Learning Outcomes

1. To explain culture and society using anthropological and sociological

perspectives.
2. To describe society and culture as a complex whole.
3. To identify aspects of culture and society
4. To raise questions toward a holistic appreciation of cultures and
societies.
5. To become aware of why and how cultural relativism mitigates
ethnocentrism
6. To identify forms of tangible and intangible heritage and the threats
to these
 According to Tylor (1920), “that
complex whole which includes
knowledge, belief, art, law, morals,
custom, and any other capabilities
and habits acquired by man as a
member of society.
 Sociological Standpoint

Cultures denotes acquired behaviors and

habits that are shared transmitted among
groups as result of their interactions with one
another. It is an accumulation that a new
generation inherits and a heritage into which
a child is born (“Sociology, Guide”, 2005)
 we define culture as the collective
behavior of men arising from a shared belief
and value system based on ideologies, way of
life norms, and even identities.
 August Comte, the father of Sociology,
saw society as a social organism possessing a
harmony of structure and functions
 Talcott Parson, an American
sociologist, conceives the society as a system
comprise of the interactions of many
individual within a situation through
commonly understood cultural norms of
generalized symbols and associated
meanings (Parsons, 1951)
 G.D.H Cole, an English political theorist
and economist, views the society as a
complex of organized associations and
institution with a community (Hirst, 2005)
 According to social scientists, Robert
MacIver and Charles Page. Society is a
system of usages and procedures of
authority and mutual aid of many groupings
and divisions, of controls of human behavior
and liberties .
CULTURE SOCIETY
Language Villages
Arts Cities
Music Districts
Festivals Municipalities
Literature etc. Religious groups
Professional Organizations
Educational Institutions etc.
 Culture refers to values, beliefs, behaviors,
practices, norms, and symbolic meanings
within a society
Whereas a society arises from the interaction
of people which in turn creates groups,
associations, and institutions
 it refers to how people behave and interact
with one another within social institutions?
 human societies have acquired a specific set
of cultural practices while culture in itself can
only exist in the context of a society
 As such, sociologists view society as a way
for individuals to share common cultural beliefs
and practices.
 In a very broad sense, therefore, a culture
consists of the beliefs, practices, and traditions of
a society, whereas society consists of individuals
who share a common culture.
 Culture is

Culture is not innate in a person.

When a child is born he/she does not
have any cultural knowledge of any
sort
 Culture is
it takes a while for culture to be acquired
and developed. Culture is learned through
families, peers, institutions, and media.

The process of learning about culture is

known as ENCULTURATION
 Culture is

A child growing up does not choose what

culture he/she wants to learn. Instead, the
child acquires patterns of behavior from
his/her surroundings
 Culture is
The culture that is learned across different
societies is not possessed by a single person
alone.
The interaction of individuals in societies also
leads to the sharing of beliefs, customs, ideals,
and practices. However, despite the shared
nature of culture, it does not mean that it is
homogeneous.
 Culture is
Other countries such as Malaysia are very
ethnically diverse with its population
divided into Malays, Chinese, and Indians.
But taken together, these different ethnic
groups create a society that reflects the
Malay culture.
 Culture is

Different cultural practices may exist within a

single society but ultimately culture remains to
be holistic in nature.
 Culture is
Cultural parts and aspects are
interconnected in that when taken together, a
way of life is manifested. In order for someone
to truly understand the dominant culture in a
particular country, one must learn its entirety
and not just the fragmented parts
 Culture is

culture possesses a systematic order that

allows the various parts and elements to be
integrated into a single whole.
 Culture is

Culture adapts to various environmental

and geographical conditions as witnessed
throughout the context of the history of the
world
 Culture is

Culture has definitely allowed humans to

survive the last ice age and transition into the
digital and globalized world that we have now.
As such, this also means that culture
constantly changes especially when cultures
come in close contact with others
 Culture is

All cultures are bound to change at some

point otherwise problems adapting to a
changing environment would occur.
 Culture is

There is no single tangible manifestation

that can take the form of culture itself. In fact,
it only exists in the minds of the individuals
interacting with one another within a
particular society or even across societies
 Culture is

Culture is manifested through behavior, habits,

mannerisms, and activities. However, these
manifestations or visible cultural patterns
occur because it is internally driven by
concepts, ideologies, and beliefs existing in
one's mind
 Culture is

Because culture is abstract, societies have

developed a way by which concepts and ideas
existing in the mind would be manifested. As
such, all cultures in the world are driven by
symbols that stand for something.
 Culture is

Symbols in the society are only validated when

people in a specific society agree on what the
symbols stand for.
 Culture is

One way of expressing symbolic meanings of

culture is through language. It allows people to
understand and transmit abstract concepts and
ideals to the next generation. It allows people
to have a vehicle by which they can transfer
knowledge and ideals from one to another.
 Strong adherence and association to
one's cultural perspective may create
a tendency to view that of others as
the lesser truth
In this sense, it leads people to believe the
inherent superiority of one's culture over the
other. This is known to be a phenomenon
known as
 Strong adherence and association to
one's cultural perspective may create
a tendency to view that of others as
the lesser truth
In this sense, it leads people to believe the
inherent superiority of one's culture over the
other. This is known to be a phenomenon
known as
 According to Barger (2014), ethnocentrism
can be defined as making false assumptions
about the ways of others based on our own
limited experience
 promotes the idea that
no culture is superior over any other. It views
all cultures as worthy in their own right and
are therefore of equal value.
 From an anthropological standpoint, all
cultural patterns are equally valid expressions of
human existence, to be viewed from an entirely
neutral perspective
 According to the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO),
cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artefacts
and intangible attributes of a group or society that
are inherited from past generations, maintained in
the present and bestowed for the benefit of future
generations
 Tangible forms of cultural heritage include
landscapes, natural environment or ecosystems,
buildings, and artefacts
 Intangible forms of cultural
heritage include traditions, values,
oral history, and voices.
 Article III of UNESCO's
Universal Declaration on Cultural
Diversity emphasizes the importance
of understanding cultural diversity
as a means to achieve a more
satisfactory intellectual, emotional,
moral, and spiritual existence
 Article IV states that cultural
diversity presupposes the respect for
human rights. This means that the
protection of cultural heritage and
its defense is an ethical imperative,
inseparable from respect for human
dignity.
 The quest for
understanding culture
and society never ends
as both are ever
changing.