Cultural Geography

1. Cultural Geography Cultural Evolution vs. Cultural Diffusion Behavioral Geography Culture Realms Global Diffusion of Western Culture

2. What Is Culture? (in sociology) • Knowledge • Language • Values • Customs • Material objects *Also called Cultural Traits or Elements

3. Notes on Cultural • Learned.  The process of learning one’s culture is called “enculturation.”  Culture is not merely passively absorbed, but rather taught and learned by agentive individuals with differing levels of power. • Shared.  Members of a particular society have their culture in common. • Patterned.  People in a given society live and think in distinctive and describable ways. • Mutually constructed.  By means of constant and ongoing social interaction, individuals create, recreate, and change the nature of a particular culture. • Symbolic.  Those within a particular culture possess a shared understanding of meaning. • Arbitrary.  Culture is not based on natural laws but rather is created by human beings. • Internalized.  Culture is habitual, taken for granted, and perceived as natural.

4. Keep It Going • Each is passed person to person in the society • Also from one generation to the next

5. Creating cultural landscapes The earth’s surface as modified by human action

6. Cultures change in two ways: Evolutionism Diffusionism • Cultures change internally • Technology plays an important role • Cultures change externally by borrowing of cultural elements from one society by members of another • Cultural diffusion – process of spreading • Acculturation – process of adopting

7. Theories of Cultural evolution How might cultures change through internal measures?

8. Varro’s Theory of Human Stages • Stages of Development • Stage 1 – Hunters & Gatherers • Stage 2 – Pastoral Nomadism (domestication) • Stage 3 – Settled agriculture (Subsistence agriculture) • Stage 4 – Commercial Agriculture • Stage 5 – Urbanization & Industry • Challenges • Not every culture passes through the same stages • Not true of all societies • “Some ahead and some behind” • Used to dominate other cultures

9. Marx’s Historical Materialism • Looks for the causes of developments and changes in human societies • Technology is the key to change! • Technology determines economic systems which determines politics and society • Cornucopian • Goods would be distributed based on need since technology would help produce surplus. * Malthusians believe that there is no guarantee that technology will continue to provide rising standards of living as population increases.

10. Environmental Determinism • View that the physical environment, rather than social conditions, determines culture. • Societies adapt to natural landscape • Climate (major control) • Challenge-Response Theory • People need the challenge of a difficult environment • Weather of the middle latitudes led to more determined and driven work ethics • Possibilism • Theory that the environment sets certain constraints or limitations, but culture is otherwise determined by man's actions

11. Environmental Determinism Debate

12. Cultural Diffusion How might cultures change through external measures?

13. Cultural Diffusion • Overwhelms Cultural Evolution • Does not explain all distribution • Diffusion is affected by a number of important variables: • duration and intensity of contact • degree of cultural integration • similarities between the donor and recipient cultures • built in cultural resistance • Cultural Hearth – place of origin of culture elements • Problem: Same phenomenon occurs spontaneously at two or more places

14. Acculturation • Exchange of cultural features that results when groups come into continuous firsthand contact • Immigrants adapt to cultural change resulting from contact with the dominant group by using one of four strategies: • Assimilation (adopting) • Integration (multicultural) • Separation (separate) • Marginalization (alienation)

15. Cultural Resistance • France bids Adieu to “E-mail” PARIS, July 18, 2003-- Goodbye "e-mail," the French government says, and hello "courriel" — the term that linguistically sensitive France is now using to refer to electronic mail in official documents. The Culture Ministry has announced a ban on the use of "e-mail" in all government ministries, documents, publications or websites, the latest step to stem an incursion of English words into the French lexicon.

16. Folk Culture • Made up of people who maintain the traditional • Describes people who live in an old-fashioned way-simpler life-style • Rural, cohesive, conservative, largely self-sufficient group, homogeneous in custom • Strong family or clan structure and highly developed rituals • Tradition is paramount — change comes infrequently and slowly

17. Folk Culture Amish Appalachia

18. Popular Culture • Consists of large masses of people who conform to and prescribe to ever-changing norms • Large heterogeneous groups • Often highly individualistic and groups are constantly changing • Pronounced division of labor leading to establishment of specialized professions • Police and army take the place of religion and family in maintaining order • Money based economy prevails • Replacing folk culture in industrialized countries and many developing nations

20. Grouping Humans in Culture How are humans groups defined?

21. Difference between Race andEthnicity • Race: attitudes formed in consequence of being a minority or majority member (via privilege). – Not assumed to be biological • Ethnicity: attitudes formed associating with the traditions and values of particular ethnic group. • Sociologist Max Weber once remarked that: "The whole conception of ethnic groups is so complex and so vague that it might be good to abandon it altogether.“ • Examples: Polish, Arab, Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, & French

22. Groups Culture Groups Ethnic Groups • Defined by a variety of characteristics or just one: • Language/Literature • Religion/Values/Traditions • Politics/Beliefs • Food/Manners • Subjective • Subculture – smaller bundle of attributes shared by a smaller group • “Ethno” – Gr. for people • Ambiguous term • May depend on: • Biology • Culture • Allegiance • Historic background • Ethnocentrism - judge other cultures by own standards

23. Are you taboo? • Do you eat pork? • Have you ever kissed in public? • Should you have more than one wife or husband? • Do you eat with your left hand? • Do you compliment physical features? • Do you eat fertilized duck eggs? • Do you wear shoes in the house? • Have you ever talked back to an adult?

24. Behavioral Geography • Approach to Human Geography that examines human behavior • Studies perceptions of the world and how perceptions influence behavior. • “Pictures in our heads” – Mental Maps • People make decisions on their mental maps • Cultural differences in perceptions • Proxemics (cross-cultural study of the use of space) • Territoriality

25. Culture regions/ Culture realms

26. What criteria is used to define the Culture Region? • Is it consistent? • Is it meaningful?

27. What are the most obvious factors of cultural diversity? • Language • Religion • Ethnicity • Architecture • Statues & Monuments • Clothing/Style

28. Settlement patterns • Cluster Housing • Live together, work together • Family or Religious bonds • Common security • Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa, & Middle East • Isolated Housing • Peace & security • Agricultural colonization • Anglo-America, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa

29. Forces that Stabilize Culture Realms • Despite diffusion, cultures remain fixed • Inertia – term for the force that keeps things stable • Historical Geography • Studies the past and how geographic distributions have changed • How people have interacted with their environment, and created the cultural landscape. • Fixed Assets (Infrastructure) • Historical Consciousness (self reflection on history) • Values - Preserve key aspects of culture • Passed down from generation to generation

30. Trade & Cultural diffusion • Diminishes isolation • Triggers change - Important force of diffusion • Trade, economy, and culture intertwined • Part of Economic Geography • Study of how various people make a living, how economies develop, and trade • Export surplus, Import Luxuries

31. Trends in Trade • More Trade, More Diffusion • Nearly all parts of the world are affected • Friction of Distance is less (costs down) • Felt needs are created (think you need) • Activities relocate freely – footloose • Communication advances trades/ideas • Electronic highway • Cyberspace • Possible clash of “Civilizations”

32. Global diffusion of European Culture

33. Notes on European Culture • Widespread (through conquest) • Massive Impact • Progress or unwanted acculturation??? • Illustrates all types, paths, and processes of diffusion Prince Henry “the Navigator”

35. Cultural Imperialism • European ways are superior • Christianity a major catalyst (conversion) • Economic & military superiority • Methods • Force • Training/schooling • Reference Group Behavior (desire to belong) • Rewarding • Degrading

36. Westernization Today • Diffusion continues • Wealthy buy Western products • Young adopt western styles • Media & TV increase rate of diffusion • Tourism • Non-Western Professionals (Europe & U.S.) • Transforming traditional cultures/folk cultures • U.S. Influence • Very strong • 9/11 Ripple Effect • Negative views of American policies • “Drugs” • “Peace-Keeping” • Spread of U.S. Culture • Economic Power

38. Ugly American • Used to describe boorish people from the U.S. insensitive to those in other countries • Bothers fans of the 1958 novel The Ugly American, whose title character was actually sensitive and thoughtful—he just looked ugly Are Americans truly ugly? “The Great Satan” – 1979 Ayatollah Khomeini

39. 47 nations surveyed Pew Global Attitudes Project (6/2006) • America's Image Slips • Spain, India, Russia, Indonesia, & Turkey • U.S.-led war on terror draws majority support in just two countries - India and Russia • United States as the worst culprit in “hurting the world’s environment.” • In Japan, barely a quarter of respondents (26%) now favor the U.S.-led war on terror • War in Iraq has made the world a more dangerous place • 33 of the 47 countries polled expressed a dislike of American ideas about democracy, with the hostility highest in three allies: Turkey, France and Pakistan.

40. What are American values? • Equal Opportunity • Achievement & Success (competition) • Material Comfort • Activity and Work (action) • Practicality and efficiency • Progress (move forward) • Science • Democracy and Free enterprise (individual rights have significant value) • Freedom (individual over the group) • Racism and group superiority