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Announcement: "SOCIETY AND CULTURE WHAT IS SOCIETY?…"


Ma. Theresa Reginaldo
Created Jan 17Jan 17
SOCIETY AND CULTURE

WHAT IS SOCIETY? WHAT IS CULTURE?


The terms “society” and “culture” are often heard together when studying sociology or
anthropology (both of these are defined below, don’t worry!), and sometimes people tend to
think that they mean the same thing. They are two different terms though, and we’ll find out how
they differ.

But first—try to see if you can place the words ‘culture’ and ‘society’, used correctly, in the
rephrased sentence below:

"Manners in South Korea: Do’s and Don’ts." Live. Learn. Venture. N.p., 8 Jan. 2015. Web. 19
Jan. 2016. http://livelearnventure.com/manners-in-south-korea-dos-donts/

Original sentence: My tita’s beliefs and attitudes dictate that outdoor shoes should never be
worn inside the house. Therefore her Korean friends and family often bring slippers when
visiting their friends.

Rephrased sentence: My tita’s ______ dictates that outdoor shoes never be worn inside the
house. Therefore, members of her ______ often bring slippers when visiting their friends.

We’ll see later on if you got the correct answer.

"A New Page on Shitty Husbands." Must Be This Tall To Ride. N.p., 18 June 2014. Web. 19
Jan. 2016. http://mustbethistalltoride.com/2014/06/18/a-new-page-on-shitty-husbands/.

Let’s first differentiate the two terms:

Culture
“According to many anthropologists, culture can be defined as the set of learned behaviors and
beliefs that characterize a people group. Putting it simply, it's what makes a population into a
people group. It's their beliefs, attitudes, and ideals. From their diet, to their religion, to their
family structure, to their jobs, to even their entertainment, it's what makes them them.”
(Whittemore, Jessica. "Understanding the Difference Between Society & Culture." Study. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2015.
http://study.com/academy/lesson/understanding-​the​-difference​-between​-society-​culture.html.)

"Tuareg Culture." OnSite in Niger. N.p., 25 Nov. 2012. Web. 19 Jan. 2016.
http://onsiteinniger.blogspot.com/2012/11/tuareg-culture.html.

People can use their culture to define or to label themselves. When you are at a party or at a
gathering, and you have to introduce yourself, you don’t immediately start talking about the
heavy emotional stuff, right? You first mention where you come from (like which province you
are from). You also mention which school you have gone to, or you mention the things that you
like to do in your spare time.

All of these things will inform the person you are speaking to a little bit about yourself due to
what they already know about the culture of the things that you mention. If you say that you are
a Batangueño, they might get the idea that you are aggressive or headstrong. If you say that
you are Ilocano, they may assume that you are thrifty with money. If you say that you graduated
from Pisay, they would think that you are very good with numbers or very good in science.

Shellenbarger, Sue. "The Smartest Ways to Network at a Party." The Wall Street Journal. N.p.,
14 Sept. 2015. Web. 19 Jan. 2016.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-smartest-ways-to-network-at-a-party-1442249499.

These assumptions are not always true for everyone. But the reason why some people think
that certain characteristics are part of their culture is because these are behaviors and beliefs
that many of them share in common.

We also exhibit our culture in social gatherings or parties. If you were in a party hosted by an
American, attended by American guests, then you and everyone would most likely not bother to
remove your shoes once you enter the host’s home. But if you were in a party hosted by
someone Japanese, and attended by other Asian guests, then you would all have to remove
your shoes before entering their home as it is considered respectful to remove your dirty shoes
before entering a Japanese home.

"Etiquette in Japan." Wikipedia. N.p., 5 Jan. 2016. Web. 19 Jan. 2016.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etiquette_in_Japan.

“When talking about culture, we're talking about things that are sort of tangible, almost like
objects. They're our language, our technology, and our institutions—things like our churches,
our schools, or even our houses. However, culture is also intangible; it's our values and our
behaviors. Using an anthropological term, our culture includes our norms, the standards or rules
about acceptable behavior.” (Whittemore, Jessica. "Understanding the Difference Between
Society & Culture." Study. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2015.
http://study.com/academy/lesson/understanding-​the-​difference-​between-​society-​culture.html.)

Society
This is a group of people who share the same culture and occupy the same territory. It is the
actual people living and interacting together that make up a society.

When people in a society interact and bond together, then eventually they can create their own
culture.

It is possible to be part of the same society, but have different layers of culture.

For example, two people can both be part of the Philippine society, and so both can be part of
Filipino culture, but if one grows up in the city while the other grows up in the province, then one
would have a subculture of urban life, while the other a subculture of rural life.

EshoSikhi. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2016. http://www.eshosikhi.com/questins.

So going back to our fill-​in-​the-​blanks challenge earlier, do you think you got the right answer?

Original sentence: My tita’s beliefs and attitudes dictate that outdoor shoes should never be
worn inside the house. Therefore her Korean friends and family often bring slippers when
visiting their friends.

Rephrased sentence: My tita’s ______ dictates that outdoor shoes never be worn inside the
house. Therefore, members of her ______ often bring slippers when visiting their friends.

Here it is:
My tita’s CULTURE dictates that outdoor shoes never be worn inside the house. Therefore,
members of her SOCIETY often bring slippers when visiting their friends.

Anthropology and Sociology


We mentioned these terms at the beginning of this section. Let’s understand these 2 terms
better.

Anthropology is the study of human beings—where they came from, how they develop, and
what cultures they form. The term is taken from 2 Greek words: “Anthropos” which means “man”
or “human” and “logos” which means “thought” or “reason”.
"Person with Magnifying Glass." Clip Art Best. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 July 2016.
http://www.clipartbest.com/person-with-magnifying-glass.

Anthropology is a social science that allows us to learn how it is that people are the same and
how they are different in all parts of our world. They look at the biological and historical
backgrounds of the societies they study, so they can use the information they discover to help
people of today and people of the future.

Sociology is the study of how humans act in groups. It is a social science and its main subject of
study is the society. Factors such as community, authority, race, ethnicity, gender, crime, and
social interaction are taken into consideration in the study of sociology.

XTranda. LinkedIn. N.p., Oct. 2015. Web. 19 Jan. 2016.


https://www.linkedin.com/company/xtranda/comments?topic=6041553361638080512&type=U&
scope=3100909&stype=C&a=eg4C.

There are many sub​fields in sociology that focus on the different structures within a group of
people.

For example, there is a field that covers changes in population size and population type, a field
on class structure and inequality, a field that studies government and law, and a field on criminal
behavior and crime.

WHY DO I NEED TO LEARN ABOUT SOCIETY AND CULTURE?


Whether we want to or not, all of us eventually get to learn about Society and Culture as we
grow up. We particularly learn about OUR OWN society and OUR OWN culture. But the thing
is—you wouldn't know that you’re already learning about society and culture because we
naturally get to know about these things from our families, from our friends, and from our own
observations of the world around us.

We need these learnings so that we can get along with the people in our society. It’s good to
feel and know that we belong somewhere. At the same time, it makes it easier for us to live our
lives when we know what to expect from our environment.

Taylor, Nicole Fallon. "11 Secrets to Keeping Employees Happy (Without a Raise)." Business
News Daily. N.p., 4 Jan. 2016. Web. 19 Aug. 2016.
http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/6084-employee-happiness-without-raise.html
Plus, whatever we are able to learn from sociology and anthropology helps our educators,
lawmakers, and government administrators to make better programs and policies for the people
who are part of their society.

Even if you don’t have any plans of finding a job where you will be an educator, a lawmaker, or
a government official, studying the social sciences will still be beneficial for you because you will
get to know yourself and those around you much better.

Watch this introductory video on the social sciences. There are 5 teachers featured in this video:
the anthropology professor, the geography professor, the sociology professor, the political
science professor, and the psychology professor. Listen closely! Based on what each of them
have to say, you’ll get an idea of what type of things each social science focuses their studies
on.

*Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSIdaTSG2Gg
Grant, Tim Alden. "An Animated Introduction to Social Science." Online video clip. YouTube.
Soomo Publishing, 11 Feb. 2011. Web. 15 June. 2016.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSIdaTSG2Gg.

WHAT DO SOCIETY AND CULTURE LOOK LIKE?

Society
Imagine if a group of people (let’s say 1,000 people) magically got transported into an empty
planet. These people do not have a way of leaving, so it makes the most sense to stay on that
new planet and spend the rest of their lives there. If you had 1,000 people in the same territory,
starting from scratch, what do you think is the first thing they’ll do?

They would most likely create shelter, gather food, and pretty much make sure they have what
they need to survive, right? Working together to make sure that everyone gets what they need
sounds like a really good plan, right? But what if some of the 1,000 persons stranded on this
new planet don’t want to work with the others? What if some of them only want to take care of
themselves? Want to be on their own, want to build their own homes, want to gather their own
food—and NOT share?

Whose decision will be followed: the ones who want everyone to work together, or the ones who
want to do things on their own?

The scenario above is a simplified version of what most societies experience. There are too
many opinions, too many points of view, and way too many wants and needs—all because
there are MILLIONS of people out there; this makes it difficult to decide what a society should
do as a whole.

So how come some societies are able to function well? Does this mean that in those societies,
every single person agrees on the same thing?

Well, most societies will create “social constructs”, or social controls, so that their society will not
fall into chaos. When there is order (not chaos) or a systematic way of doing things that you can
count on, then things would be predictable. It would be easier to live our lives if we knew what to
expect from the people around us.

Because this is such a broad topic, in our discussion, we will only cover 3 examples of social
controls or social constructs: customs, institutions, and laws.

Customs are widely accepted ways of behaving around other people in your society.

Where do these customs come from? When a habit or action becomes established in your
society, then it becomes the automatic response that would be required of you in those
situations. For example, in the Philippines, it is a custom to approach your elders and take their
hand and press this against your forehead. The action of “mano po” is an old habit used to show
respect for your elders, and it has been carried down over the years.

Claridades, James. "bless you darling." Tumblr. N.p., 16 Nov. 2012. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.
http://squeegool.tumblr.com/post/35825116818/bless-you-darling-usual-response-of-the.

“In general, customs regulate the whole social life of man. It is the customary practices that
contribute to the harmonious social interactions in a society which normal times of peace and
tranquility.” ("Customs." Sociology Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Dec. 2015.
http://www.sociologyguide.com/basic-concepts/Custom.php.)

Once we are aware of the customs of our society, to become "accepted" by the people around
us or to feel that we belong, there is a tendency for us to conform.

"Big Remember Me Group Hug 1.gif" Wikia. N.p., N.d.,. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.
http://shakeitup.wikia.com/wiki/File:Big_Remember_Me_Group_Hug_1.gif

Conformity is all about seeking stability in a society. What does that mean?

Out of the million different social interactions that happen to one society in a day, it is surprising
that instead of chaos erupting, a certain kind of order is still the end result. Sociologists often
look at this naturally occurring system and have found that one of its causes is conformity.

Schawbel, Dan. "Are People More Important Than Projects in the Workplace?." Personal
Branding Blog. N.p., 18 June 2008. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.
http://www.personalbrandingblog.com/are-people-more-important-than-projects-in-the-workplac
e/.

We will naturally tend to want to cooperate with the people around us for us to feel that we
belong with the group, and so we conform to the customs of our society’s culture.

Here are some odd new year’s customs that are done around the world. Even though some of
these sound a tad bit ridiculous, the people of their society will still conform to them because it
fosters a feeling of belongingness.

Institutions are another good example of social constructs. Institutions “may be described as
established and recognized usages governing the relations between individuals and groups.
They represent the social structure and machinery through which human society organizes,
directs, and executes the multifarious activities required to satisfy human needs.” (Shyamasree
Saha. "Some basic concepts of sociology." SlideShare. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Dec. 2015.
http://www.slideshare.net/payalsaha/some-basic-concepts-of-sociology.)

JayWill. "Ben Carson’s Psychology Test Account Gets Even More Bizarre." Before It's News.
N.p., 8 Nov. 2015. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.
http://beforeitsnews.com/alternative/2015/11/ben-carsons-psychology-test-account-gets-even-m
ore-bizarre-3240406.html

Let’s make it easier to understand that definition.

An institution is created to formalize, or to make it easier, for societies to fulfill the customs that
have become somewhat permanent in their culture. An institution is created when you
systematize a custom.

For example: deciding to commit to one partner and to build one family together with that
partner has become so common in most societies that an institution has been formed to make
this process easier for people—it is called Marriage.

Other examples of institutions include: Education and Government.


Have you ever wondered WHY schools exist? How did Education become an institution?

Let’s go back to the scenario we first mentioned above. If you have a new society of 1,000
people who have to build a new life on a new planet, it makes sense that eventually, some of
these people will fall in love, and build families. If you are a parent, you would want your children
to know how to do things (like how to plant vegetables, gather food, hunt animals for meat, or
build simple structures). You would want them to learn about the world around them (how your
society ended up in that planet or what are the boundaries of your society’s territory, etc). You
want them to know about lots of different things so that your children can eventually decide
which of the things they learned about are the ones they are good at or the ones they like best.

If you only have a few children in the community, then it would be easier for everyone if it were
the parents who taught their own sons and daughters. But once you have more people (like
when the population goes up to 4,000 people)—it would make sense if the parents who are
better at teaching will be the ones to teach everyone’s children.

When the other parents don’t have to spend a lot of time teaching their own kids anymore, then
they are able to use this time to do other productive things, like plant or harvest more crops,
help build shelters with other families, sew clothes, gather fruits, trade food or materials with
other people in your society, etc.

This is why Education is considered an institution. Society prefers to have a system on how their
children learn because most people feel that this is the best way for them to do it. So over the
years, schools have been built and the education system is, more or less, how you see it now.

Do you understand institutions better now?

If you do, go to your facilitator and explain to them, in your own words, why Government is also
considered as an institution. Your facilitator will let you know whether you’ve already got it or if
you need to rethink on how Government is an institution.

Remember what we previously said about how institutions are a social construct?

Because institutions are constructed by society, this means that society can also deconstruct
them. Society can change these institutions, if they want to. Sometimes this happens on its own
(little changes that add up over time), or sometimes this happens deliberately (big changes are
made so the transformation is immediately seen).

At the end of the day, remember that most social constructs are created because they are a
form of “social control”.

This is best understood when you think about the Law.

"2014 in the Philippines." Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_in_the_Philippines.

Law is a kind of institution that promotes order in a society through chosen customs, which are
backed up by punishments in case there is failure to conform to them. For example: one of the
important customs that most societies follow is respect for life. Because most people respect
each other’s right to life, a law exists which says that if you take the life of someone else (i.e.,
you kill them), you are going to be heavily punished for it.

There are social agencies assigned to do the ‘enforcing’ of the law—these agencies are headed
by an institution called ‘The State’ or Government.

The State is able to use force and punishment if there are citizens in its society that do not
follow the law. Why is this possible? Because people have agreed that there should be an
institution (like Law) that helps maintain order in their society.

The things that get turned into laws are customs or behavior that matter a lot to that specific
society. This means that not all laws are the same. There are laws in the Philippines which will
not be found in a different country, like India, and vice versa.

Shah, Hurmat Ali. "All human actions are influenced by the deep-seated moral thinking of the
individual." The Nation. N.p., 18 Nov. 2015. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.
http://nation.com.pk/blogs/18-Nov-2015/all-human-actions-are-influenced-by-the-deep-seated-m
oral-thinking-of-the-person.

Laws are also used to usher in social change. When there are things happening in your society
that the State needs to correct for the betterment of its citizens, then they can use laws to
correct whatever phenomenon is present.

For example: China enacted a One​-Child Policy in its country because they were at risk of
overpopulation. There were so many people that there was hardly any more space for people to
live properly in its cities. This One-Child policy was introduced in 1978 but has been phased out
in 2015.

Eastman, Leslie. "One-Child Policy Hits China Hard." Legal Insurrection. N.p., 1 Nov. 2015.
Web. 08 Aug. 2016. http://legalinsurrection.com/2015/11/one-child-policy-hits-china-hard/

On the other hand, there are countries like Japan that currently have an aging population. This
means that there are too many people that are 60 years old and above, yet there are too few
young people that are coming in to replace these elderly people in the work force. The
Japanese government has introduced policies to encourage couples to have children, such as
increasing childcare benefits which are mostly for free, and they have enforced a 6-​month
maternity leave.

What are interesting and uncommon laws around the world? You can check out this link to find
out about 10 odd laws that could get you into trouble if you ever find yourself in any of these
societies.

So let’s recap our discussion under society!

What does society look like? A society is a group of people who have:
institutions
customs
and other social constructs

Culture
Culture isn’t as easy to spot as society. Based on the definition that we used above, culture is
intangible because it is the set of learned behaviors and beliefs that characterize a people
group. That’s not something that you can immediately see or something that you can touch. But
culture is still observable, especially if you give it time.

For example, let’s say that you were tasked to identify what kind of culture the P.U.P.
(Polytechnic University) students have. What is the first thing you would do?

You’d have to look for people from P.U.P. first, of course! The easiest way to find them is to go
to their campus.

This is where you can make your observations. Their culture could be revealed based on what
you notice a lot of them do, what they say, what they use, and many other indicators. You could
talk to many P.U.P. students, too. This will help you find out what their shared beliefs are.
But, what if, after gathering data and making observations for 2 whole weeks, you realize that
there aren’t a lot of shared beliefs and behaviors among the P.U.P. students? What if there isn’t
a significant number of commonalities among them? What if, even after you asked them, the
students themselves don’t really feel that they share things in common with other P.U.P.
students? What would that mean?

That just means that there might not be a “P.U.P. culture”. The society exists, but there are no
shared set of behaviors and beliefs among the people in the society. That is a possibility. Even if
a group of people live together or share the same territory, it does not automatically mean that
they would share the same culture.

When you enter a university (like P.U.P., A.U., U.N.C., U.P., Ateneo, etc.), you’re already at an
age where you mostly have your own beliefs, your own way of doing things, and your own
patterns of speech. This is why it will take time for you to adapt new behaviors, beliefs, and
characteristics that are common in your new environment.

You can’t expect to immediately conform or fit into the culture of a school on the first day of
classes. But if you spend the next 5 years in the same school, you’ll most likely be able to adapt
to your school’s culture.

Socialization
Have you ever wondered how you learn to interact with other people? How are you able to
determine what is acceptable and unacceptable in a group? How did you learn how to
distinguish between what can be done in public and what is only to be kept private?

All of the things you know how to do “naturally” are products of your socialization. Socialization
is “a lifelong process during which we learn about social expectations and how to interact with
other people. Nearly all of the behavior that we consider to be 'human nature' is actually learned
through socialization. And it is during socialization that we learn how to walk, talk, and feed
ourselves, about behavioral norms that help us fit into our society, and so much more.”
(Long-​Crowell, Erin. "Agents of Socialization: Family, Schools, Peers and Media." Study. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2015.
http://study.com/academy/lesson/agents​-of-socialization-​family-​schools-​peers​-and-​media.html.)

Belisle, Brittany. "The Sad Realities Of Growing Up." The Odyssey Online. N.p., 12 May 2015.
Web. 19 Jan. 2016. http://theodysseyonline.com/unc/sad-realities-​of-​growing-​up/105322.
We go through the process of socialization all throughout our lives, but it is most important
during our childhood. This is when we are first learning about the culture of the society we are
part of, and so we learn what to do and what not to do based on our observations and learning
as children.

As we grow up, there are agents of socialization that are highly influential to us. These are our
family, our school, our peers/friends, and mass media.

Holmskjold, Bjørn. "Frygten For Den Ensomme Ulv." Holmskjold. N.p., 23 Feb. 2015. Web. 20
Jan. 2016. https://holmskjold.net/frygten-​for​-den-​ensomme-ulv/.

Identity
Different agents of socialization will influence how we act, what we say, what we think and how
we think. As we become a member of different communities/groups, have you ever wondered if
you only want the things you want because it’s what everyone else wants? Or have you ever
wondered if the things you say or do are what you really mean to say/do? ...Or are they what
you say/do because it’s what everyone expects you to say/do?

Dill, Dapho. "Which Famous TV Family Would You Fit Into Perfectly?." PlayBuzz. N.p., 1 June.
2016. Web. 10 Aug. 2016.
http://www.playbuzz.com/daphodill10/which-famous-tv-family-would-you-fit-in-perfectly.

What is your identity?

Most of the questions we just asked pertain to what your identity is. Your identity is all about
YOU as an individual... but is your identity created by the society & culture around you, or are
you in charge on what kind of identity you have?

Watch this video of Mikey Bustos to get a glimpse of some of the little identity dilemmas that we
may have experienced in our lives.
Mikey Bustos. "The Filipino vs. North American Conscience by Mikey Bustos." Online video clip.
YouTube. N.p., 28 Sep 2011. Web. 21 Dec 2015.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmifRsSOluo.

Identity is usually the answer to the question “Who am I?”

In the video above, Mikey Bustos shares about the internal struggle that he sometimes has
because of the conflicting values of his North American background and his Filipino
background.
This illustrates the common problem of most of us: there are usually many answers to the
question "Who am I?". Our place in society in terms of our family/lineage, our sexual orientation,
our social class, or the groups we associate with can be used to answer this question.

For example:
Who am I? I am a woman.
Who am I? I am a Filipino.
Who am I? I am Kapampangan.
Who am I? I am a graduate of Arellano University.

Serna, Alex. "¿En Que Estaban Pensando? Trailer De Rush Hour, La Serie De TV." Mongo.
N.p., 12 Oct. 2015. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.
http://oyemongo.com/2015/12/10/en-que-estaban-pensando-trailer-de-rush-hour-la-serie-de-tv/.

We don’t always need just one answer to the question “Who am I?” It is perfectly fine to have
many answers to this. What matters the most is that you are comfortable and that you accept all
the different things that make up your identity.

People’s identities change over time. When you associate your identity with what you do
(example: I am a doctor. I am an artist. I am a human rights activist.), then you might feel that
your identity changes when you also change what you do. But that doesn’t mean that who you
are will completely be different. There are aspects of yourself that remain the same.

But which “you” is really YOU?


In the question “who am I?”:
When does “am” pertain to? Your past/future/present?
What does “I” pertain to? Your physical features? Your personality? Your emotions?

Watch this video on identity for more insight on the nuances of this concept.

Video content taken from:


Donnafiorini. “Identity Who Am I ?.” Online video clip. YouTube. N.p., 20 May 2013. Web. 28
Dec 2015.
TED​Ed. “Who am I? A philosophical inquiry ​ Amy Adkins.” Online video clip. YouTube. N.p., 11
Aug 2015. Web. 28 Dec 2015.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
SparkNotes on “Society and Culture”
http://www.sparknotes.com/sociology/society-and-culture/section1.rhtml
SparkNotes goes over the different concepts associated with society and culture on their
website. This is a good place to know more about what we’ve discussed in this WIKI, plus more
tidbits of fascinating information.

Khan Academy on “Culture”


https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat/society-and-culture/culture/a/cultural-relativism-art
icle
Khan Academy is another great resource for further reading on culture and society. They have
easy-to-understand examples and they cover other concepts than those mentioned in this WIKI.

Means of Social Control


http://www.sociologydiscussion.com/social-control/means-of-social-control-informal-and-formal-
means-of-social-control/2288
This article goes over the formal and informal means of social control that is used on societies.
Read this for an engaging discussion on what is possibly being used for/against you by your
own society.

Further Reading on Socialization


https://explorable.com/socialization

You can find out more about how socialization works from this web article.

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