Introduction to Culture,
Society, and Politics
Overview
CULTURE
refers to the complex system acquired by man as a member
of society. This includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals,
laws, customs, and any other capabilities and habits.
ANTHROPOLOGY - the discipline utilized to understand culture
SOCIETY
refers to groups of people with common territory,
interaction, and culture. Every society is organized in such a
way that there are rules of conduct, customs, traditions,
folkways and mores and expectations that ensure
appropriate behavior among members (Palispis. 2007)
SOCIOLOGY - the discipline to understand society
POLITICS
refers to the exercising of power, rule, authority, and
influence over a constituent or for whatever reason.
Power - ability to exercise authority over others
Rule - regulation or law governing procedures in a public or
private body
Authority - feature of a leader or an institution that compels
others to be obedient, ability to control or direct the action of
others
Influence - act, process, or act of producing an effect without
apparent exertion of tangible force/direct exercise of command
POLITICAL SCIENCE - the discipline to understand politics
Anthropology
the branch of knowledge that deals with the
scientific study of man, his/her works, body,
behavior, and value in time and space.
Anthropology
comes from the two Greek words anthropos which
means man and logos which means science or study of.
promotes a holistic study of humans.
Seeks to answer the primary question: What does it
mean to be human?
Biologically, it inquires on the genetic composition of humans,
their relationship with other primates, and their evolution.
Socially, it inquires on human behaviors, attitudes, and belief
systems, which range from birth practices to burial rites.
Origin and Development
The beginnings of anthropology date back to the period of
discoveries and explorations from 15th to 18th century
extending to the days of Western explorations, missionaries,
and colonial conquerors.
The discoveries of antique tools and artifacts in France and
other parts of Europe in the beginning of 19th century proved
the existence of man a million years ago.
According to Haviland (2000),”These discoveries took place
during the time when advances in chemistry and physics
were made. These aroused an interest in scientific inquiry.
Sub-Disciplines of Anthropology
1. Archaeology – examines the remains of ancient and
historical human populations to promote an understanding
of how humans have adapted to their environment and
developed.
2. Cultural Anthropology – promotes the study of a society’s
culture through their belief systems, practices, and
possessions.
3. Linguistic Anthropology – examines the language of a group
of people and its relation to their culture.
Sub-Disciplines of Anthropology
4. Physical Anthropology – looks into the biological
development of humans and their contemporary variation.
5. Applied Anthropology – attempts to solve contemporary
problems through the application of theories and approaches of
the discipline.
Sociology
is the study of social behaviour or society, including
its origins, development, organization, networks,
and institutions.
Sociology
It is a social science that uses various methods of
empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a
body of knowledge about social order, disorder, and
change
Studying society provides us an idea on its importance an
equal, just and humane society.
Origin and Development
Sociological inquiry stated as soon as man developed some means
of communication.
The conscious adoption of the scientific approach began in the
early part of the 18th century and the first quarter of 19th century
when social philosophers began to be interested in the natural
development of the sciences that would eventually lead to the
development of society.
Sociology was introduced in the Philippines by Fr. Valentin Marin in
1896 when he initiated a course on criminology at the University of
Santo Thomas.
In 1939, Serafin Macaraig, the first Filipino to receive a doctorate
degree in Sociology published his Introduction to Sociology which
became the first text at the University of the Philippines.
Sub-Disciplines of Sociology
1. Social Organization – studies that involve social structures
such as institutions, social groups, social stratification, social
mobility, and ethnic groups.
2. Social Psychology – study of the impact of group life to a
person’s nature and personality
3. Social Change and Disorganization – inquires on the shift in
social and cultural interactions and the interruption of its
process through delinquency, deviance, and conflicts.
Sub-Disciplines of Sociology
4. Human Ecology – pursues studies that relate human behavior
to existing social institutions
5. Population or Demography – inquires on the interrelationship
between population characteristics and dynamics with that of a
political, economic, and social system.
6. Applied Sociology – uses sociological research and methods
to solve contemporary problems
Social Structure and Agency
This is the foundation of every society from which emanates the
possible roles, statues, institutions, and organizations.
Social Structure – is the determining factor by which every other
part of a society gains its context.
Agency – the realized capacity of people to act upon their world
and not only to know about or give personal or intersubjective
significance to it.
Sociological Imagination
It is a particular way of looking at the world around us through
sociological lenses.
It is a way of looking at our experiences in light of what is going on
in the social world around us.
This helps us to appreciate the social and non-biological forces
that affect, influence and shape our lives as individuals, groups,
and communities (Giddens, 1982).
Sociological imagination helps us look beyond individual
psychology to the many and varied facets of social and cultural
forces, and "the recurring patterns in peoples' attitudes and
actions, and how these patterns vary across time, cultures and
social groups.".
Political Science
A social science dealing with a systematic study of
the state and government (its essential nature,
form, manifestation, organization and
development).
Political Science
The word political is based from the Greek word
“polis”, meaning a city-state, or what today
would be the equivalent of a sovereign state.
The word “science” comes from the Latin word
scire, “to know”.
Politics is determining who gets what, where, when, and
how.
Struggle between and among actors with conflicting desires
and authoritative allocation of values
it is the owning and exercising of power, rule, authority, and
influence for whatever reason
“Man is by nature a political animal” – Aristotle “The essence of social existence is politics and that two or more
men interacting with one another are invariably involved in a
political relationship”
Origin and Development
Political science originated with the ancient Greeks in the 1st
century BCE.
Plato wrote numerous dialogues about politics, asking about the
nature of justice, what constitutes good government, and what is
truly best for humanity.
His student Aristotle worked in a more scientific way, observing
and describing types of governments systematically.
At the start of the 17th century, people began to apply the methods
of the scientific revolution to politics.
In the 19th century, thinkers such as Karl Marx and Max Weber used
sociological methods to analyze politics.
Sub-Disciplines of Political Science
1. Political Theory – examines the contemporary application of
political concepts such as human rights, equality, peace and
justice
2. Comparative Politics – aims to provide context to the
differences in government and political systems.
3. International Relations – the study of state-to-state
relations and the wider margin of the impacts of
globalization and climate change such as terrorism, piracy,
and democratization of non-Western territories.
Sub-Disciplines of Political Science
4. Political Behavior – covers the attitudes, knowledge, and actions of an
individual in response to political variables such as policies created by
the government, behavior of politicians, and general political
environment.
5. Public Policy – inquires on the types of governmental policies and the
underlying motivations for their enactment and implementation. –
inquires on the types of governmental policies and the underlying
motivations for their enactment and implementation.
6. Public Administration – examines the various administrative schemes
implemented by the government officials.
Three Sociological Perspective
1. STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALIST PERSPECTIVE sees society as a
complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity
and stability
2.SOCIAL CONFLICT THEORY follows the precept that society is in a
state of perpetual conflict due to competition BY CLASSES for
limited resources
3. SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONIST PERSPECTIVE refers to symbols that
help us give meaning to the experiences in our life
Activity
Answer the following questions.
1. What are the most important details about the nature and goals
of anthropology, sociology, and political science?
2. What are activities that show the nature of anthropology,
sociology, and political science that can be seen in our society?