Understanding Culture, Society and Politics

Module 5: Cultural, social and political institutions

 Kinship, marriage, and the household
o Kinship by blood Descent and marriage (unilineal, matrilineal, patrilineal, bilateral)
o Kinship by marriage Marriage rules cross-culturally (monogamy vs. polygamy, post-marital
residency rules, referred marriage partners)
o Kinship by ritual (Compadrazgo)
o Family and the household Nuclear, extended, and reconstituted families (separated,
transnational)
o Politics of kinship (political dynasty, alliances)
 Political and leadership structures
o Political organization
 Bands
 Tribes
 Chiefdoms
 States and nations
o Authority and legitimacy
 Traditional
 Charismatic
 Rational
 Economic Institutions
o Reciprocity
o Transfers
o Redistribution
o Market transactions
o Markets and state

Objectives: The learner must able to:

 Recognize other forms of economic transaction such as sharing, gift exchange, and redistribution
in his/her own society
 Describe the organized nature of social life and rules governing behavior
 Analyze social and political structures
 Analyze economic organization and its impacts on the lives of people in the society
Lesson 12: Cultural, social and political institutions

 Social institution- Social Institutions Examples. A social institution consists of a group of people

who have come together for a common purpose.
 Family- the basic unit in society traditionally consisting of two parents rearing their children.
 Family Orientation- often compared to family of procreation. Family of procreation refers to
the family you create through marriage and by having or adopting children.
 Family of procreation- often compared to family of orientation, which is the family that we are born
into.
Practices in tracing family lineage
 Unilineal system- a system of determining descent groups in which one belongs to one’s father’s or
mother’s line, whereby traced either exclusively through male ancestors (patriline), female
(matriline)
 Patrilineal– relating to or based on relationship to the father or descent through the male line.
 Matrilineal– refers to familial relationships that can be traced through a female. To follow the
matrilineal line in your family, start with your mom.
 Bilateral-comes from Latin: bi means “two” and lateralis means “belonging to the side.” Debates
about issues can be described as bilateral — as long as people on both sides get to speak.
Marriage
 Some cultures, marriage is arranged by families, and in others people choose their own husbands
or wives if they decide to marry. There are some places where marriage is limited to unions
between a man and a woman, while more and more states and countries recognize marriage
between same-sex couples too.
Types of Marriage
 Societies rules of marriage- For the societies that practice marriage there are rules about whom
one can marry and cannot marry (note: not all groups marry; traditionally the Na in Southwest
 China do not marry). All societies have some form of an incest taboo that forbids sexual
relationships with certain people.
 Endogamy- marriage within one’s own tribe or group as required by custom or law.
 Exogamy- marriage to a person belonging to a tribe or group other than your own as required by
custom or law.
 Polygamy– having more than one wife at a time.
 Polyandry- having more than one relationship. Husband at a time.
 Monogamy-is when you are married to, or in a sexual relationship with, one person at a time.
Humans are one of the few species that practice monogamy. Well, sometimes.
o You may have heard of something called polygamy, which is having more than one
spouse at a time. The difference between monogamy and its antonym, polygamy, lies in
the prefixes. In Greek, poly means “multiple,” while mono means just the opposite: “single.”
Therefore, if you are committed to one romantic partner at a time, you are in a
monogamous
 Sharia Law- the code of law derived from the Koran and from the teachings and example of
Mohammed.
TYPES OF RESIDENCE
 Patrilocal residence-is structured by a rule that a man remains in his father’s house after reaching
maturity and brings his wife to live with his family after marriage. Daughters, conversely, move out
of their natal household when they marry.
 Matrilocal residence- is instituted by a rule that a woman remains in her mother’s household after
reaching maturity and brings her husband to live with her family after marriage. Sons, conversely,
move out of their natal household after marriage to join their wife’s household. It can take on a
number of forms, some, but not all of which occur within matrilineal societies. Non-standard cases
include societies with bride service, in which a man moves in with his wife’s family but sets up his
own household after his obligations are met.
 Ambilocal residence- also called bilocal residence is the societal post marital residence in which
couples, upon marriage, choose to live with or near either spouse’s parents.
 Neolocal residence- type of post-marital residence in which a newly married couple resides
separately from both the husband’s natal household and the wife’s natal household.
 Fictive kinship- a term used by anthropologists and ethnographers to describe forms of kinship or
social ties that are based on neither consanguineal nor affinal ties, in contrast to true kinship ties
 Compradazgo– the reciprocal relationship or the social institution of such relationship existing
between a godparent or godparents and the godchild and its parents in the Spanish-speaking
world (as in South America)
Types of family in the contemporary world
 Transitional family- is a residential service for young women and children. The goal is to assist
these young women in developing the educational, vocational and social skills necessary for a
successful transition to self-sufficiency.
  Single parent- parent is a parent who parents alone. It means there is an absence of the other
parent as opposed to a co-parent, meaning that the parent is not the only parent regardless of
whether or not they are a couple.
 Reconstituted- The simple definition of a blended family, also called a step family, reconstituted
family, or a complex family, is a family unit where one or both parents have children from a
previous relationship, but they have combined to form a new family. The parents may or may not
then have children with each other.
Legal separation
 A legal process by which a married couple may formalize a de facto separation while remaining
legally married. A legal separation is granted in the form of a court order.
Annulment
 legal procedure within secular and religious legal systems for declaring a marriage null and void.
Divorce
 known as dissolution of marriage, is the termination of a marriage or marital union, the canceling or
reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving.
Politics among family members
 Patriarchal– a social system in which males hold primary power and predominate in roles of
political leadership, moral authority, social privilege and control of property.
 Matriarchal– a social system in which females hold the primary power positions in roles of political
leadership, moral authority, social privilege and control of property at the specific exclusion of
males – at least to a large degree.
 Egalitarian-relating to or believing in the principle that all people are equal and deserve equal rights
and opportunities.

Lesson 13: Political and leadership structures

POLITICAL ORGANIZATION
      A political organisation or political organization is any organization that involves itself in
the political process, including political parties, non-governmental organizations, advocacy groups
and special interest groups.
TYPES OF POLITICAL ORGANIZATIONS
Acephalous Societies
 Also known as stateless societies.
 There is no central authority, administrative power, and judicial institution.
 Small scale groups that create decisions through consensus or voting systems.
 Culturally homogenous
 Primarily agriculturally-dependent
 Marriage practices are polygamous.
 Religious beliefs are animistic
Cephalous Societies

 Also known as state societies.

 A central governmental institution, authority, and judicial power over its people.
 Wealth, status, and privilege correspond to authority and power
 Borders or territories are strictly guarded.
 Culturally heterogenous
 Leaders of state societies need to foster good relationships with leaders from other state societies.
 An example of a state society is the Philippines.
Classification of Societies
Bands
 Smallest and most primitive
 Live autonomously and are comprised of small kin .
 Hunting and gathering is their typical way of life.
 Social order is achieved through informal public opinion in the forms of gossip and avoidance.

Tribes
 Do not not have a formal and organized political structure.- Usually bigger than bands and are
primarily food producers.- Give great value on agriculture and husbandry than hunting and
gathering. – Social order is maintained through a kinship and family system led by a community
head
Chiefdoms
 More complex than tribes and bands.
 Already have a form of social and political structure characterized by a community leader.
  Dependent upon the judgment of chief.
 Economic activities among chiefdoms are more advanced and successful compared to that of
tribes and bands.
States
 The most politically organized and structurally-developed among the classifications of societies.
 Self-governing societies.
 Bureaucracy is heavily practiced by states.
 Its people and territories are protected by its own military.
Authority and Legitimacy
Authority – refer to an individual’s expertise in a particular topic of interest.
 in the political sense therefore, means that a certain political entity has the right to use and
exercise its power over a specific group or society.

Classification of Authority Definition

 Traditional Authority
o A status system or hierarchy is allocated for each member of the group.This classification
could be associated with hereditary power where status and power are passed on through
genetics.
 Charismatic Authority
o This classification is more dependent on personality than status. It is not limited by rules
but is more controlled by the authority figure’s intentions. It can inspire devotion and total
control of power
 Legal – Rational Authority
o This is found in more industrialized, modern societies where power rests upon a particular
office and not upon a specific person. Authority and power are exercised based on laws.
As such, the law and the judiciary are seen as the highest forms of power in society.
 Legitimacy
o belief that a certain entity has a right to rule or to be in authority. - this would imply that
power and authority is seen as something that is rightful and acceptable to be upheld by
the governing body.
Lesson 14: Economic Institutions

 Institutions are basically durable systems of established and embedded social rules that create a
social structure for social interactions.(Hodgon, 2001)
 Are the formal and informal rules that organize the economic flow and activity of a society. (Kelly,
2012)

1. Reciprocity
 Is a form of gift exchange between two parties wherin return is expected after product or gift
giving.
2. Transfer Payments
 Are payments that are made without any good or service being received in return.
3. Redistribution
 The act of the government to distribute income from the wealthy business and citizens to the
less wealthy.
4. Market Transactions
 Purchases – buyer and seller interact with one another to exchange goods for an amount of
money.
 Loans – are money advanced to a business with an interest charge that must be paid and
returned at some point in the future.
 Loans (mortgage) – types of loan that was created for purchasers to be able to make
homeownership more attainable.
5. Market and State
 Market – a system of private ownership and enterprise that acts based on their own private
and self-interest.
 State – the governing body of the society
ASSIGNMENT!

Economic Realization

Capture a recent economic activity in your vicinity and make a “Hugot” out of that certain scenario.