LESSON-5:ETHNOCENTRISM AND CULTURAL
RELATIVISM
What is Ethnocentrism?
- It is a view that one’s group is SUPERIOR
compared to another.
In an ethnocentric view,
A group is considered as the center or core of
everything and all other groups are scaled and rated
in relation to it or called peripheral. (Sumner:38)
Group or society uses their own VALUES and NORMS
as yardsticks in measuring other Folkways and
Values.
As a result:
Cultures that are viewed as different and strange are
compounded by Ethnocentrism
(the tendency is to evaluate other culture in one’s
own to conclude that other culture are inferior,
barbaric or immoral)
Effects of Ethnocentrism in MODERATION:
Positive Effects
1. Promotes Solidarity and Loyalty within the
group
2. Develops Collectivism that creates cultural
pride and identity and an important
ingredients in Nation building.
“Ethnocentric Mentality cultivates helplessness and
hopelessness and simply an end by itself”
Ethnocentrism is a by-product of a Day – to – Day
Socialization such as:
 school groups
 occupational groups
 recreational groups
 social groups
 civic groups
 regional and ethnic groups.
While ethnocentrism may develop solidarity of the
group, it also restricts interaction between groups
and when accompanied by Antagonism and hostility
may lead to conflict. (Panopio: 38-39)
Xenocentrism
- is the preference for the products, styles, or
ideas of someone else’s culture rather than
of one’s own.
E.g. The belief that the wine from Italy are far
superior to those produced in the United States of
America
Cultural Relativism
- Cultural relativism is the idea that a
person’s belief, values, and practices should
be understood based on that person’s own
culture, rather than be judged against the
criteria of another.
Concept of Cultural Relativism:
 It was established as an analytic tool by
German-American Anthropologist,
FRANZ BOAS
(early 20th century)
Principle of Cultural Relativism:
 It is the regarding of beliefs, values and
practices of a culture from the viewpoint of
the culture itself
To the Advocates of cultural relativity or relativism,
they assert the following:
1. Cultures must be viewed and analyzed on
their own terms, in the context of their own
societal setting.
2. No culture should be considered better
than another
3. Different cultures should be accepted,
tolerated and appreciated rather than
condemned.
4. No society has the right to use its own
values and norms as yardstick to view the
traits of another society.
Cultural relativism states that there are no universal
norms or moral absolutes; in specific circumstances,
any act can appear either good or bad.
ETHICAL Relativism
- Ethical Relativism is the theory that holds
that morality is relative to the norms of
one’s culture.
- It means that, whether an action is right or
wrong depends on the moral norms of the
society in which it is practiced.
LESSON-6:CULTURAL FORMS AND THREASTS
What is Cultural Forms?
- This subfield originated as a program
focused on folklore but eventually morphed
into a concentration engaged in cultural
studies broadly.
There are two kinds of cultural forms:
1. Tangible
2. Intangible
Tangible Cultural heritage
- Consist of a huge number of products
conceived and manufactured by people.
- Tangible cultural heritage: any PHYSICAL
substance which has been changed and
used by people.
It includes:
artifacts, buildings, landscapes, tools,
furniture, bridges.
- Tangible heritage provides the physical
space for non-physical expression of culture.
Intangible form of culture
- It consist of abstractions that includes
knowledge, beliefs, values, rules for
behavior, traditional skills and technologies,
religious ceremonies, performing arts and
storytelling.
UNESCO-United Nations Educational, Scientific, and
Cultural Organization
 According to UNESCO, both the tangible
and intangible forms of culture are
considered as cultural heritage.
What is Cultural Heritage?
- Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical
artifacts as well as traditions or living
expressions inherited from our ancestors
and passed on the next generations.
Cultural Threats
- The perceived harm caused by immigrants
with distinct morals, norms and values.
It is the perception of between group
distinctiveness on social or interpersonal
traits.
Threats in Tangible Cultural Forms
 It can be categorized as Man made and
Natural ways.
 MAN MADE Category: encompasses
destruction from conflict, construction and
development. It also includes human
neglect.
 NATURAL Category: Environmental damage
caused by climate change, as well as natural
calamities.
Threats in Intangible Cultural Forms
Changes brought by:
 Globalization
 Technological revolution
 Cultural homogenization
Manifestation of Threats in Intangible Cultural
heritage
 Lack of Support
 Appreciation
 Understanding of people.
LESSON-7: KINSHIP,MARRIAGE AND THE E.g.
HOUSEHOLD male child – father’s lineage – hunter
female child – mother’s lineage –weaver
Kinship
BILATERAL Descent
- Network of relatives within which
individuals possess certain mutual rights - A system of family lineage in which the
and obligations. relatives on both parents categorize the
- Defined either by consaguinity or affinity. children as members of ALL ancestor’s
- A large social units allows an individual to group.
fulfill his or her other needs that a
Kinship by Marriage
household cannot give.
- a kinship forged by marriage alliance.
KINDS of KINSHIP
FORMS of KINSHIP by Marriage
1. Kinship by Blood
2. Kinship by Marriage  Monogamy
 Polygamy
Kinship by blood
 Polygyny
- a kinship traced through bloodline.  Polyandry

KINDS of KINSHIP by blood MONOGAMY

 Unilineal - Happens when both married partners only

 Double Unilineal
 Bilateral
UNILINEAL Descent
- A system of tracing descent through either
the Maternal or Paternal line or group only.
- Upon birth, the child automatically assigned
to one group of his parents.
KINDS of UNILINEAL DESCENT
1. Patrilineal descent
- children are automatically made members
of the father’s group only.
2. Matrilinial descent
- children are automatically made members
of the mother’s group only.
- The concrete implication is the recognition
of the female or female offspring as the
carrier of the family lineage.
DOUBLE UNILINEAL Descent
- A system whereby descent is determined
from both the parent’s group for a specific
purposes.
have ONE spouse EACH OTHER.
- It’s the practice or state of being married to
one person at a time.
POLYGAMY
- An individual has and can marry multiple
spouses.
- This practice has economic/financial
obligation to be met, like paying dowry and
support to the spouse & children.
FORMS of POLYGAMY
 Polygyny
 Polyandry
POLYGYNY
- A form of Polygamy that happen when one
man is married to more than one woman
simultaneously.
 WHY POLYGYNY being Practiced?
- it is practiced in societies where women
outnumbered men.
 - (usually in societies with war or violence
that men are casualties)
POLYANDRY
- A form of polygamy in which a woman takes
two or more husband at the same time.
 HOW POLYANDRY PRACTICED?
- It happens when two men are socially
recognized as sires (lord, Senior, elderly)
and provide some investment to the same
woman and her child.
 In polyandry, when the husbands in a
polyandrous marriage are Brothers or are
said to be brothers, the institution is called;
Adelphic or Fraternal Polyandry
 There are about 53 societies practices
polyandry. Some of them are: Inuits or
Eskimos of Alaska, and the agro-pastoralist
and agriculturist Himalayan Society of
Tibet, Nepal and India.
Other Cases of Marriage Worldwide
1. Group Marriage
- Several Men and Women are married and
have sexual access to each other
2. Fictive Marriage
- A kind of marriage happens by proxy to
represent someone not physically present
in order to establish a social status and to
control rights to property for the next
generation.
3. Marriage based on Spouse preference
- An individual freely chooses whom to
marry, it is common a practice but not
universal.
4. Arranged Marriage
- A kind of marriage done to preserve
traditional values highly regarded by the
family of origin.
Legal Separation, Annulment, Divorce
Legal Separation
- It is the separation of spouses from Bed and
Board. (article 63 of the family code)
- It is a PARTIAL suspension of Marital Status
- The Marriage bond still exists as well as the
responsibility for the family except sexual
responsibility with spouse.
GROUNDS FOR LEGAL SEPARATION
Article 55 of the Family Code of the Philippines
1. Repeated Physical Violence or gross abusive
conduct
2. Physical Violence or Moral pressure
3. Attempt to corrupt or induce to engage in
prostitution or any moral disrespect.
4. Even pardoned by petitioner, the accused
will be sentenced 6 years imprisonment.
5. Drug addiction or habitual alcoholism
6. Lesbianism or homosexuality
7. Subsequent Bigamous Marriage
local/International
8. Sexual Infidelity
9. Attempt against life of the petitioner
10. Abandonment without justifiable cause.
ANNULMENT
- A legal procedure within secular and
religious legal system for declaring a
marriage NULL and VOID.
- In annulment, Marriage is considered to be
INVALID from the beginning as if it had
never taken place.
GROUNDS FOR ANNULMENT Philippine Setting
1. Mental Illness
- Either of the spouse was mentally ill or
emotionally disturbed at the time of the
marriage.
2. Psychological Incapacity
- Either spouse was under the influence of
alcohol or drugs at the time of the marriage
and was unable to make informed the
consent.
 3. Fraud
- One of the spouses agreed to the marriage
based on the ties or misinterpretation of
the other.
4. Serious STD
- Either party was at the time of marriage is
afflicted with STD.
5. Impotence (Inability to consummate
Marriage)
- Either spouse was physically incapable of
having sexual relations or impotent during
the marriage.
6. Absence of Parent Consent
- A Marriage was solemnized and one or the
other party was 18 years over but not
below 21 years old and consent was not
given by the parents, guardian, or person
having substitute parental authority.
7. Bigamy
- Either party was already married to another
person at the time of the marriage. It is a
CRIME and punishable by law.
8. Forced Consent or Intimidation
- One of the spouses was forced or
threatened into marriage and only entered
into it under duress.
9. Incestuous Marriage
- A Marriage between parties that based on
their familial relationship.
In the Philippines, this Marriage is
Prohibited by law, but in other societies, it
is acceptable.
Declaration of Nullity
- Nullity of marriage is a declaration by a
court that the supposed marriage is NULL
and VOID and that no valid marriage exists
between partners.
Declaration of Absence
- In absence of spouse for 4 consecutive
years, being unknown whether the other
spouse is still alive or not can lead to
Declaration of absence.
Declaration of Presumptive Death
- The other party, if has a well-founded belief
that the missing spouse is already dead, is a
ground to ask the court for declaration or
presumptive death.
DIVORCE
- A legal dissolution of marriage.
A termination of a marriage, the cancelling
or reorganizing of the duties and
responsibilities, thus dissolving Bonds of
Matrimony under the rule of law.
GROUNDS for DIVORCE
1. Adultery
- One or both spouses engages in
extramarital relationship with others during
marriage.
2. Desertion
- One spouse abandoned the other,
physically and emotionally for a lengthy
period of time.
3. Physical/Emotional Abuse
- One spouse subjects the other to physical
or violent attacks or emotional or
psychological abuse such as abusive
language and threats of physical violence.
BIGAMY
- Is defined under the Revised Penal Code of
the Philippines as the “ACT of contracting a
second subsequent marriage before a
former marriage has been legally dissolved,
or before the absent spouse has been
declared”. (Article 349)
Difference between Bigamy and Adultery
Bigamy
- refers to the act of marrying again, while
the first marriage is valid.
Adultery Illegal Marriages

- refers to the intended sexual relationship 1. Bigamy

between a married person and the person 2. Marriage contracted against provisions of
rather than his/her spouse. laws.
3. Premature Marriage Any widow who shall
Bigamous Marriage
marry within 301 days from the date of
- Bigamous Marriage is the state of a man or death of the spouse.
a woman having two spouses, who are
KINSHIP through RITUAL CEREMONY
living at the same time.
- Bigamy is the criminal offense of willfully 1. Padrinazgo
and knowingly contracting a SECOND - refers to spiritual parenthood which
Marriage, while the First Marriage, to the emphasizes a vertical relationship. (linkage
knowledge of the offender is still subsisting between the godfather and godchildren)
and undissolved. 2. Compradazgo
- it means ritual Co-parenthood, which
Elements of the Crime of Bigamy
stresses a horizontal or ritual ties binding
1. That the offender has been legally Married. adults.
2. That the first marriage has not been legally
dissolved.
3. That he contracts a second or subsequent
Marriage.
4. That the second marriage has all the
essential requirements for validity

PENALTY for BIGAMY- Prison Mayor

imprisonment of 6 years and 1 day to 12 years.

Difference between Concubinage and Adultery

Concubinage

- Is committed by any husband who shall

keep a mistress in the conjugal dwelling, or
shall have sexual intercourse under
scandalous circumstances with a woman
who is not his wife. The husband and his
Paramour can be penalized.

Adultery/Marital Infidelity

- Is committed by any wife and shall charged

together with her Concubine.
A sexual intercourse of a wife to a man who
is not her husband is enough to file a case
against the wife.