Cultural Geography
-
Upload
lazzaro-murphy -
Category
Documents
-
view
85 -
download
2
description
Transcript of Cultural Geography
CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY
Cultural Evolution vs. Cultural Diffusion
Behavioral Geography
Culture Realms
Global Diffusion of Western Culture
WHAT IS CULTURE? (IN SOCIOLOGY)
Knowledge Language Values Customs Material objects
*Also called Cultural Traits or Elements
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.
KEEP IT GOING
Each is passed person to person in the society
Also from one generation to the next
The earth’s surface as modified by human action
CREATING CULTURAL LANDSCAPES
CULTURES CHANGE IN TWO WAYS:
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
Evolutionism Diffusionism
THEORIES OF CULTURAL EVOLUTIONHow might cultures change through internal measures?
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
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.
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
Environmental Determinism Debate
CULTURAL DIFFUSIONHow might cultures change through external measures?
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
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)
CULTURAL RESISTANCE
France bids Adieu to “E-mail”
PARIS, July 18, 2003-- Goodbye "e-mail," theFrench government says, and hello "courriel" — theterm that linguistically sensitive France is now usingto refer to electronic mail in official documents. TheCulture Ministry has announced a ban on the use of"e-mail" in all government ministries, documents,publications or websites, the latest step to stem anincursion of English words into the French lexicon.
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
FOLK CULTURE
Amish Appalachia
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
GROUPING HUMANS IN CULTUREHow are humans groups defined?
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
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
Culture Groups Ethnic Groups
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?
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
CULTURE REGIONS/ CULTURE REALMS
WHAT CRITERIA IS USED TO DEFINE THE CULTURE REGION? 1. Is it consistent?
2. Is it meaningful?
WHAT ARE THE MOST OBVIOUS FACTORS OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY?
Language Religion Ethnicity Architecture Statues & Monuments Clothing/Style
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
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
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
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”
GLOBAL DIFFUSION OF EUROPEAN CULTURE
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”
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
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
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
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.
47 nations surveyed
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