[Understanding Culture, Society and Politics) Jellie Ann L.

Jalac, BNHS 2017

Aspects of Culture and Society I (Dynamic, Flexible, & Adaptive; and Shared & Contested)

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?

Find out the answers in this lesson!

Learn about it!

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.
 [Understanding Culture, Society and Politics) Jellie Ann L. Jalac, BNHS 2017

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.
 [Understanding Culture, Society and Politics) Jellie Ann L. Jalac, BNHS 2017

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.