Understanding Culture,

Society and Politics.

Section 2: Anthropology, Sociology and Political Science.
Anthropology- Science that deals with the study of human beings and their
humanity through the examinations of people’s biological and cultural past and
comparing with these with that of another group or community. Anthropology is
divided in major sub-fields. These are:
(1) Biological/Physical Anthropology, (2) Archaeology, (3) Anthropological
Linguistics, (4) Socio-Cultural Anthropology.

1. Socio-Cultural Anthropology- This sub-field of Anthropology deals with the

study of human culture and it’s influences on the daily lives of people. It also
deals with the study of differences and similarities of various cultures and how
they correlate with each other.
2. Biological/Physical Anthropology
This sub-field of anthropology studies the biological or physical
aspects of human beings such as but not limited to genetics,
paleoanthropology, evolutionary science and population diversity.
This sub-field involves studies regarding man as biological creature
and therefore subject to the laws of biology such as heredity.
3. Archaeology
Is basically the study of cultural heritage of the past through
the examination of the physical remains and ruins of past cultures. It
also involves the studies regarding the ancient civilizations.
4. Anthropological Linguistics
Deals with the influences of language and symbols to human culture.
Without language, there could be no culture to speak of since culture
can only be transmitted through symbols of communication. Hence,
communication is an essential tool for passing culture from generation
to generation.
 Sociology as the study
of Human Societies

Sociology has been defined as the scientific study of the society

which necessarily entails the study of all human activities in the
society, a broad course that deals with all human activities inside
the society including all interactions with other human beings,
social institutions, social problems and dilemmas and all other
social forces inside the society.
Sociological Perspective as a tool in
Understanding Sociology
• Sociological Perspective- is a kind of conceptual framework or
paradigm for looking into intricate relationships among individuals in
the society and how they react to their environment. Through time,
different sociological perspectives were used by sociologists to
analyze social inquiry. These sociological perspectives are the
Functional perspective, Symbolic interactionism perspective and
Conflict theory perspective.
Functionalist Perspective
• The Functionalist Perspective sees the society as composed of
different but interdependent integral parts and these parts play a vital
role in keeping the society together in-tact and functioning. All the
parts of the society have different functions that in turn maintain the
society. A function is what the different parts of the society do for the
maintenance of the social order.
Symbolic Interactionism
• Another sociological perspective is symbolic interactionism. It Is a
term coined by the notable sociologist Herbert Blummer. Herbert
Blummer believes that in order to understand society, it is of
paramount concern to know the underlying concepts embedded in
everyday communication and interaction. The symbolic Interactionist
perspective outlines social interaction and focuses on it to understand
social phenomenon. The way individuals interact and communicate
with each other can be characterized by symbolism. These symbols
used in everyday experiences and encounters with other people in
the form of language, written or unwritten is the key in understanding
society.
• Self- Awareness- An individual is believed to be self-aware if they can
see themselves in the perspective of another individual. Interaction
with other individual can happen if they are aware that they exist and
that they have their own individuality and personality different from
others.
• Shared symbols- Man is considered to be symbolic animal. This is so
because man always imputes symbols to things. Once a meaning or
concept is attached to a thing or even an idea, a symbol arises.
• Negotiated Order- When people interact with each other, there is
already a preconceived reactions or response to every kind of
interaction.
Social Conflict Perspective
• The society is always full of different groups socially stratified. The
stratification could arise from economic status, different ideologies
and other means of stratification. People from different social groups
are often in conflict with another social group. When people advance
their needs they often pair up with others who share their
perspective and tend to clash with other with a different point of view
or status. Social conflict theory as inspired by the sociologist and
political thinker Karl Marx studies the different social groups or
classes and outlines how they clash with one another.
Political Science as the
study of Politics and
Governance
Political Science is the art of politics and governance. It is a social
science that deals with the study of the vacillating spectrums of
politics as it relates to the different situations both inside and
outside of the government. It embraces the encompassing topics
in the Social Sciences that have a touch of politics and
governance. Political science also includes different sub-fields
like Political Philosophy, Comparative Government and Politics,
Public administration and Internal Relations. According to Greek
Philosopher Aristotle, Political Science is the study of the state
including its forms of government, political system, political
behavior and political ideology. As also mentioned by Aristotle,
all men are bound to politics because men are political animals.
The Different Fields in Political Science
1 . Political Philosophy- this is the most basic of all political science subjects,
could also be considered as a sub-branch of Philosophy. It deals with the
study of concepts such as politics, government, liberty and justice.
2. Comparative Government and Politics- this sub-field incorporates topics
such as the different forms of government found in different countries
around the world with their concomitant advantages and disadvantages.
3. Public Administration- this deals with the study of bureaucracy behind the
government and proper way to administer the needs of general public.
4. International Relations- topics in International Diplomacy
and Public International Law are included in this subject. It is the study of
the diplomatic relations and practices among the states in the worldview
setting and how power is being balanced in the international level
The Different Social Science Disciplines
Social Sciences
-are an extensive body of knowledge that encompasses many subjects
and courses. It’s main inquiry is about man himself including his
concomitant consequences such as his way of thinking, behavior,
society and way of life. All the fields of the social sciences that are
included in the discussion here work hand in hand with anthropology.
Sociology and political science to create a holistic picture of the study
of culture, society and politics. The different basic social science fields
are: Philosophy, Sociology, Anthropology, Political Science, History,
Psychology and Economics.
The Importance of Studying Culture, Society,
and Politics
1. The Study of Culture, Society and Politics stimulates social awareness.
2. It can help solve social problems that besiege everyone in the society
3. It can help people to connect themselves not only to environment but to
other people as well.
4. It lets human beings know their real essence as a human being who is
not separate from nature but actually a part of all the natural process
happening in nature.
5. To arouse the social consciousness/awareness of the students.
6. To develop the concept of civilian responsibility.
THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS…