Cultural Geography

Culture

– Culture: shared set of meanings that are lived through the material and symbolic practices of everyday life

• 3 elements: that we have invented and passed on to subsequent generations

– Ideas:» Language, music, belief systems, and moral and gender codes

– Materials» Living and inert items that humans use: clothing, houses, office buildings,

factories, domesticated plants and animals etc.

– Institutions– Formal and informal associations that help us get along together

» Formal: religious organizations, governments, corporations, NGO’s» Informal: family, community and society

Culture

• Cultural traits:– A single aspect of the routine

practices of a particular cultural group

• e.g., Sikhs can be identified by their

– turbans, beards, or steel bracelets on their right wrists

– May not be unique to one group• Prohibition on eating pork is

shared by Muslims and Jews

– Combination of traits is a cultural complex

Culture and cultural groups

• Culture – easily defined broadly but

difficult to tie down

• Cultural Group– People with shared

• identity, beliefs, a way of life, and often same territory

– Still difficult e.g.,• Sikh farmer in the Punjab• Sikh lawyer in London• How much truly in common?

Cultural Regions/Landscape

– The direct and indirect expression of culture on the landscape forms the CULTURAL LANDSCAPE

• Seen in agricultural patterns, settlement patterns, architectural form and various other changes that we have made to the natural environment

Religion

4 major religions

Islam

• Islam– Emerges 7th century

• Rapidly spreads (and unifies the Arabian Pensinula)• Continues to spread beyond Saudi Arabia • Iran (Persia)• North Africa• Spain• Eastern Europe• Pakistan• South East Asia

– ~One billion (1/6 of world population) adherents

Islam

Islam

– Islam=“Submission” to the will of Allah

» Allah is the Arabic word for God.

– Muslim=“one who submits”

– Archangel Gabriel reveals the principles of the religion to the Prophet Muhammad

Mecca, Saudi Arabia

Islam

• Muslim belief– Allah begins to reveal himself

• To Adam, Abraham, Moses & others (Old Testament) • Jesus, John the Baptist (New Testament)• Muhammad (ultimate revelation)

– Muslims see a direct linkage between the peoples of the holy book (Bible) and Islam

– But Islam is the correct religion because• Ultimate revelation

Islam

• 3 theological “foundations”

– Qur’an: revelations from Archangel Gabriel to Muhammad i.e., words of God

– Hadith: Muhammad’s words– 9th century: Scholars codify into six recognized collections of tradition

– Accounts of Muhammad’s deeds

• Sunna: ‘the beaten path’ or custom of Islam

Islam

• 5 central principles

– Belief in Allah• As the only God and

Muhammad as his prophet

– Daily prayer• Dawn, noon, mid-afternoon,

sunset, evening– Public calls to prayer from

the Mosque

Islam

– Fasting (Ramadan)• Fast from sunrise to sunset

for one month each year– No food or water

• Purpose: Purification and family/community

• Iftar: Breaking the fast

• Exceptions: for sick, traveling –may substitute days

North Africa and Southwest Asia

– Charity (Zakat)• At least 2.5% of wealth to be

given to the ppor– Progressive –higher % if

wealthy– Based on the recognition of

the injustice of economic inequity

– Pilgrimage (Hajj) • Mecca -- birth place of

Muhammad• Medina – site of Muhammad’s

Mosque and burial place

– Note: Jerusalem also holy to Muslims

• Where Muhammad ascended into Heaven

North Africa and Southwest Asia

• Shar’ia– Islamic religious law

• Guides life according to the Qur’an– Some Muslims believe no other law is necessary

• Islam does not recognize a separation of religion and the state– Some Islamic countries are Theocratic (Government controlled by religious

authority) States» e.g., Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Iran

– Other Islamic countries are secular» e.g., Egypt, Morocco, Iraq, Turkey, Tunisia

• Great diversity of practices and observation in Islamic Countries

North Africa and Southwest Asia

• Two major groups of Muslims• Division goes back to death of Muhammad in 632 and who should be the

successor

– Sunni (~90%)– Clerics choose who succeeds Muhammad

– Shia (Shi’ite) (10%)– Blood relative to succeed – Ali, Muhammad’s son in law

– Geography of: see next slide.

– Conflict and cooperation, • Intermarriage, mixed tribal groups, mixed regions

Shia: Iran, southern Iraq and southern Lebanon. Smaller Shiite communities in Saudi Arabia and Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India as well.

Geography of Shia and Sunni

Islam

• Islamic Fundamentalism– Object to Western Culture:

– Liberalization of women’s roles– Globalization of western culture– Open sexuality, consumerism, hedonism, economic inequality

– undermining important Islamic values • Family, community

– Seek reaffirmation of traditional values

Islam

• Most Muslims share this view: (3 groups)– Moderates:

• Some contradictions here also– Elements of western culture also “consumed” in Islamic countries—especially

by moderate Muslims

– Fundamentalists: • strict interpretation of Qur’an

– Simple, prayerful life– Focus on family, community – Traditional gender roles and respect for elderly

• Insolate themselves from the West

Islam

• Islamists:– Violent revolution against

• All powerful and insensitive West

– Islamists • Greatest threat to the stability of the Middle East?

– Only country overthrown by Islamists was (arguably) Iran– But significant presence in a number of countries (e.g., Egypt, Algeria, Iraq,

Afghanistan– Were traditionally “nationally focused”

• Metastized into global movement with Al-Qaida and arguably Iraq.

Islamism and conflict

• Complex issues– Not all Islamic “terrorists” are Islamists

– Terrorist versus Freedom Fighter• Who chooses the label?

– State sponsored terrorism?• Terror as tactic

Islam

• Attractiveness of Islamist philosophy for violent overthrow

• Economic and Political Injustice in these countries

• Recruits: » young urban men from poor neighborhoods» descendents of displaced farmers and nomads» Refugees from various conflicts

– Living in crowded, polluted, chaotic conditions in largest cities» Don’t believe in their governments» See their governments being helped by the U.S.

Islam

• Attractiveness of Islamist philosophy for violent overthrow• Economic and Political Injustice in these countries• Leaders

» Educated» Disenfranchised politically/economically » unless they go along with the system» Frustrated with inability to fix the system

Islamism --Philosophy

• Poor conditions in Arab world because• Governments have moved away from Islam • Governments have become secular• West hates Islam• You have moved away from Islam

• Return to Islam• Return to the “Glory Days” when Islam was a major influence in Global

Affairs• Corruption will disappear• Life will be good• You will be respected

• Need to destroy the West because the West doesn’t want this to happen

Hinduism

– Hinduism• a way of life• a religious belief• 900m adherents

– 800m in India

– Broad range of beliefs• Little tradition

– Rooted in one region and linked to localized folk traditions

• Great Tradition– Classic central beliefs

Hinduism

• Great Traditions based on combination of:– Harappa people

• Original inhabitants• ~ 4,500bc

– Arya• ~ 1,500 B.C.

– 1st invaders

– Texts written in ancient sanskrit

• Most Hindu’s worship a number of gods and goddesses– But some difference between

– Shiva • Creator and destroyer of

universe

– Vishnu• Preserver of universe

Ganesha

God of Knowledge• Hindu concepts of Divinity– Somewhat flexible

• “all gods are merely illusory manifestations of the ultimate divinity which is formless and infinite”

• Some very devout Hindus don’t worship any gods for this reason

• 4 central tenets– Belief in reincarnation

• If you desire the illusionary pleasures (and pains) of life you will be reborn after you die

– Inevitability of a hierarchical life and afterlife

– Rigid social structure defined through the caste system

Hinduism

– Goodness of holy men and their rejection of material things

– All creatures are ranked with human on the top

– One’s condition in life (plant animal, human) is determined by Karma

• Deeds done in previous lives •Ultimate goal • Liberation from the cycle of rebirth and re-death•achieve salvation and eternal peace through union with the Brahman, the universal soul

Caste

• Humans are divided into Castes:– System for dividing society into hereditary hierarchal classes

• One is born into a given subcaste (jati) and that largely defines one’s experience for life

– Where you will live– Where and with whom you can eat and drink– With whom you will socialize– Who you marry– Type of job

• If one conforms to the prescribed social and ritual duties and observes the rules of conduct for the assigned caste

– Better chance of promotion to a higher caste in the next life

• A caste– Represents a group of Jati’s tied together by a set of associated

characteristics

– Jati’s • Often linked to particular places

– Eg., village, neighborhood (often with a particular language or dialect)– Segregated

» “Higher caste” Jati’s will not be ritually polluted by sharing water or food.

• Castes– Brahmins

• Priestly caste ; most privileged in rituals

• Must conform to “ritually purer practices (e.g., strict vegetarianism)

– Kshatriyas• Warriors and rulers

• Vaishyas– landowning farmers and

merchants

• Sudras– Low status laborers and

artisans

• Harijans (Dalits)– Untouchables (technically

considered so low as to not be a caste)

– Do the “dirty work”; killing animals, tanning hides, sweeping and cleaning

Caste

• Caste is different from class– Ie., class differences within caste groups

• Just because you are lower caste doesn’t mean you are poor– Often is the case, however

– Caste: banned from 1947 constitution• Affirmative action programs

– Increase participation of lower castes in higher education– Places set aside in parliament for lower castes

• Slowing declining as a force in society– Especially in cities were people can separate from their ancestral Jati

• Bustees– Slum (immigrant) neighborhoods in Cities that have strong Jati identity

Buddhism

• Founded in 6th century BC in part as a rejection of Hinduism– Siddhartha Gautama

• the Buddha (enlightened one)

• A moral philosophy – offers an explanation for

evil and human suffering – Rather than a formal

religion

Buddhism

• 4 noble truths– Existence involves suffering

– Suffering is the result of desire

– Pain ceases when desire is destroyed

– The destruction of desire comes through knowledge of correct behavior and thoughts

Borobudur, Indonesia largest Buddhist Monument in the World

Buddhism

– Also maintains the concept of Karma

• Ultimate goal:– Nirvana

• a condition of perfect enlightenment and the cessation of successive rebirths

– Buddhist missionaries instructed to carry his message but open to all castes, creeds, and peoples