Republic of the Philippines

Region IV-A CALABARZ0N

Division of Rizal
SAN JOSE-LITEX SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Lot 1Block 9 Litex Subdivision, Rodriguez, Rizal

UNDERSTANDING CULTURE, SOCIETY, AND POLITICS

Objectives
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
 define society and culture,
 explain the relationship of culture and society,
 identify aspects of culture and society,
 prove that culture is dynamic, flexible and adaptive,
 prove that culture is shared and contested, and
 raise questions toward a holistic appreciation of cultures and societies.
 Is there something unique that only your family does?
 Do you practice a certain custom or celebrate a special feast in your province?

Culture and Society

Culture and society are two different concepts. Each has its own meaning and function.

Culture
 According to Edward B. Tylor, culture is "that complex whole which encompasses
beliefs, practices, values, attitudes, laws, norms, artifacts, symbols, knowledge, and
everything that a person learns and shares as a member of society."
 Culture also encompasses social institutions like the family, church, school, and
government.
 Our culture defines who we are.
 Whatever it is that we do is part of our culture.

Society
 Society can be defined as the interaction among people where a common culture can be
shared.
 Society can also refer to people from a particular place that shares the same culture.
  A common location may not just develop a common culture. It can also be formed by
gender, shared beliefs, values, norms, or activities.
For example, people from Bicol love spicy food while people from Iloilo are known to be sweet
and caring.
Can you identify a common cultural practice in your society?

The Relationship of Culture and Society

Culture and society are two closely related concepts. For culture to exist and to be developed, it
needs human interaction. It needs people to interact with one another, and it needs people to
practice it continuously. Without a society practicing their common culture, the culture may
cease to exist.
Culture is also essential to society because, without culture, society will be dull and will not
continue to thrive. A society without culture is like a body without a soul and vice versa. Culture
and society need each other so they can both develop and prosper.

Aspects of Culture: Dynamic, Flexible, and Adaptive

There are different aspects of culture like art, music, language, food, daily life, clothing, and
religion to name a few. These aspects of culture show us that culture is dynamic, flexible, and
adaptive.
Culture constantly changes and adapts to the current state of society. It continuously restores
itself whenever customs do not fit in the current situation anymore. It does not remain stagnant.

Examples:
 In the aspect of music, we can see that music may change from time to time. The
traditional music during the 1920s was mostly jazz, ragtime, and broadway music while
the popular music during the 1970s was disco music.
 Because we are now more inclined to use computers and tablets especially when playing
games, some children are not able to play street games anymore. This pushed some game
developers to introduce Filipino street games as video games.
 When it comes to language, we can also see how culture adapts to changing times. We
have already developed new words related to the internet like memes, netizens, vines, and
others.

 Aspects of Culture: Shared and Contested

 Culture is learned and acquired through different interactions with people. Culture is a
shared learning experience. Because culture constantly changes, we get to share the
learning process with other people.
 
 If culture is learned and shared, it is also contested in various ways and situations.
Because of diversity, culture is subjected to debate and analysis.

Explore!
Observe your interaction with your classmates. Try to identify what common culture you and
your classmates share that made you become friends.

Try it!
Try to ask your parents about popular songs and dances during their teenage years. Find out how
different they are from yours and how much they have changed.

What do you think?

What do you think the Philippine culture will be twenty years from now?

Tips
 Our society needs to preserve and promulgate our indigenous culture so that we can
maintain our identity as a nation.
  Culture changes and adapts to current society, but that does not mean that our traditional
culture should be forgotten.

 Different cultures exist in the world, but there is no culture greater than another. We
should learn to accept our differences, help other cultures learn ours, and learn other
cultures as well.

 We should not judge the customs, norms, and beliefs of others because those are part of
their unique culture.

Keypoints
 Culture is a set of behaviors that we have absorbed. It is a set of characteristics that help
us relate and bond with other people.

 Society is a group of individuals coming from the same place and shares the same
culture.

 It is crucial to preserve and promulgate our culture and traditions if we want to keep
them alive. We are facing lots of changes, developments, and technological advances
today that we tend to forget to look back on our old culture and traditions.

 Culture is dynamic, flexible, and adaptive. It changes based on the current situation of
society. Culture continuously restores itself so it will remain relevant.

 Culture is best learned when it is shared. There are a lot of cultures that exists in our
world. We need to share our unique culture with others to get to know theirs and also
spread ours.

 While it is learned and shared, culture is also contested. Because of diversity, culture is
subject to debate and analysis.