Unit 1 Development of Humans As Social Actors

Unit 1 DEVELOPMENT OF
HUMANS AS SOCIAL
ACTORS
MODULE 1: HUMAN
VARIATION
At the end of the module, I can:
 Articulate observations on human cultural variation, social

differences, social change, and political identities.
 Demonstrate curiosity and an openness to explore the origins and
dynamics of culture, society, and political identity.
 Become aware of why and how cultural relativism mitigates
ethnocentrism.
 Value cultural relativism and ethnocentrism.
 Justify why race is a limited schema as a human classification tool.
WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT?
 Environment and history are two of the
primary factors that shape the behavior of
human groups.
 As each human group experiences differing
environmental conditions, cultural variations
are established.
MAASAI WARRIOR IN TRADITIONAL ESKIMO FAMILY WEARING THEIR
CLOTHING CLOTHING
Nationality and Ethnicity
 Nationality is the identity that is tied to being part

of a nation or country-a "group of people who
share the same history, traditions, and language"
and who inhabits a particular territory delineated
by a political border and controlled by a
government.
 Within a nation are smaller cultural groups that

share specific environments, traditions, and
histories that are not necessarily subscribed to by
the mainstream culture. These are called ethnic
groups.
 There are about 180 indigenous ethnic groups in

the Philippines and more than 100 tribal groups
who are mostly inhabiting ancestral domains in the
lowland, upland, and coastal areas.
 Apart from the varying cultural backgrounds and

ethnicity, human populations also experience
social differences, which include categories on
gender, socioeconomic class (social class and
economic status), political identity, and religion.
GENDER
 According to the World Health Organization

(2013), gender "refers to the socially
constructed roles, behaviors, activities, and
attributes that a given society considers
appropriate for men and women.
GENDER
 ." Unlike sex which refers to the biological

characteristic of humans such as male or
female, gender categories are more varied,
accommodating identities such as lesbian,
gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and
intersex (LGBTQI), among others.
GENDER
There are several types of gender based on a person's

orientation. Depending on the community, these
gender identities can be further subdivided into more
specific categories.
 Heterosexual a person with this gender is inclined
to be sexually attracted to a person of the opposite
sex.
GENDER
 Homosexual. When a person is sexually attracted

to a person of the same sex.
 Gay. A male who is romantically and sexually
attracted to another male.
 Lesbian. A female who is romantically and
sexually attracted to another female is considered a
lesbian.
 Bisexual. individuals who are attracted to both
sexes
GENDER
 Asexual. There are some who are totally incapable

of being attracted to any sex.
 polysexual orientation. Individuals who are
attracted to multiple types of gender.
 Pansexual. A person who accommodate all types of
gender.
GENDER
 Finally, there are people whose gender identities do not match their
biological identity as male or female. These people identify
themselves as transgender. Their sexual orientation is not related to
their genitalia, which allow them to identify with any other type of
gender such as heterosexual, homosexual, pansexual, bisexual, and
asexual. Under this category are people who identify themselves as
transsexual. These individuals believe that the discord between
their internal gender and the gender role that they have to perform
can be addressed through medical sexual reassignment.
Socioeconomic Class
 The concept of socioeconomic class varies

between societies as the ideas associated with
being poor or rich differ based on the collective
experiences of individuals.
Socioeconomic Class
 Filipinos who are from the Global South

(developing countries) would perceive
poverty differently from Singaporeans who
are from the Global North (developed
countries or industrialized nations).
Socioeconomic Class
 Global North refers to the political and

economically advances societies in the world.
 Global South refers to the countries whose

political and economic indicators are within the
developing category.
Socioeconomic Class
 In Great Britain, a new survey revealed the
fragmentation of the British traditional three-class
system which includes the upper, middle, and
working classes, to the seven class system: "elite,
established middle class, technical middle class, new
affluent workers, traditional working class, emergent
service workers, and the precariat" (Smith, 2013).
Socioeconomic Class
 In the Philippines, our indicators of social class are
different, given the economic and political context in
which our country is in.
 Filipinos often describe social class in personalized

contexts. Hence, when ask a Filipino what his or her
social class is, the can be any of the following:
mahirap, medyo sakto lang, mayaman, and the like.
POLITICAL IDENTITY
 Political identity as a social category refers to the

set of attitudes and practices that an individual
adheres to in relation to the political systems and
actors within his or her society.
RELIGION
 The belief in the supernatural has been one of

the universal pre occupations of humans as
early as 60 000 years ago.
RELIGION
 Some are monotheistic, believing in the existence

of one god, whereas others are polytheistic,
believing in the existence of multiple gods. Some
religions have gods arranged in a hierarchy, and
others are with gods that equally coexist.
EXCEPTIONALITY/NON-
EXCEPTIONALITY
 The concept of exceptionality leans on the non-average
capacity of an individual. This could be understood in a
spectrum of capabilities, wherein you have the geniuses in
one extreme and you have the disabled and challenged in
the other extreme. Such characteristics would place an
individual in compromising `situations as the environment
demands conformity.
CULTURAL VARIATION
 The variation in human conditions promotes diversity and

plurality in cultural traditions.
 Ethnocentrism is a perspective that promotes an

individual’s culture as the most efficient and superior;
hence, the individual who exhibits ethnocentrism feels that
his or her culture is the most appropriate as compared with
other cultures.
CULTURAL VARIATION
 Cultural relativism promotes the perspective that cultures must be
understood in the context of their locality.
 Ferraro and Andretta advocate a more culturally relative approach to

understanding other human groups. They said that one can build
emotional resilience by understanding that others do not necessarily
mean to offend, but that their actions are guided by their own cultural
norms. And with such a predisposition, one can balance the
contradictions within his or her team and appreciate other
perspectives that can enhance the potential for collaboration.
CULTURAL VARIATION
 Another problematic form of classification for human groups is
rooted in race. From the 17th to the early 19th century, the term race
was used as a form of human classification that was based on
observable human traits and characteristics. Some of the earlier
categories include Caucasoid, Australoid, Mongoloid, and Negroid.
 The question that everyone must answer in relation to racial variation

is this: Are humans really different from one another, or are our
differences just skin-deep?
CULTURAL VARIATION
 Some scholars would argue that there should be biological
egalitarianism among humans to prevent further racism.
This perspective promotes the equality of our biological
makeup despite our ancestry.

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Unit 1 DEVELOPMENT OF

 Articulate observations on human cultural variation, social

 Nationality is the identity that is tied to being part

 Within a nation are smaller cultural groups that

 There are about 180 indigenous ethnic groups in

 Apart from the varying cultural backgrounds and

 According to the World Health Organization

 ." Unlike sex which refers to the biological

There are several types of gender based on a person's

 Homosexual. When a person is sexually attracted

 Asexual. There are some who are totally incapable

 The concept of socioeconomic class varies

 Filipinos who are from the Global South

 Global North refers to the political and

 Global South refers to the countries whose

 Filipinos often describe social class in personalized

 Political identity as a social category refers to the

 The belief in the supernatural has been one of

 Some are monotheistic, believing in the existence

 The variation in human conditions promotes diversity and

 Ethnocentrism is a perspective that promotes an

 Ferraro and Andretta advocate a more culturally relative approach to

 The question that everyone must answer in relation to racial variation

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