UNDERSTANDING

CULTURE, SOCIETY
AND POLITICS
Teacher Arvin
Hi, Students!
How is everyone
doing?
Objectives:
• acknowledge human cultural variation, social differences, social change, and
political identities,
• adopt an open and critical attitude toward different social, political, and cultural
phenomena through observation and reflection, and
• appreciates the value of disciplines of Anthropology, Sociology, and Political
Science as social sciences.
This course uses insights from Anthropology, Political Science, and Sociology to
develop students’ awareness of cultural, social and political dynamics, and sensitivity
to cultural diversity; provide them with an understanding of how culture, human
agency, society and politics work; and engage them in the examination of the
country’s current human development goals. At the end of the course, students should
acquire ideas about human cultures, human agency, society and politics; recognize
cultural relativism and social inclusiveness to overcome prejudices; and develop
social and cultural competence to guide their interactions with groups, communities,
networks, and institutions.
STARTING POINTS FOR THE UNDERSTANDING
OF
CULTURE, SOCIETY, AND POLITICS
WHAT I KNOW?
INSTRUCTION: Share your ideas!
WHAT I KNOW?
INSTRUCTION: Share your ideas!
WHAT I KNOW?
INSTRUCTION: Share your ideas!
 Concepts and Definitions

WHAT’S IN?
Introduction
DEF I NI TI ON OF T E RMS

What is
CULTURE? SOCIETY? POLITICS?
 C U LT U R E SO CIE T Y
Culture refers to “that complex whole A society is a grouping of individuals,
which encompasses beliefs, practices, which is characterized by common
values, attitudes, laws, norms, artifacts, interest and may have
symbols, knowledge, and everything distinctive culture and institutions.
that a person learns and share as a
member of society
 PO L IT ICS
Politics is the set of activities that are
associated with making decisions in
groups, or other forms of power
relations between individuals, such as
the distribution of resources or status.
 Concepts and Definitions

WHAT’S IN?
H U M A N C U LT URAL SOC IA L DIFF E RE NC E S
VA R IAT IO N

S O C IA L C H A NGE P OL ITIC AL
IDE NT IT IES
 Concepts and Definitions

WHAT’S IN?
HUMAN C U LT U R A L VAR IAT ION

It refers to the differences in social behaviors that different

WHAT’S IN?
CULTURAL
VARIATION
Religion
Ethnicity
Nationality
 Concepts and Definitions

WHAT’S IN?
RELIGION • ‘religare’ a Latin
word – ‘to bind together’ •
is a system of beliefs and practices
as well as systems of actions
directed toward entities which are
above men •
is an organized system of ideas
about the spiritual sphere or the
supernatural.
 Concepts and Definitions

WHAT’S IN?
ETHNICITY • It is the
expression of the set of
cultural ideas held by a
distinct ethics or indigenous
group.
 Concepts and Definitions

WHAT’S IN?
NATIONALITY • It is the
legal relationship that binds a
person and a country. •

It allows the state to protect

WHAT’S IN?
SOC IAL D IFF E R E N C E S
The differences among the individuals on the basis of social
characteristics and qualities.

Gender
Socio-economic Status
Exceptionality
 Concepts and Definitions

WHAT’S IN?
GENDER • It is the socially-
constructed characteristics of
being male or female.
• Serve as guide on how males
and females think and act about
themselves.
• Gender vs Sex
• LGBTQi (Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual, Transgender,
Queer/Questioning, Intersex)
 Concepts and Definitions

WHAT’S IN?
GENDER SEX
• One's sense of self as masculine or • It is biological
feminine regardless of external • It refers to a person based on their
genitalia. anatomy
• Socially constructed characteristics • Bodies
• Personality characteristics
 Concepts and Definitions
WHAT’S IN?
LGBTQi
Lesbian - A woman who is emotionally, romantically, or sexually
attracted to other women.
Gay - Men attracted emotionally, romantically, and/or sexually to men.
Bisexual - A person who is attracted to two sexes or two genders, but not necessarily simultaneously or
equally.
Transgender - Transgender (sometimes shortened to trans or TG) people are those whose psychological
self ("gender identity") differs from the social expectations for the physical sex they were born with.
Queer/Questioning - a person who is attracted to multiple genders 
Intersex - Intersexuality is a set of medical conditions that feature congenital anomaly of the reproductive
and sexual system.
 Concepts and Definitions

WHAT’S IN?
SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS
it refers to the category of
persons who have more or less
the same socio-economic
priveleges.
Upper class
Middle class
Lower class
 Concepts and Definitions

WHAT’S IN?
 Concepts and Definitions

WHAT’S IN?
SOCIAL CHANGE
SOCIAL CHANGE REFERS TO CHANGES IN THE WAY SOCIETY IS
ORGANIZED, THE BELIEFS, AND/OR PRACTICES OF THE PEOPLE WHO
LIVE IN THAT SOCIETY.ALTERATIONS IN BASIC STRUCTURES OF A
SOCIAL GROUP OR SOCIETY.CHANGE IN THE SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS,
THE RULES OF SOCIAL BEHAVIOR, VALUE SYSTEMS OR THE SOCIAL
RELATIONS OF A SOCIETY OR COMMUNITY.
 Concepts and Definitions

WHAT’S IN?
SOCIAL CHANGE
ANTHROPOLOGY
ACCORDING TO AN ANTHROPOLOGIST, SOCIAL CHANGE HAPPENS
BECAUSE OF…
INVENTION: NEW INNOVATIONS THAT CHANGE THE WAY CULTURES
FUNCTION
DISCOVERY: FINDING INFORMATION THAT CHANGES A CULTURE
THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN
DIFFUSION: DISTRIBUTION OF IDEAS AND INFORMATION BETWEEN
CULTURES
ACCULTURATION: BLENDING OF CERTAIN BELIEFS AND CUSTOMS
BETWEEN 2 CULTURES AFTER CLOSE INTERACTION OVER TIME
 Concepts and Definitions

WHAT’S IN?
SOCIAL CHANGE
DIFFUSION: DISTRIBUTION OF IDEAS AND INFORMATION BETWEEN
CULTURES
populations in the world are adopting new goods and services from anywhere he or
she stays. Much of the materialist products are being applied to following the
marketing policy .(celebrities campaigns in drinking milk, cold drinks), public
health (birth control in less developed countries) etc.
ACCULTURATION: BLENDING OF CERTAIN BELIEFS AND CUSTOMS
BETWEEN 2 CULTURES AFTER CLOSE INTERACTION OVER TIME
 Concepts and Definitions

WHAT’S IN?
SOCIAL CHANGE

ACCULTURATION: BLENDING OF CERTAIN BELIEFS AND CUSTOMS

WHAT’S IN?
POLITICAL IDENTITY
is a TERM THAT DESCRIBES A POLITICAL APPROACH WHEREIN
PEOPLE OF A PARTICULAR RELIGION, RACE, SOCIAL
BACKGROUND, CLASS OR OTHER IDENTIFYING FACTOR FORM
Exclusive socio-political alliances, moving away from broad-based, coalitional
politics to support and follow political movements that share a particular
identifying quality with them.
Its aim is to support and center the concerns, agendas, and projects of particular
groups, in accord with specific social and political changes.
 Concepts and Definitions

WHAT’S IN?
POLITICAL IDENTITY
Example:
Social Activism
Feminist
LGBT Movement
In academic usage, the term identity politics refers to a wide range of political
activities and theoretical analyses rooted in experiences of injustice shared by
different, often excluded social groups.
 Concepts and Definitions

WHAT’S IN?
POLITICAL IDENTITY
IN this context, identity politics aims to reclaim greater self-determination and
political freedom for marginalized peoples that is treated as insignificant.
Why does culture, society, and
politics matter?