GE1 Module 3 - Anthropology PDF

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STUDY GUIDE FOR MODULE NO. _3_ CHAPTER I: THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES C. ANTHROPOLOGY LEARNING CONTENTS

In most dictionaries, the term “Filipino” is defined as belonging or relating to the Philippines, or to its people and culture. In the context of citizenship, “ Filipino” simply means membership in a state nation. In the constitution, a citizen is someone who legally resides in the country. Anthropologically, however, it is different. To belong to a people is not necessarily implying a legal association to a country but it entails a responsibility to live and protect the country’s cherished values. To belong and relate to culture means to adopt, accept, and treasure its entire way of life. Therefore, in order to be called Filipino, you have to belong to the Filipino people and adopt their culture. In this perspective, the self must be embedded in the culture. THE SELF AND THE PERSON IN CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY What is Anthropology? Anthropology is the study of all aspects of the human condition. This includes human history, the present human condition and even future possibilities. Anthropology is also considered as “the science of humanity,” which studies human beings in aspects ranging from the biology and evolutionary history of Homo sapiens to the features of society and culture that decisively distinguish humans from other animal species. Anthropology' is less a subject matter than a bond between subject matters. It is part history, part literature; in part natural science, part social science; it strives to study men both from within and without; it represents both a manner of looking at man and a vision of man—the most scientific of the humanities, the most humanist of sciences (Hirst, 2019) Employing an anthropological perspective, that is perceiving holistically, what could be the answer to the question, “Who am I?” Anthropology considers human experience as an interplay of “nature’ referring to the genetic inheritance which sets the individual’s potentials, and “nurture” referring to the sociocultural environment ( Haviland, Prins, Walrath &McBride, 2013). Therefore it could be understood that both biological and cultural factors have significant influence on the development of self-awareness among individuals within society. In addition, the field of anthropology has contributed indirectly to the understanding of nature of self through ethnographic investigations such as sampling method, sentence completion, interviews etc. which discuss that cultural variations may affect one’s mental state, language and behaviors. The most important contribution of anthropology is providing insights into the nature of self based on continuous understanding of the basic elements of culture. The Cultural Construction of Self and Identity Culture is derived from the Latin word “cultura” or “cultus” meaning care or cultivation. Culture is analogous to caring for an infant. Because an infant has a prolonged dependency, he or she has to be

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taken care of by the people around him or her. The infant has to learn from them so he or she can better adjust while growing up in his or her immediate cultural environment . Throughout one’s life he or she functions according to the cultural context where he or she is situated. As one grows old, he or she learns many things about the environment and realizes what makes him or her different from other people. As an individual interacts with people and makes sense of how he or she functions in the context of his or her social and cultural background, he or she learns that he or she has both personal identity (the way he or she sees himself/herself as an individual) and collective identity (the way he/she sees himself/herself as member of a certain group). Identity refers to “who the person is,” or the qualities and traits of an individual that make him/her different from others. There are many ways to distinguish people. An example Is identifying them in a geographical context or based on where they come from. People from the West are different from the people of the East because they are located in opposite sides of the world. Identity also refers to how a person sees and expresses oneself. Cultural Identity is self-identification, a sense of belonging to a group that reaffirms itself. It is the extent to which one is a representative of a given culture behaviorally, communicatively, psychologically and sociologically. It consists of values, meanings, customs and beliefs used to relate to the world. It reflects the common historical experiences and shared cultural codes which give us as one entity a stable, unchanging, continuing frame of reference and meaning. Cultural identity is dynamic and constantly evolving. It covers the entire life span of a human being and changes every moment based on social context. It is the constantly shifting understanding of one’s identity in relation to others. A person might identity himself/herself as Filipino because he/she embodies Filipino cultural ways and traditions o which he/she has been exposed to while growing up. In social anthropology, the concept of identity was used mostly in the context of “ethnic identity” pointing out the sameness of the self with others, that is to a consciousness of sharing certain characteristics (e.g. language, cuture etc.) within a group. Identity if understood in a disposition of basic personality features acquired mostly during childhood and, once integrated, more or less fixed. (Sokefeld, 1990). This identity therefore makes a human being a person and an acting individual. There are two ways in which the concept of self is viewed in the different societies. 1. Egocentric View. The self is seen as an autonomous and distant individual Each person is defined as replica of all humanity but capable of acting independently from others. 2. Sociocentric view. The self is contingent on a situation or social setting. This is a view of the self that is context-dependent which emphasizes that there is no intrinsic self that can possess enduring qualities.

Forming of Cultural Identity Cultural identity is negotiated, co-created and reinforced in communication with others when we socially interact. They are manifestations of social reality – reflect on our unique personal life history and experience. Forming a cultural identity involves making choices about the cultures one identifies with and deciding to join the cultural community to which one belongs. Beliefs and practices of one or more communities can also be adapted.

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One’s identity is not inborn, it is something people continuously develop in life. For instance, rites of passage usually involve ritual activities to prepare individuals for new roles from one stage of life to another such as birth, puberty, marriage having children, and death. Arnold van Gennep believes that changes in one’s status and identity are marked by three-phased rite of passage: separation, liminality and incorporation. 1. Separation phase. People detach from their former identity to another. Examples is in a wedding where the bride walking down the aisle to be “given away” by the parents to the groom implies the separation from one’s family to become part of a new one. 2. Liminality phase. A person transitions from one identity to another. Example, the wedding ceremony itself is the process of transition of the bride and groom from singlehood to married life. 3. Incorporation phase. The change in one’s status is officially incorporated. Example, the wedding reception and parties that celebrate the wedding serve as the marker that officially recognize the bride and groom’s change towards being husband and wife. Properties of Cultural Identity Jane Collier and Milt Thomas combined the ethnography of communication and social construction in order to frame the properties of cultural identity. These properties refer to the manner in which members of a group communicates their identity. 1. Avowal and Ascription. These two concepts deal with what constructs or produces the cultural identity and the ways in which these identities are communicated. Avowal is how one articulates or expresses his/her views about group identity. It is how one presents oneself to another. Ascription is how others perceive an individual. It is how one refers to others. This may include stereotypes. Eg.How Asians are viewed by Europeans. Our identity is constructed as a result of how others view us and how we view ourselves. Therefore both avowal and ascription are important. Eg.Insiders describe their culture different from how it is perceived by others. Avowed qualities versus ascribe qualities leads to conflict but resolutions depends on the status position of group members. 2. Modes of Expression. The use of core symbols (expressions of a group’s cultural beliefs and theories about the world around them), names, labels and norms (expected standard of behavior) that a cultural community share and follow in order to show that they belong to a particular group, demonstrates shared identity. Collier found out that there were some similarities in cultural norms for members of each ethnic group and there are within group differences with regard to gender and nature of relationship. 3. Individual, Relational and Communal Identity. There are three components to cultural identity. Individual refers to how an individual interprets his cultural identity based on his experiences. Relational refers to how individuals interact with one and another (what is the appropriate behavior) and communal identity is the use of communication in the creation, affirmation and negotiation of shared identity. The actions and interactions of the group, their communal practices reflect the identity of the group. Researchers can identify or study cultural identity in a group by observing everyday situations, communal activities, rituals, holiday celebrations. 4. Enduring and Changing Aspects of Identity. The cultural identity changes due to several factors which are social, political, economic and contextual. 3

5. Affective, Cognitive and Behavioral Aspects of Identity. This refers to emotions fully attached to cultural identity in particular situations. 6. Content and Relationship Levels . This refers to the interaction between two or more individuals. The message exchange carries information/content. The participants of the conversation interpret the choice and meanings of the words based on their experiences. The interactions also show the relational level based on how a person delivers the message. This level of a message implies a cultural interpretation of who is in control, their levels of closeness, what they feel about each other, level of trust, etc. 7. Salience or Prominence. This is the degree to which an identity is demonstrated in a situation and refers to how much a person’s cultural identity stands out and attracts attention. This is influenced by the extent of similarity or difference between two individuals. The intensity differs depending on context, situation topic and relationship. Prominence shows a strong investment/involvement in an identity.

THE SELF EMBEDDED IN CULTURE There are statements that people make, that constitute the self, such as attitude ( I like dancing), beliefs (I think that we should recycle to help our nature), intentions ( I plan to review tonight), norms ( people should behave this way), and values ( I believe everyone should treat each other equally). These statements can either be shared or universal and heavily influenced by culture, either group’s subjective culture or culture specific. For instance, such aspects are shared by people who speak a common language and who are able to interact because they live in adjacent locations during the same historical period; we refer to this as cultural group’s subjective culture. On the other hand, some aspects of the self may be universal such as “I am hungry”, which has the same worldwide across time. Other elements are culture specific. For instance, the statement “ My soul will be reincarnated” is culture specific; it means people depend on particular mythology-religion or worldview. The claim of the self as embedded in culture can only be embraced when the self recognizes its relation to everything. The complexity of culture identities of people, things, and events shall be recognized and respected by the self. The individual must remain reflective of the similarities and unique differences of everything around it. This shows that the self should not maintain the individualistic, independent and autonomous entity but that the self should be able to maintain his or her solid culturally reflexive identity in relation to everything and everyone else. Clifford Geertz (1973) an American Anthropologist, offers the reformulation of the concept of culture which favors a symbolic interpretative model of culture. He defines culture as a system of inherited conceptions expressed in symbolic forms by means of which people communicate, perpetuate and develop their knowledge about and attitudes towards life. Further he proposes that humans give meanings to their experiences so that order in the world can be established. The concept of culture has its impact on the concept of man. In his attempt to illustrate this accurate image of man, Geertz suggest two important ideas: (1.) Culture should not be perceived only as “complexes of concrete behavior patterns – customs, usages, traditions, habit clusters- for the governing behaviour, and. (2.) Man is precisely the animal most desperately dependent upon such extragenetic, outsidethe-skin control mechanisms, such cultural programs, for ordering his behavior.” Therefore, man is defined by his genetic potentials shaped into actual accomplishments which is made possible by 4

culture. Geertz also emphasizes that human nature is interdependent with culture, “Without men, no culture certainly; but equally, and more significantly, without culture, no men.”

SUMMARY Anything that our past self has done, our present self can do better. Some cultures die and some live forever; and these have greatly influenced our self-identity. As social beings, we constantly adjust to the changes the society Is undergoing. Understanding culture, the evolution of man, is significant in trying to answer the most difficult question “Who am I?”. Contemporary anthropological perspectives would strongly claim that without culture there would be no men. Culture molds much of human behavior , and individual variations are permitted and tolerated only within limits set by society. Even when a person rejects his society, he does so in culturally accepted ways.

REFERENCES Corpuz, R., Estoque, R., Tabotabo, C., Understanding the Self. C & E. Publishing, 2019. Degho, S., Degho, G., De Claro, LJ., Lejano, J., Understanding the Self. Mutya Publishing House, 2018. Monilla, MA., Ramirez, N., Understanding the Self. C.& E Publishing, 2018. Villafuerte, S. Quillope, A., Tunas, R., Borja, E. Understanding the Self. Nieme Publishing House Co. Ltd. 2018. https://www.communicationtheory.org/cultural-identity-theory/

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