CHAPTER 2

SOCIETY AND CULTURE

SOCIETY AND CULTURE
The thrust of sociology and anthropology
is the study of society and culture, social
organizations and social behavior. The
concept of society and culture are the
building blocks for understanding and
analysing everyday life. The two concepts
are interrelated and are sometimes used
interchangeably, but there is a precise
different between them.
 SOCIETY refers to the totality of social
organizations, such as corporation, schools,
hospital and religious groups that share a
common habitat or a territorially defined
placed and depend on each other for survival.
These groups of people are relatively self
sufficient and live a common life. Some
social scientist defined society as a group of
people who live within the same territory,
share a common culture, perpetuate
themselves through reproduction and
constitute a more or less self sufficient units.
 The society can be small , like the tribal
community of the aeta of Pampanga or the
Hanunoo of mindoro. It can likewise be very
big, such as the Chinese nation. The filipino
society is made up of 85 million people as of
2000, occupying 114,400 square miles of
territory, bound together by a complex
network of social relationships and sharing
common norms, value, tradition, and beliefs.
Modern nations are usually composed of
different co-existing cultural groups with
different identities and traditions.
Society has both structure and function (waters,
1994:94). Social structure refers to the pattern
of relationship between units of a specified
whole. This is observed in the regularity of
people’s behavior and their interrelation with
one another. The social structure helps to shape
social life in important ways. Function refers to
the purpose and effects, as well as the intended
and actual consequences of particular beliefs
and actions. Within the society there exist
organization systems of social norms, belief,
value, and material culture formed around the
social needs of people.
These are known as social institutions. They
constitute cluster of relatively stable rules the
govern social activities in a society and practices
based on similar principles that display some
degree of regularity (Howard and Hattis,
1992:428). These are man made ways of solving
some problem that individuals and societies face
and are organized around critical issues and
support the important values of the groups. All
societies have such institutions as the family,
economy, religion, government and education to
meet certain social needs.
Anthropologist identify four types of social
institution; (1)those that deal with the
economy and property relations like farms,
bank, markets: (2) those concerned with
social control, like polities, law and
government; (3) those concerned with the
supernatural like magic, and religion; and (4)
those based on the principle of kinship
created by descent and marriage, such as the
family. Social institutions perform definite
function and are integrative and interrelated
with each other.
The Functionalism hold that society is a
system made up of set of elements or
components that are interrelated in a
more or less stable way through a period
of time. The components of society are
its social institutions; the family,
religion, economy, state, and education.
These have structure features similar to
the body’s organs and they have their
respective function.
 The functionalist theory is a helpful tool for
describing society and knowing its structural
parts and functions. However this perspective
does not given an entire picture of social life as
it neglects to go into the process of social
change. What it emphasizes is consensus,
integration, and stability (Zanden, 1993:53-54)
 The conflict theory was initiated by karl Marx
and share by other scholar, like C. Wright
Mills, lewis Coser and Ralph Dahrendorf. The
conflict theorist maintain that society can best
best be studies through conflict and power
struggle. These theorist study society with its
structure arrangements and institution, but place
greater emphasis on the process of change which
brings about disorder and instability. They point
out that within a society wealth, prestige, and
power are always scarce . Here there is constant
conflict for these scarce resources, and the
inequalities in the economic system would bring
about revolution. When the exploited lower
classes realize their inferior status, they would
rebel against the dominant power owner and
employers.
 Conflict theorist claim that society is often
held together in the face of conflicting
interests in two ways; (1) the state with its
government and rules becomes an
instruments of oppression used by the
ruling elite for their own benefits; and (2)
the many over lapping elite interest groups
can win or those jointly, depending on their
willingness to cooperate and compromise
with each other hence they can unite to
work for goals that bring about social
change for their own welfare.
The conflict perspective balances the
functionalist theory. The functionalists’
difficulty in dealing with history and social
change is balanced by the conflict theory.
Some theorist view society as having aspects
of consensus and stability and at times social
changes, and so they contend that
functionalists and conflict theorist are
actually studying two aspects of the same
reality
( Zanden, 1993:56-57)
 THE CONCEPT OF CULTURE
Sometimes we hear some people say, ‘’That lady
is highly cultured.’’ this connotes that the lady is
very accomplished in the field of art, and is
refined and sophisticated. We also often hear the
term ‘’ expressive culture ‘’ referring to the
plastic and graphic arts such as music, painting
and sculpture. These is also the so-called ‘’
popular culture ‘’ which refers to such activities
as shows on television, rock music and ballroom
dancing. These are limited meanings of culture.
To social scientists culture has a broader meaning.
Culture is the core concept in culture anthropology
and is an important concept in sociology. There are
numerous definitions of culture. Edward Tylor
(1871) an english anthropologist defined ‘’ culture or
civilization’’ as that complex whole which includes
knowledge, beliefs, art, law, moral, and any other
capabilities and acquired by a person as a member of
society ( miller, 2002;12). Today civilization is not
equated with culture as the former implies a higher
level or the term ‘’ humans’’ and ‘’ people’’ instead
of ‘’ man’’ . Marvin Harris, an anthropologist say
that ‘’a culture is the total socially acquired life ways
of a group of people .
It consists of the patterned repetitive ways of
thinking, feeling and acting that are
characteristics of the members of a particular
society or segment of society’’. ( In Miller,
2002;12). Tischler (2004;56) defines culture as
all that human beings learn to do, to use, to
produce and to believe as they grow to maturity
and live out their lives in the social group to
which they belong. From the standpoint of the
anthropology and sociologists, all people have
culture. All humans participate in a culture,
whether they are professionals, corporate
leaders, farmers, fishermen, or clamdiggers.
Culture is an all encompassing concept which
includes all the recipes for living, a blueprint
for behavior and any social activity, the sum
total of human creations and a way of life
which serves as potential guide for behavior.
It answer question like ‘’What shall we do?’’
or ‘’How do we do this’’ culture include thing
from the most insignificant to the more lofty
technical ideas. It prescribes what one can do
or not do. We learn ways of eating, sleeping,
cooking, ways of greeting, rules of good
manners and etiquette and other.
Culture implies that a society has its own way
of life shared by most of its members. The
presence of culture may be observed among
the Agta of Zambales, the Mangyans of
Mindoro, the Ifugaos of Norther luzon, the
Muslim of the south, as well as among the
urbanized Filipinos, Singaporeans, and Thais
or the sophisticated New Yorkers and
Parisian. Each society has its own distinctive
system of family, economy, politics, religion
and education. Culture vary; therefore
anthropologists hold that no society has more
culture than another.
Everyone has culture and is cultured. A
farmer, fisherman, and laborer are just as
cultured as a professional, an artist,
businessman, or linguist is.
Culture is thus necessary for human
existence. It set preconditioning factors for the
development of an individual’s personality. It
partly provides that individual the material
with which he or she develops habits, motor
skill, attitudes, prejudices, aspirations and
capabilities. Thus one is able to adjust to his
or her environment.
Culture provides the knowledge which enables
one to survive physically and socially. One find
the methods and techniques for controlling,
manipulating and transforming nature in one’s
culture. Culture controls and regulates the
collective existence of society and guides the
individual in deciding the definition and order of
responses to future experiences. All these save
one from engaging in time consuming and effort
consuming trial and error experimentation in
setting up pattern for meeting his/her bio-
physical needs and in detecting convenient and
effective channels for cooperation in varied types
of activities. Thus, culture is the basis for human
social life and its essential for existence; and it
becomes the basis for interpreting reality.
MORES
Mores are social norms that are essential
to the welfare of the group and their cherished
values. They have moral or ethical values and
are associated with the strong feelings of right
and wrong. Going against them is offensive to
the standards of righteousness and proper
behavior. They apply to sex behavior and family
relations; physical and moral aggression against
member of an in-group; attitudes toward
authority, religions and the unfortunates in
society;
Dealing in business and the varied professions;
and other matters which involves group welfare.
Having strong moral sanctions, they are the
‘’must’’ and ‘’shoulds’ of the society.
The mores of a society are usually
developed, established and perpetuated by a
ritual or formal ceremony prescribed by the
group the significance of which is emotionally
load. The enforcement of mores takes the form
of taboos, acts which are prohibited or
forbidden, such as incest child abuse battering
wives and prostitution.
The ten commandments constitutes an
important source of mores. Other sanction are
positively expressed in terms of what one is
obliged to do, such as that a man must
support his family and children must obey
their parent that a citizen has to serves his/her
country in time of crisis or has to show
concern for the community welfare, or that
one should be kind to the handicapped the
elderly and the marginalized. People are
taught from birth to follow and obey mores.
The important feature of mores is that failure
to observe them brings upon the violators the
censure of the group. Violators of mores are
regarded as immortal, sinful , vicious or
antisocial. Strong pressures leading to
conformity include fear of ghosts or other
forms of supernatural retribution and
avoidance or ostracism, banishment or exile,
and becoming the object of gossip, ridicule,
or mob violence
 LAWS
Laws are formalized norms defined by a
governing body or public authority. Some mores
are enacted into laws and enforced by political
and legal authorities. Some laws that are not
based on mores are difficult to enforce, such as
those against gambling and the use of marijuana
(light and knudsen 1982;62). We have observed
this in the recent drive to eradicate jueteng .
Time and again the police claim that jueteng has
been stopped but after a few months the illegal
gambling would be resumed .
Whether jueteng will be fully stopped remains to
be seen. The constitution presidential decrees and
other the civil code and the declaration of Human
Right are example of laws. Congress or president
provincial councils, municipal councils and
barangay councils can formulate laws for their
constituent. The executive head may also
formulate executive orders as provided by law.
Society enforce the laws to regulate the activities
and behavior of its member and agencies so that
it can cope with threats to its welfare. The
sanction of society against violators of the laws
are fines imprisonment and death.
 FASHION, FADS, CRAZES
A side from the folkways, mores, and
laws, fashion, fads, and crazes may operate
primarily as forces of social change. They are
short lived social norms which demand
compliance at the time they operate. Styles of
dresses, shoes, bags, and hairdos are example.
The same its true of style of house, furniture,
cars and gadgets. The are powerful regulators of
behaior in urban areas and industrialized centers.
The prestige and status of a person depends o
his/her use of the style that is current.
 SANCTIONS
While the norms are the guidelines for
behavior, not all member of society follow them.
This result from ignorance or lock of knowledge
about the norms, the tendency to follow the
norms of one subgroups or personal reasons or
principles. Sanctions are a system of rewards
and punishments. Rewards are positive sanctions
for those who follow the norms, and
punishments are negative sanctions for those
who defy or break the norms. Sanction may also
be formal or informal.
 Informal Sanction are gossip,
unfavorable public opinion and giving or
withdrawing of friendships, affection or love.
Thus when a mother says, ‘’Mama loves you
,’’ accompanied by a hug or a kiss, this may
be enough to make a child follow what Mama
would like him/her to do. Those who do not
keep up with the fashions or fads are subject
to ridicule or are called ‘’old fashioned.’’
those who break the norms are ridiculed,
laughed at, or ostracized.
 Formal Sanction may be take such as
getting high grades or awards in school,
promotion or salary increase in one’s place of
work, medals of honor, merit awards, and
citations. One may get an award for being the
most outstanding farmer, clerk, laborer or teacher,
model father or mother or student. Two
prestigious national award are given to ten
outstanding young men (TOYM)or ten
outstanding young women in the nation (TOWN).
Failing grades in school demotion or removal
from office, fine, jail sentence, or the death
penalty are negative sanction.