identities as political vehicles to negotiate their needs. In a more
rigid context, an individual can acquire political identity by
subscribing to a political belief such as communism, democracy, or
socialism.
Religion
Religion has evolved to promote far complex forms of understanding
human nature, the afterlife, and natural events. Some are monotheistic,
believing of one god, whereas others are polytheistic, which believes
in multiple gods. What must be noted is that religion is a mirror of
the society that affiliates with it.
Exceptionality/Non-Exceptionality
Some individuals do not conform to behavioral or cognitive norms,
not because they intend to deviate from such, but because they are
exceptional. The concept of exceptionality leans on the non-average
capacity of an individual. This could be understood in a spectrum of
capabilities, wherein you have the geniuses in one extreme and you have
the disabled and challenged in the other extreme.
Lesson III: CULTURAL VARIATION
The variation in human conditions promotes diversity and plurality

in cultural traditions. This could lead to discrimination and ostracism.
Ethnocentrism is a perspective that promotes an individual‟s culture as
the most efficient and superior; hence, the individual who exhibits
ethnocentrism feels that his or her culture is the most appropriate as
compared with other cultures. This may also manifest in a belief that
one‟s set of moral codes is better than those of others, such that one‟s
religion is accepted as a truer form of belief system. This perspective
evaluates a particular based on the observer‟s understanding of the
other, which is often problematic, given the bias of the observer due to
his/her own culture‟s preconditioning.
Using this perspective we can understand how problematic on the

basis that each culture is efficient and appropriate for the environment
where it finds its practice. Forcing Muslims to eat pork would be
inappropriate due to the difference in religion of Muslims and
Christians where these two groups believes from.
When faced with plurality of culture you may adapt the conceptual
tool of cultural relativism, which promotes the perspective that
cultures must be understood in the context of their locality. Using this
perspective makes you tolerant of their differing attitudes and
practices of others – a characteristic that is essential to a highly
globalized world that we live in.
Traditions, social norms, and political identities are not static

because they are often affected by the environment.
Xenocentrism and Xenophobia
Xenocentrism refers to preference for the foreign. In this sense,

it is the exact 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. One clear indication of the existence
of xenocentrism is our preference for imported goods. Filipinos seem
happy to pay more for imported goods on the assumption that anything
from abroad is better.
Xenophobia, on the other hand, is the fear of what is perceived as

foreign or strange. Xenophobia can be seen in the relations and
perceptions of an in-group toward an out-group. It may include losing of
identity, aggression, and the desire to eliminate the presence of the
other group to secure a presumed purity.

UCSP Reviewer

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

UCSP Reviewer

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

UCSP Reviewer

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics

Lesson I: Society, Culture, and Politics as Conceptual Tools

Students as Social Beings

Values and beliefs as behavior motivators

Lesson II: Human Variation

Nationality and Ethnicity

Ethnic Groups in the Philippines

 Tagalog  Cebuano  Badjao

In some countries, Great Britain for example has three-class system

Lesson III: CULTURAL VARIATION

The variation in human conditions promotes diversity and plurality

Using this perspective we can understand how problematic on the

Traditions, social norms, and political identities are not static

Xenocentrism and Xenophobia

Xenocentrism refers to preference for the foreign. In this sense,

Xenophobia, on the other hand, is the fear of what is perceived as

You might also like