Understanding Culture,

Society, and Politics

Melbhert A. Boiser
Content:Defining Culture and Society
from the perspectives of anthropology
and sociology
• LearningCompetency 2:Describe society
and culture as a complex whole.
• Code: UCSPC11/12DCS-Ic-7
 SocietY
• Society - people in
general thought of as
living together in
organized communities
with shared laws,
traditions, and values
• : the people of a
particular country, area,
time, etc., thought of
especially as an
organized community
• : people who are
fashionable and wealthy
• Perhaps the key word in any definition of
society is "organized." Members of society do
not have to live in close proximity to one
another to be considered living together as
long as they share the basic attributes of the
society. Similar laws and values help to bring
a society together and give it structure. They
also help make a society mutually beneficial
for its members. People living in a society
usually receive some form of security or
identification from being part of it, but they
also bear the responsibility of living within
its structure.
CULTURE • Culture- the beliefs,
customs, arts, etc., of a
particular society, group,
place, or time
•:a particular society that
has its own beliefs, ways
of life, art, etc.
•:a way of thinking,
behaving, or working that
exists in a place or
organization (such as a
business)
 CLASS STRUCTURES
• Class Structures
• Thereare many theories about culture, too. One such
theory that combines ideas about both culture and
society is that our society is divided into various socio-
economic groupings:
• upper
classes
middle classes
lower classes
 These three groupings sometimes are
further subdivided in ways such as this:
• Upper: upper-upper class (extremely wealthy)
middle-upper class (fairly wealthy) lower-upper
class (somewhat wealthy)
• Middle: upper-middle class (very comfortable)
middle-middle class (comfortable) lower-middle
class (barely comfortable)
• Lower: upper-lower class (struggling) middle-
lower class (poor but independent) lower-lower
class (poor and dependent)
 And there are other class labels:
• white collar: managerial office workers in middle or upper
classes.
• pink collar: female secretarial and managerial office workers
in middle and lower classes.
• professional classes: people with salaries (rather than hourly
wages) and, usually, jobs requiring little or no physical labor.
• creative classes: professional artists, administrators, and
teachers of the arts and crafts; those whose living is directly
related to such activities; and those who choose geographic
locations and jobs because of the presence of the arts and
crafts.
• working classes: lower to middle-lower classes doing
semiskilled and skilled non-office labor.
Why is culture so important to society?
• Culturereflects the inner workings of an
individual society. For example culture helps to
define social situations so people understand how
to behave based on that society's cultural norms.
For example when an individual goes to a dinner
party in the United States, it is customary to bring
a host or hostess gift. Culture also defines values,
influences personality development and influences
career choices. If culture didn't define values, or
what is considered right and wrong within the
society, then there would be social discord and the
society would fail.
• Society
could not function without cultural
norms that assist in governing behavior and
values, and culture could not exist without
societal influences to create it. They must coexist
in order for humans to exist in an organized
manner. It is important to note that culture can,
and does, change over time as societal norms
change, but the members of that society govern
that change so the individual members of the
society have a level of control over the culture.