Ucsp Week 10 11
Ucsp Week 10 11
Ucsp Week 10 11
Understanding
Culture, Society
and Politics
UNDERSTANDING CULTURE SOCIETY AND POLITICS
Course Description: This course uses insights from Anthropology, Political Science, and
Sociology to develop students’ awareness of cultural, social and political dynamics, and sensitivity to
cultural diversity; provide them with an understanding of how culture, human agency, society and
politics work; and engage them in the examination of the country’s current human development goals.
At the end of the course, students should acquire ideas about human cultures, human agency, society
and politics; recognize cultural relativism and social inclusiveness to overcome prejudices; and develop
social and cultural competence to guide their interactions with groups, communities, networks, and
institutions. CONTENT C Course Description: This course uses insights from Anthropology, Political
Science, and Sociology to develop students’ awareness of cultural, social and political dynamics, and
sensitivity to cultural diversity; provide them with an understanding of how culture, human agency,
society and politics work; and engage them in the examination of the country’s current human
development goals. At the end of the course, students should acquire ideas about human cultures,
human agency, society and politics; recognize cultural relativism and social inclusiveness to overcome
prejudices; and develop social and cultural competence to guide their interactions with groups,
communities, networks, and institutions.
I. OBJECTIVES
I.Bands-group, troop, band of musicians borrowed from Spanish, “group, troop, band of
musicians,” in part borrowed from French bande band entry 3, in part continuing
earlier banda “flock, herd,” perhaps of pre-Latin origin.
A band is a “…small, loosely organized [group] of people held together by informal means”
(Gezen and Kottak 2014: 303). Its political organization is concerned with meeting basic needs
for survival. Decision-making and leadership are focused on how best to meet those needs.
Membership can be fluid. Power can be situational with leadership based on the skills and
personality of an individual. Leaders do not have the power to enforce their will on the group; all
members of the group, generally adults, contribute to the decision-making process. Because of
this group decision-making process and the fact that everyone has access to the resources
needed to survive, bands are egalitarian. Just like other members of the band, leaders are
expected to contribute to the economic resources of the group. Authority is relegated within
families, but due to the egalitarian nature of bands, even within families authority may not be
strong.
In general, bands have a small number of people who are kin or loyal to the leader. Subsistence
is based on foraging, thus bands need a fair amount of land from which to gather, hunt, and fish,
which also contributes to the small size of bands as the group does not want to surpass the
carrying capacity of their territory. Bands may be fairly mobile as they seasonally follow food
sources. They may have semi-permanent settlements that are reused at specific times of the
year. The concept of private property is generally absent, although if it is present, it is weak.
This means that land is not owned, but can be used communally. Social stratification is absent
or based on skills and age.
Bands in the modern world are relegated to marginal environments such as the arctic, deserts,
and dense forests. Examples include the Mbuti and Ju’/hoansi in Africa, the Netsilik and Inuit in
Canada, the Lapp of Scandinavia, the Tiwi in Australia, and the Ainu in Japan.
There was some variability in the settlement pattern of the three groups up until the 20th century
when interaction with modern nation-states greatly changed their cultures. The Sakhalin and
Kurlie were fairly mobile with the former settling near the coast during the summer and inland
during winter. The Kurlie moved more frequently. The Hokkaidō resided in permanent
settlements along rivers rich in fish. It was in the richest environments along rivers that
supported denser populations. Most settlements contained no more than five families.
Fishing, hunting, and gathering provided necessary sustenance. The division of labor fell out
along gender lines, with men responsible for fishing both freshwater and marine species and
hunting (bear and deer in Hokkaidō and musk deer and reindeer in Sakhalin) and women
responsible for gathering plants. Traditional tools such as bow and arrow, set-trap bow, spears,
nets, and weirs were used for hunting and fishing. The Hokkaidō used trained hunting dogs (the
Sakhalin used sled dogs as well). Aconite and stingray poison was employed to ensure
wounded animals would collapse within a short distance.
There is some variation in kinship among the Ainu, but generally, they are patrilineal with the
nuclear family as the basic social unit. Polygyny is acceptable among prominent males. Cousins
from an individual’s mother’s side are prohibited from marrying. Sociopolitical power is held by
males and has a strong religious component. Political organization is within settlements;
however, some smaller settlements may align themselves with adjacent larger settlements.
Elders are involved in the decision-making process.
Religious beliefs permeate all aspects of Ainu life; from the way food scraps are disposed of to
declaration of war have religious overtones. Nature deities reign supreme among the Ainu, with
animal deities taking the form of humans when interacting with the Ainu people. The bear,
representing the supreme deity in disguise, is the most sacred figure. The Ainu have many
religious ceremonies, but the bear ceremony, which takes two years to complete, is the most
important. It is a funeral ritual for a dead bear in which the soul of the bear is sent back to the
mountains to be reborn as another bear. This is to ensure that the deities continue to gift the
Ainu with fur and meat. The bear ceremony has political overtones, as the political leader is
responsible for hosting the ceremony. The ceremony acts as a way for the leader to display
their power as they are expected to display their wealth through trade items. Both men and
women can be shamans, or religious leaders. In fact, most shamans are women and represents
a socially acceptable way for a woman to wield, albeit little, power within Ainu culture.
The Ainu culture has been greatly impacted by contact with both Japanese and Russian
governments as control of traditional lands changed hands. The Hokkaidō’s, through influence
from the Japanese, were forced to live in smaller territories and to adopt an agricultural lifestyle.
In recent years, the Ainu, like indigenous peoples worldwide, struggle against prejudice and
discrimination in Japan. The Japanese government did not recognize the Ainu as indigenous to
Japan until 2008. Two times as many Hokkaidō rely on social welfare programs compared to
the majority of Japanese population (Irvine 2015), but the Japanese government is now trying to
learn more about the challenges that face the Ainu peoples.
II.Tribe- is a group of people who live and work together in a shared geographical area.
A tribe has a common culture, dialect and religion. ... The tribe is usually headed by a
chief. A tribal society is a group of tribes organized around kinships. Tribes represent a
part in social evolution between bands and nations.
Tribes
Examples of tribal cultures include the Cheyenne and Blackfeet of North America, the Berbers
and Amhara of Africa, the Munda of India, the Hmong of Southeast Asia, and the Basseri of
Iran.
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The Basseri live in the Fars Province of southwest Iran. They are a pastoral people, raising a
variety of animals including donkeys, camels, horses, sheep, and goats. The Basseri share a
language and cultural traits with nearby tribes, but consider themselves a distinct cultural group
who traditionally fell under the authority of a supreme chief. In the 1950s, the government of Iran
wrested power from the traditional chief and invested it in the national army operating in the
Fars region. The information that follows relates to pre-1950s Basseri. Anthropological research
on the Basseri is notably lacking since the late 1950s.
The Basseri move seasonally, spending the rainy season on mountain flanks and spring in the
lower valleys. In summer, the Bessari moved south to live in large, summer camps where they
would stay until the rainy season began. If someone lost their herd, they usually left the group to
live with local agricultural peoples. If the individual was able to earn enough money to
reestablish their herd, they returned to the Basseri. Sheep and goats were the most important
herd animals as they provided the people with not only meat and milk, but wool and hides. The
Basseri used lambskins, wool, clarified butter, and the occasional livestock to sell so they could
buy flour, fruits, vegetables, tea, sugar, and other items they needed. Wealth was not just in
their herds, but the wealthier Basseri often had luxury goods such as china, narcotics, jewelry,
saddles, etc. Ownership of pastureland belonged to patrilineages. Any member of that patriline
had the right to use the pastureland.
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The basic social unit was the “tent,” which was basically a nuclear family headed by a man.
Each tent was considered an independent political unit responsible for its own production and
consumption. Tents belonged to camps consisting of the same descent group. Tent- or camp
leaders made joint decisions about herd movement, selection of campsites, etc. Sometimes a
camp leader would emerge, generally someone with considerable persuasive power, but
consensus was the main form of decision-making. Political authority was vested in a tribal chief
who had autocratic authority, or total authority and control, over the Basseri. The chief used gifts
to influence camp leaders. When disputes could not be settled within a camp, the chief made
the final decision.
The division of labor fell along gender lines. Women and girls were responsible for cooking,
baking, and other household duties. They were also responsible for making rugs, packbags, and
other items used for packing belongings. Men provided wood and water for the household, and
were responsible for the protection of the group. They also represented the household in all
social and economic dealings.
ReferencesAdem, Teferi Abate. “Basseri.” eHraf World Cultures. Accessed April 18, 2015.
2010.Gezen, Lisa, and Conrad Kottak. Culture, 2nd edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2014.Gilbert, Michelle, Robert O.
Lagacé, and Ian Skoggard. “Akan.” eHraf World Cultures. Accessed April 21, 2015.
http://ehrafworldcultures.yale.edu.Irvine, Dean. “Japan’s Hidden People: Ainu Try to Keep Ancient Traditions Alive.”
ainu/index.html.Ohnuki-Tierney, Emiko. “Ainu.” eHraf World Cultures. Accessed April 18, 2015.
http://ehrafworldcultures.yale.edu.O’Neil, Dennis. “Political Organization: An Anthropological View of Political
“Political Organizations.” In 21st Century Anthropology: A Reference Handbook, Vol. 1, edited by H. James Birx, p.
Membership in the chiefdom was primarily kin-based, but the group could be significantly larger
than a tribe. Chiefdoms incorporated multiple hamlets, villages, and possibly small cities into
one political unit. Occupational specialization, where people have different jobs within the
society and are reliant on others for some of the goods they consume, becomes prevalent within
chiefdoms. Within this cultural environment, people began to have a sense of belonging to
entities beyond their kin group, their occupation being one of their identities.
Examples of chiefdoms include the Trobriand and Tongan Islanders in the Pacific, the Maori of
New Zealand, the ancient Olmec of Mexico (only known archaeologically), the Natchez of the
Mississippi Valley, the Kwakwaka’wakw of British Columbia, and the Zulu and Ashanti in Africa.
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The Ashanti are one of several Akan groups in southern and central Ghana and the Ivory Coast.
In the eighteenth-century, the Ashanti formed a confederacy of several Akan groups. Over the
following century, the Ashanti expanded their territory through conquest, providing a larger
economic base for the chief or Omanhene. After decades of conflict with the British colonial
power, in 1901 the British prevailed and the Ashanti leaders were exiled.
The basic settlement pattern of the Ashanti chiefdom was a series of villages and towns
centered on the palace of a chief. Kin groups inhabited the villages. Agriculture based on yam,
guinea corn, manioc, and maize formed the backbone of subsistence. Pre-British takeover,
slave and servants comprised farm labor. After, hired laborers and sharecropping are the norm.
Craft specialization was an important part of the Ashanti economy. Weaving, woodcarving,
ceramics, and metallurgy were the primary occupations. While women and men shared in the
farming work, women were only allowed to specialize in pottery making; all of the other craft
specialization was the purview of men. The Ashanti engaged in trade with neighboring societies
with gold and slaves forming the commercial basis of the traditional trade economy (Gilbert et al
n.d.).
Clans held ownership of land. It was inherited along matrilines. If a clan failed to work the land,
ownership would resort to the chiefdom itself. While all Ashanti recognize matrilineal descent,
power is restricted to men. The mother’s line determines to which clan an individual belongs,
while paternity determines membership in other groups such as spirit. Membership in the
various categories includes obligations to observe certain rituals and taboos. The Ashanti
believe that an individual’s personality is influenced by membership in the various groups.
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The Omanhene always came from “kingly lineages.” Officials, including the matriarchs of the
clans, elected the Omanhene. This individual was chosen based on his personal qualities such
as personality and competency. Once selected the individual was “enstooled,” which refers to
the act of being seated upon the stool that symbolized kingship. The new king takes on the
identity of the previous ruler, forsaking his previous identity. He becomes a sacred person and
cannot eat, drink, speak, or be spoken to publically. Communication takes place through the
Okyeame, or linguist. The king never steps barefoot on the earth and is covered with an
umbrella when he ventures outside. While the power of modern Ashanti kings has eroded, in the
past, they had the power of life and death over their constituents.
References: Adem, Teferi Abate. “Basseri.” eHraf World Cultures. Accessed April 18, 2015.
http://ehrafworldcultures.yale.edu. Bonvillain, Nancy. Cultural Anthropology, 2nd edition. Boston: Prentice Hall,
2010.Gezen, Lisa, and Conrad Kottak. Culture, 2nd edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2014.Gilbert, Michelle, Robert O.
Lagacé, and Ian Skoggard. “Akan.” eHraf World Cultures. Accessed April 21, 2015.
http://ehrafworldcultures.yale.edu.Irvine, Dean. “Japan’s Hidden People: Ainu Try to Keep Ancient Traditions Alive.”
CNN News. Last update February 9, 2015. http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/09/travel/cnngo-travel-hokkaido-
ainu/index.html.Ohnuki-Tierney, Emiko. “Ainu.” eHraf World Cultures. Accessed April 18, 2015.
http://ehrafworldcultures.yale.edu.O’Neil, Dennis. “Political Organization: An Anthropological View of Political
Systems.” Last updated November 8, 2007. http://anthro.palomar.edu/political/default.htm.Reeves, Elaine M.
“Political Organizations.” In 21st Century Anthropology: A Reference Handbook, Vol. 1, edited by H. James Birx, p.
182-190. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc., 2010.
IV State -level societies are the most complex in terms of social, economic, and political
organization, and have a formal government and social classes. States control or influence
many areas of its members lives. From regulation of social relations like marriage to outlining
the rights and obligations of its citizens, there is little in daily life that is not impacted. States
have large populations and share the following characteristics:
States have power over their domain. They define citizenship and its rights and responsibilities.
Inequality is the norm, with clear social classes defined. States monopolize the use of force and
maintenance of law and order through laws, courts, and police. States maintain standing armies
and police forces. They keep track of citizens in terms of number, age, gender, location, and
wealth through census systems. They have the power to extract resources from citizens through
taxes, which can be through cash such as the U. S. tax system or through labor such as the
Incan mita system where people paid with their labor. States also have the ability to manipulate
information. States control population in numerous ways.
They regulate marriage and adoption. They create administrative divisions, e.g., provinces,
districts, counties, townships, that help to create loyalties and help to administer social services
and organize law enforcement. They may foster geographic mobility and resettlement that
breaks down the power of kin relationships and create divided loyalty, e.g., resettlement of
Native Americans on reservations.
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States often uses religious beliefs and symbols to maintain power. State leaders may claim to
be a deity may conscript popular ideology for political purposes. Regalia may be used to create
a sense of pageantry and authority.
Most states are hierarchical and patriarchal. There have been female leaders, e.g., Indira
Gandhi (India), Golda Meir (Israel), Margaret Thatcher (Great Britain), and Benazir Bhutto
(Pakistan), but no female-dominated states have been documented.
Social control is of key concern to state leadership and is maintained through the formal
methods mentioned above and informal methods such as psychological
manipulation. Hegemony is the internalization of a dominant ideology (Gezen and Kottak 2014:
116), which can happen through such things as the enculturation process and persuasion
through media and propaganda. The social order then seems normal and natural. Resistance is
quickly squashed through shaming, gossip, stigma, and use of formal enforcement and judiciary
means.
The subsistence base of all states is intensive agriculture. The first states centered production
on one major crop that could be produced in large quantities and was easily storable: wheat,
rice, millet, barley, maize, and tubers (potato, manioc, yams). Wheat, rice, and maize still
dominate production today.
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References
Adem, Teferi Abate. “Basseri.” eHraf World Cultures. Accessed April 18, 2015. http://ehrafworldcultures.yale.edu.
Bonvillain, Nancy. Cultural Anthropology, 2nd edition. Boston: Prentice Hall, 2010.Gezen, Lisa, and Conrad Kottak.
Culture, 2nd edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2014.Gilbert, Michelle, Robert O. Lagacé, and Ian Skoggard. “Akan.”
eHraf World Cultures. Accessed April 21, 2015. http://ehrafworldcultures.yale.edu.Irvine, Dean. “Japan’s Hidden
People: Ainu Try to Keep Ancient Traditions Alive.” CNN News. Last update February 9, 2015.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/09/travel/cnngo-travel-hokkaido-ainu/index.html.Ohnuki-Tierney, Emiko. “Ainu.” eHraf
World Cultures. Accessed April 18, 2015. http://ehrafworldcultures.yale.edu.O’Neil, Dennis. “Political Organization: An
Anthropological View of Political Systems.” Last updated November 8, 2007.
http://anthro.palomar.edu/political/default.htm.Reeves, Elaine M. “Political Organizations.” In 21st Century
Anthropology: A Reference Handbook, Vol. 1, edited by H. James Birx, p. 182-190. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE
Publications, Inc., 2010.
In political science, legitimacy is the right and acceptance of an authority, usually a governing
law or a regime. Whereas authority denotes a specific position in an established government,
the term legitimacy denotes a system of government—wherein government denotes "sphere of
influence".
Tradition- is a custom or belief that is passed down through the generations or that is
done time after time or year after year. An example of a tradition is eating turkey on
Thanksgiving or putting up a tree on Christmas.
Redistribution of income and wealth is the transfer of income and wealth from some individuals
to others by means of a social mechanism such as taxation, charity, welfare, public services,
land reform, monetary policies, confiscation, divorce or tort law.
Rationality is the quality or state of being rational – that is, being based on or agreeable to
reason. Rationality implies the conformity of one's beliefs with one's reasons to believe, and of
one's actions with one's reasons for action.
ACTIVITY:
QUIZ:
1. ITA(ETA) is a tribe in the Philippines can you tell more about their culture? (20pts).
1.State_________________________________.(5pts)
2.Trbe__________________________________.(5pts)
3. Chiefdom______________________________.(5pts)
4.Ratinality_______________________________.(5pts)
5.Redistribution____________________________.(5pts)