An Anthropologigal
conception of self:
the self as embedded in
culture
Meaning of anthropology
- Anthropology is concerned with how cultural and biological
- processes interact to shape human experience.
Contemporary anthropologist believed that culture and the self are complementary
concept that are to be understood in relation to one another which compared to other
discipline.
- Anthropology possesses a holistic and integrated approach in
examining human nature.
According to James L Peacock, “Anthropology encroaches on the territory of the
sciences as well as the humanities and transcends the conventional boundaries of both
while addressing questions from the distant past and pressing present – perhaps with
implications for the future
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concepts of anthropology
- Anthropology considers human experience as an
interplay of “nature” referring to the genetic inheritance which
sets the individual‘s potentials (Haviland).
The “nature” is referring to the social cultural environment. Both biological and cultural
factors have significant influence on the development of self-awareness. Among
individuals within the society.
- Anthropology has contributed indirectly to the understanding of the
nature of self through ethnographic investigations
Such investigations discusses how cultural variations may affects one’s mental state,
language and behavior and providing insights into the nature of self based on continuous
understanding of CULTURE.
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The Cultural construction
of the self
What is culture ?
British Anthropologist Edward Taylor define Culture “As a complex
whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom and
any other capabilities and habit acquired by man as a member of a
society.”
Anthropologist have emphasized that CULTURE is a not behavior itself but the
shared understandings that guide behavior and are expressed in behavior.
Therefore, it is how people make sense of their experience and behave
according to socially shared ideas, values and perceptions .
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Let us talk about more…..
German Anthropologist Martin Sokefeld believes that the concept of SELF is a
necessary supplement to the concept of CULTURE in anthropology and should
be regarded as Universal.
Culture and Self thus, become complementary concepts that to be understood in
relation to one another.
• In social anthropology the Concept of Identity was used mostly in the context
of “Ethnic Identity”.
•
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So what is ETHNIC IDENTITY ?
It is pointing out sameness of the self with others or is a consciousness of
sharing certain characteristics ( e.g. language, culture etc. ) within a
group.
Sockfeld further explained that IDENTITY is understood as a disposition of
basic personality features acquired mostly during childhood and, once
integrated, become more or less fixed. Therefore, makes the human being
a person and acting individual.
Peacock believes that the individual is neither a robot not an entirely
independent self-little god but a cultural individual – existing in freedom
but also embodying that cultural mold w/c he is part in his particular
society.
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2 Ways in which the concept of self is viewed in
different societies
SOCIOCENTRIC EGOCENTRIC
o The self is contingent on a situation or o Suggest that each person is
social setting. It is a view of the self defined as a replica of all
which is context–dependent which humanity but capable of acting
emphasizes that there is no intrinsic
independently from others.
self that can possess enduring qualities
Ex. American culture – assertive
Ex. Japanese culture –
characterize by restraint. and independence
From the similarities and differences in characteristics among
individuals people construct their social identities.
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IDENTITY TOOLBOX
What is Identity toolbox?
-it refers to the features of a person identity that he or
she chooses to emphasize in constructing a social self.
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Activity : “ Birds of the Same Feather “ (15 Mins.)
Instructor: Leader
Students: Participants
Participants will be asked to sing the song “Ang mga Ibon na lumilipad,
Minamahal ng Diyos Di kumukupas……” after singing the leader will shout “
“Birds of the same feather, Flock together group yourselves into……!” (Any
characteristics). Then, the participants will group themselves according to what
the leader has said.
Characteristics : Age , Gender, Religion , Ethnicity, skin color , body shape , height etc.
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Processing Questions : Discuss it in the class
Cognitive:
1. Who from among your 2. What did you observe during 3. What did you realize about
blockmate are similar to the activity ? the actvity ?
you in terms of the
characteristics mentioned
in the activity?.
Affective:
1. How did you feel being 2.. How did you feel when you 3. how did yo feel when you
contact with your blockmate were not able to find your found yourself not belonging to
who are similar to you? group? any group?
To Students: Give some insights on the use of identity toolbox in the
conceptualization of of the SELF.
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What is Self identification?
Self identification may be attained by kinship, family membership, gender,
age , language religion, ethnicity, personal appearance and socio-economic
status.
Kinship, Gender and Age
Are almost universally used to differentiate people.
Other characteristics such as Ethnicity. Personal appearance and Socio-
economic are not always used in our society .
Other important self identification are:
Family membership, Language and Religion .
Another self identification is what call NAME.
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What is this practice called Personal Naming is all about?
Personal naming - is a universal practice with numerous cross-cultural
variations, It is also establishes a child birthright and social identity .
Below is the reasons :
A name is an important device to individualize a person and legitimize him/her
as a member of social group such as family.
Personal names in all societies are intimate markets of a person w/c
differentiate him/her from others.
A person name may be symbolically represent his or her cultural Self.
For ex. Aymara Indians do not consider an infant as a true human until a name is given to
him or her. When the child is around 2 yrs. old and ready to speak language, a special
ritual is performed to give it a name.
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Still on personal naming
Patronyms or patronymic Matronyms or matronymic
traditions – surnames based on traditions
father’s name - Children inherent their mother’s
Ex: Icelanders name their infants soon name
after birth . The baby receives the
Ex: Minangkabu Ethnic group in Sumatra
paternal given name as the last name.
Indonesia, Children inherit their mother’s
The boy’s name is added with a suffix
family name.
SEN and the girl name dottir.
In Arctic Canada, Children are named after their deceased relatives and other people
with admirable qualities. Similarly with the Filipino Culture particularly with both
catholic parents to name their child after a Saints, perhaps they think that by bearing b a
sacred name, their child will be blessed and protected throughout their life.
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Still more on Self & Identity
Identity – It is not inborn, it is something people
continuously develop in life. Example of this rite of passage.
What is Rites of Passage ?
Rites of Passage – usually involved 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 Von Gennep believes that changes in one’s status and identity
are marked by a 3 Phased Rite of Passage
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The three - Phased Rite of passage
SEPARATION PHASE LIMINALITY PHASE INCORPORATION PHASE
People detach from their A person transition from The change in one’s status is
former identity to another one identity to another. officially incorporated.
Ex.: Wedding, the bride Ex.: The wedding cermony Ex.: The wedding reception and
walking down the isle to be itself is the process of the parties that celebrate the
“given away” by the parents bride and groom from wedding serves as markers
to the groom implies singlehood to married life. that officially recognize the
separation from one’s
bride and groom’s change
family to be part of a new
one. towards being Husband & wife.
The Rite of Passage help a person adjust from one social dimension of his or her life to
the others. However, sometimes individuals disagree on their respective identities.
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What is Identity Struggle ?
Anthony Wallace & Raymond Fogelson coined the term “identity
struggle” to characterized interaction in which there is a discrepancy
between the identity a person claims to possess and the identity
attributed to the person by others.
Moreover, they both said that individuals may also be confused in
defining Personal Identity when there is a clash between self-
identifications and inherited collective identification emerging from
the cultural changes and conflicting norms and values in the
postmodern society.
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More on Identity Struggle ?
• When universal values and moral principles of an individual or group
become relatively determined by politics and ideology, among other
external factors, an identity crisis may occur . (Golubovic, 2011)
For example, a person may be discriminated against on the basis of their
racial or cultural identity, or they may experience conflict between their own
desires and the expectations of their culture.
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More on Identity Struggle ?
• Golubovic, suggests that in order to attain self-identification, individuals
have to overcome many obstacles such as traditionally established habits
and externally imposed self image.
• Cognitive anthropologists suggest that in order to maintain a relatively
stable and coherent self, members of the multicultural society should
reject or suppress identifications that may conflicts with other self
presentations. (Van Mejil, 2008)
• Katherine Ewing “ illusion of wholeness” exhibit how individual selves
throughout the world reconstitute themselves into new selves in response
to internal and external stimuli.
Examples: Experiences of Black, Latinos and Asians in the US.
The self as
embebbed in CULTURE
• Clifford Geertz (1973 ) is an American Anthropologist offers a
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.
• He proposes that it is necessary that humans give meanings to their
experiences so, that order in the world can be established.
• He agrees with Max Weber who postulate “Man is an animal,
suspended in the webs of significance he himself has spun I take
culture to be those webs…”
• Literally and metaphorically, Geertz is talking about the culture
influence on human beings. Webs of significance is used to refer to
culture.
The Concept of Culture has its impact on the concept of the Man.
Geertz attempts has lead him to suggests two(2) important ideas
(1) Culture should not be perceived as (2) Man is precisely the animal most
only as “complexes of concrete desperately dependent upon such
behavior patterns such as customs, extragenetic, outside-the –skin mechanism,
usages, traditions, Habit clusters, -- as such cultural programs, for ordering his
has, by and large, been the case up to behavior.
now but as set of control mechanism –
plans, recipes, rules, instructions --- for
the governing behavior and
Therefore, Man is defined by his genetic potentials shaped into actual accomplishments
which is made possible by culture. Geertz also emphasizes that human nature is
interdependent with Culture.
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“Without men, no culture, certainly,
but equally, and more significantly ,
without culture, no men.
Clifford Geertz
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Learning task : Essay Writing (choose one and explain)
(1) Think of one case of college fraternity hazing in the Phils. within
the last 5 years . What do you think of organization requiring their
neophyte to perform various demeaning act and undergo life
threatening initiation rites before incorporating them into the
fraternity /sororities? Focus your discussion using Golubovic’s
theory on identity crisis.
(2) Do you know someone in your family, neighborhood or school who
has identity struggles? What is the basis of your judgement? Do
you think that the individual must be able to defend their identities
if they are threatened. Write your conclusions on how to individuals
must act when facing identity struggles.
THANKS!
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