AGUSAN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
T. SANCHEZ ST. BUTUAN CITY
Understanding Culture, Society and Politics
CHAPTER II
ASPECTS OF CULTURE
Culture - the people’s way of life
- it is the people’s shared ways of
doing and thinking.
Edward Burnett Tylor, an English
anthropologist, invented the term
‘culture’ in the 18th century.
According to him, culture is a
complex whole which includes
knowledge, belief, art, law, morals,
custom, and any other capabilities
and habits acquired by man as a
member of society.
 The study of society is incomplete
without proper understanding of the
culture of that society because
culture and society go together.
Bronislaw Malinowski , an
anthropologist, defined culture as
the hardwork of man and the
medium through which he achieves
his ends.
Robert Redfield, an American
anthropologist, defined culture as
an organized body of conventional
understandings manifest in art
which persisting through tradition,
characterizes a human group.
CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTURE
1. Culture is social because it is the
product of behavior
 it is the product of society
 it develops through social interaction
2. Culture varies from society to society
 every society has a culture of its own
 cultures are not uniform
3. Culture is shared
 customs, traditions, beliefs, values
and morals are shared by people
CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTURE
4. Culture is learned
 It is not inborn
Covert behavior – not openly visible
Overt behavior – obvious behavior
5. Culture is transmitted among members
of society
 it is transmitted from one generation
to another
 transmission is made possible by
language
 language is the vehicle of culture
6. Culture is continuous and cumulative
 it exists as a continuous process
 no culture ever remains constant
 culture is dynamic
7. Culture is gratifying and idealistic
 it provides opportunities for the
satisfaction of our needs and desires
 our biological and social needs are
fulfilled in the cultural ways
 it is something that one has to follow
FUNCTIONS OF CULTURE
1. Culture defines situations
- culture has many hints which
define each situation
- ex. someone outstretched his
right hand as a sign of greeting
but it also means ‘warning’ in
different countries.
2. Cultures defines attitude, values,
and goals
- each person learns from his culture
what is good and true and beautiful
3. Culture defines myths, legends,
and the supernatural
- myths, supernatural beliefs and
legends are powerful forces in a
group’s behavior.
4. Culture provides behavior patterns
- it imposes limits on our behavior
- ex. The procedure of securing a
mate is defined by his culture.
ETHNOCENTRISM
(preference of your own culture)
 Ethno (greek word) means “people,
nation, cultural grouping”
 Centric (latin word) means “center”
 William Graham Sumner invented the
term ethnocentrism
 It is a belief that your native culture is
the most natural way or superior way
of understanding the world.
 It is the practice of comparing other
cultural practices with one’s own and
finding those practices inferior.
(inferior means less important)
ex. Filipinos like to eat Filipino food
and finds Thailand people weird and
gross because they eat insects.
FUNCTIONS OF ETHNOCENTRISM
1. It encourages the solidarity of a group.
- being loyal to our culture,
preserving our culture are
important values
2. It hinders the understanding or
cooperation between groups
- extreme ethnocentrism is likely to
promote conflict (e.g. wars)
3. It is a vehicle for the promotion of social
change
- conflict often leads to social
change through encouragement
of its peaceful evolution.
CULTURAL RELATIVISM
- high cultural sensitivity
- not judging a culture but trying to
understand it on its own terms
 It is the idea that all norms, beliefs,
and values are dependent on their
cultural context.
 The concept of cultural relativism
does not mean that all customs are
equally valuable nor does it imply that
no customs are harmful. Some
patterns of behavior are dangerous
but it serve a purpose in the society
 We must interpret their behaviors in
the light of their motives, values if we
are to understand them.
 It does not matter whether cultures
are either equal or different
Appreciate of other culture may come about
for two complementary reasons:
(1) Acquisition of sufficient knowledge
about other country’s culture
(2) Direct exposure to other culture.
OTHER CONCEPTS OF CULTURE
Xenocentrism – preference for the foreign
Ex. Buying imported products because of its
good quality and assuming that products
from abroad are better.
Xenophobia – fear of what is perceived as
foreign or strange. This is also the practice
disliking other races and their culture. This
might lead to racism and discrimination.
Ex. Filipinos don’t like the people from China
because they keep on insisting that the
Scarborough Shoal belongs to them.
Acculturation
 learning other country’s culture for
conformity
 it is a process in which an individual
adopts, acquires and adjust to a new
cultural environment
Ex. Filipinos learn how to use chopsticks
during their vacation in Japan.
Enculturation
- refers to the process by which we
learn about our culture.
- the gradual acquisition of the
characteristics and norms of a
culture by a person
Ex. Words of respect like “po” and “opo” are
taught to children by parents.
Third Culture shock – individuals who have
stayed for a long time in another country may
be shocked by their own country’s culture
once exposed to it again.
Ex. Gina forgot how to eat balut after living in
America for 15 years.
CULTURE AS HERITAGE
Heritage - features belonging to the culture
of a particular society, such as
traditions, languages, or
buildings, that were created in the
past and still have historical
importance
Cultural artifact - anything created by
humans which gives information about the
culture of its creator and users.
Ex. stone tools, pottery vessels, metal
objects such as weapons, and items of
personal adornment such as buttons, jewelry
and clothing.
Culture has tangible (visible) and intangible
(nonmaterial) components.
Cultural Heritage is divided into
two groups

 Preservation of Cultural
Heritage is tantamount to
protecting them from external
threats such as destruction,
mutilation, and desecration
through frivolous
use/representation.