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Define community using various perspectives, e.g, social sciences, institutions, civil society, and
local/ grassroots level.
Delos Santos, Danilo Lorenzo S., (2017).Community Engagement Solidarity, and Citizenship, Quezon City Rex Printing Company Inc. Padilla Reynaldo A., (2016). Community Engagement Solidarity, and Citizenship, Pasay City, JFS Publishing Services. Phillips, R., & Pittman, R.H. (2009). An Introduction to Community Development. London: Routledge The social sciences are regarded simply as the study of people and societies. Throughout history, social sciences concentrated on the factors that shaped and dictated the course of our civilization. A study in social sciences demands a deeper understanding of people’s behaviour and processes in relation to the scheme of societal order. Different branches of the field correspond to a specific value of human processes in varied degrees of scope alongside their inherent limitations.
Anthropological Perspective
Communities are the driving force for civilizations. Human evolution itself came from the mold of these evolutionary shifts and has drastically accelerated human development. Renowned naturalist Charles Darwin’s discovery of human evolution through natural selection highlights the idea that development stemmed from the ability of a certain species to adapt and therefore survive its environment. This shattered the long- established notion that species retain their characteristics through the course of time. If we glance into how biological forms survive, we can also use this to map out not only on how humans survived with the help of their biological characteristics and advantages but also on how the creation of our own social mechanism secured our place at the top of the evolutionary chain.
Paleolithic Age ( Old Stone Age ) – Hunters- Gatherers
Through sheer human ingenuity, the earliest men crafted tools from rocks and other materials they could find. These tools were used basically for cutting and chopping. Human development was marked by the development of their tools, which started with the Oldowan stone tool industry which is the earliest known period where men first attained such feats of craftsmanship. This signifies the earliest period where humans exhibited a form of communal behavior. Foraging is one of the earliest forms of social stratification where roles were given to certain members of the group. The formation of these roles emphasized the need for the earliest humans to form relationships among themselves to improve their chances of survival.
Mesolithic Age ( Middle Stone Age ) – Horticultural and Agricultural
It is arguably the turning point of human evolution. It was during this time that hunters-gatherers were having a less vital communal function. This was because during this time, due to the changing environment they were in, humans started to cultivate more sustainable sources of food. They cultivated plants and then later, they formed an agricultural society. However, this arc did not happen at the same rate because the evolution of many of these primitive communities was also affected by the environment in which humans were situated. Many of our earliest ancestors opted to settle near bodies of water because fish was more abundant and easier to catch than it is to hunt for animals that maybe riskier and even life threatening in some instances. Humans in this period finally found a way on how to provide food for themselves, thus causing the creation of more populous communes.
LESSON I Social Science Perspective
CHAPTER II: DEFINITIONS OF COMMUNITY
Most Essential Learning Competency
References
Neolithic Age – Agrarian
In this age, communes were more efficient than in the previous two ages. Herding was added to agriculture as their main sources of food. Having evolved from hunting and gathering, herding was the start of a more complex society moving away from foraging as the commune’s primary task. It was also in this period of development where humans evolved culturally. Since settlements were more permanent and work was becoming more structured, It gave time for the communes to use their free time in other pursuits than foraging. This resulted in the materialization of societal relations and dynamics in the commune became more grounded and systematized, ushering the dawn of civilization. This gave birth to the earliest known civilizations, such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, and the Indus Valley which later on became the origins of modern states.
Sociological Perspective
Sociology is a branch of social science that analyses the history, evolution, structure, and functions of societies. Sociology is employed in observing the community in a more sociological perspective, by focusing on the subject across agencies, from the individual (micro level) to a larger and broader subject (macro level) which includes institutions and other groups. The tools for studying societies vary from direct participation or more empirical bases to critical analogies of social phenomena. In traditional study of sociology, the focus of the study falls within these topics:
Social Stratification
A cluster of identifiable traits to distinguish individuals and groups from one another. It is use to delineate subjects. Based on the individual or group’s shared characteristic, Individuals or groups were identify as cohorts sharing common experience. Such as categorizations may be based on work, wealth, or wage. The resulting classification usually will split subjects into lower class middle class, and upper class to identify various strata within societies.
Social Class
The direct result of classifying people in accordance to material wealth, relative social value,or other traits. It is determined based on a specified set of observable and quantifiable characteristics relative to a set benchmark.
Social Mobility
It is the study of how individuals or groups move across classifications and stratifications. Mobility, In this regard, is the transition of subjects in various social identities within a determined structure.
Religion
It is how people or groups are classified by using core religious beliefs and practices as an identifiable social characteristics.
Sexuality
It is one of the topics that identify people and groups through their sexual norms, orientation, interest and behaviour. Deviance Studying deviance is rooted on the interaction of society with a certain social anomaly such as deviant act or norm-defying stunt. To become a deviant, it must be against a preset rule or agreed-upon norm.
Political Perspective
Political science views communities as composed of citizens guided under one constitution or government. Individuals are considered as constituents whose identification can be summed by their citizenship proven by a contract such as a passport or birth certificate. An individual is granted with various rights and privileges such as the right to vote and is expected to comply with the rules and duties set by the state for its citizens.
Nation, Sate, and Nation-State
Religious Institutions
Religion is one of the pillars from which our civilization is built. It has played a very critical part
in advancing civilizations and has also been the reason for the downfall of many. Today’s society
emphasizes on the importance of religion a communal experience. In many communities, activities
are still tied to the concepts and teachings of their faith. The Philippines is one good example to
bring this point home. Our culture is bridled with influences from the Roman Catholic Church. Our
urban planning during the Spanish occupation was a type of zoning rooted from the communal
activities that happened around the church The heart of the community was primarily the church,
while the state was the brain that managed the community.
Educational Institutions
Education takes up a quarter of our whole lives. Our whole development from intimacy to adulthood incubates within the ivory towers of the educational institution. Our initial impression of the community stems from our experiences in our very own schools. It is where we learn respect for authority, the need for compliance, and even the price we have to pay for complacency and deviance from set standards and rules. We spend more time in schools than in our own homes. The school becomes our second home where we make our first communal affiliations. Basic education paves the way for individuals to be functional in our society. Generally the task of the school system is to arm us with the needed skills and knowledge in relation with the demand of our environment. Students are expected to learn within the given system designed to stimulate the conditions outside it.
Family Institutions
Family are considered as the building blocks of our society. The origin of a family goes back to prehistory and is the factor that bound early settlements. The formation of an organic union among kin perpetuated the emergence of tribes and communities. Family is understood as more of a social design that is due to the complex functions of each member that come together to form the foundation of a relationship and the center of every society where the community draw strength from. Civil society comprises organizations that are not associated with government, It is broadly understood as the combination of organizations, establishments, and individuals that operate outside the influence of the government institution. The civil society in the Philippine context is all about the spirit of community service. Communal spirit is shared by Filipinos through proactive participation and where volunteerism can be found among many of its social traditions. These contribute to the values of charity and altruism for the welfare of others and from which many of civil society organizations, nongovernmental organization, and foundation pattern their values and mission. Example: Civil society include schools, advocacy groups, professional association, churches, and cultural institutions. The emergence of civil society groups is well received by development practitioners in varied forms. Such groups are formed base on the customs and norms of the prevailing society. Groups that are formed under these have individuals who can freely choose to associate with not just one but as many as he or she likes. Since people have the liberty to do such, the groups act like leverage for particular individuals to be with like-minded citizens. Diversity is the fitting word to describe the world of civil society groups. Many of these groups advocate the concerns or needs of various institutions. Each organization embodies an identity that is parallel to its specific goal or principal advocacy. These groups are not just economic or political; many of them form out of cultural, historical, and religious significance. The structure of how civil society groups are oriented varies from one group to another. A group can be non-profit or for profit, formal or informal. The difference between groups is not just about their source of income but also the network and advocacy they adhere to. LESSON 3 CIVIL SOCIETY PERSPECTIVE
Role of Society Organizations
The role of the civil society organization(CSO) is a very essential part of our liberal society. They are composed of various actors, such as other groups, organization, or institutions that come together to attain a particular goal that is vitally for the better good of society. The common idea about CSOs is that they operate outside the control of the state and government but work toward the fulfilment of the same ends. When thinking about the role in which people, organizations, and the state come together forming the structures and functions that make up the fixture of our society. We have to look into gray areas between these relationships to explore the importance of civil society organizations. A very good representation of civil society in the Philippines is the party-list representation in the House of Representatives, therefore engaging the state directly. The party-list groups come from different sectors of the society, such as women, youth, farmers, and senior citizens. Based on Philippine Law, religious institutions are not allowed representation due to the separation of church and state.
Nongovernmental Organizations
Nongovernmental Organization is by far a clear representation of how civil society groups , once they achieve a semblance of identity, order, and social capital, can be a force in terms of lobbying and promotion of their interest. Nongovernmental Organizations which operate on the fringes of the political system are in a very advantageous position. This kind of positioning provides them the leeway and opportunity to look at the bigger picture in both government and its people. It is like having the ability to see both sides of the relationship while gaining the trust of both institutions. Gaining this kind of access, Nongovernmental Organizations dictate many of society’s agendas by having the inputs from interest groups and individuals and distilling these to a formal advocacy. The characteristics of an Nongovernmental Organization are; organized, voluntary and needs-oriented. Nongovernmental Organizations are formed by individuals who are willing to contribute to the cause of the group. People who volunteer in these organizations may come from different backgrounds, classes and cultures. With their varied backgrounds, civil society groups tap into these networks to further expand their reach and support from the populace. Nongovernmental Organizations are needs –based and their goals revolved around a specific societal need. The formation of these formal groups shows the need for other social assemblies to stand alongside the government to provide basic services to the underprivileged. Nongovernmental Organizations tend to reinforce the role of government by enhancing initiatives that are put in place. Moreover Nongovernmental Organizations initiatives promote the values and societal norms that liberal democracies espouse.
Social Movements
Comparing social movements with nongovernmental organizations, there are glaring differences as well as similarities in their roles. Nongovernment organizations are more formal, whereas social movements on the flipside are informal. If social movements have bigger membership, Nongovernmental Organizations are less cohesive and less identifiable physically. Social movements are, by definition, groups that exist for a sole purpose or issue and tend to fizzle out once it is attained. Social movements exist through the sheer will of their members in spreading their concerns in various platforms, such as through flash gatherings and rallies. The strength of social movements relies on how society perceives the norm they propose to alter or idea they want shattered. Social movements have a more direct impact to society, but the impact is quite polarizing because of the progressive nature of the ideas they seek to advance. Social movements represent the collective disdain of individuals and groups against a prevailing system or idea and are considered by many as more radical than other civil society groups. Their ways are more confrontational than Nongovernmental Organizations because of the emotion driven narratives of movements that appeal to people. Social movements embodies the following characteristics; Informal,Issue-based, and Progressive. Social movements are having its heyday in interconnected societies nowadays and these movements are more apparent than ever and many have already evolved into formal organizations backed by major institutions and individuals. Their advocacies range across all facets of society, including family, education, politics, economics, and religion. Examples of these movements in the present societal fabric are the LGBT( Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) rights and the Occupy movement ( economic).
Interest Groups
It exist primarily to push for policy agendas and nothing more. Interest groups maybe composed of multiple civil society groups that share a common agenda. Interest groups are actually the by-product of the
