Introduction and Key Terms of Cultural

Geography Definition of Cultural Geography Fundamental Concepts

Vermeer’s The Geographer. Holland, 1669

What is CULTURE?What are its elements?

How is it transferred?

How does it affect the landscapes of the world?

What is CULTURE?Culture is learned behavior that is passed

on by imitation, instruction, and example. Culture is almost entirely relative. Proper behavior

and traditions shift from culture to culture. U.S. current problems:

1) little shared culture2) no one is teaching culture

For example: sex education - Home? School?

Note: experiencing another culture is useful for gaining perspective on your own.

Candidate for harshest punishment in history? Banishment in so-called “primitive” cultures.

Geographic Importance of Culture

Geographers study culture because it leaves dramatic imprints on the earth, both physical and cultural. Language: a crystal ball into culture. Religion: strongest determinant of ethics. Nationalism and Borders Material Culture: tools, clothes, toys, etc. Architecture: Suburban garages vs.

earlier porches

Spatial DistributionDefinition: the location and arrangement

of a

phenomenon across space. Includes:Density: the frequency with which

something occurs in a given area.Concentration: the extent to which it is

focused in clusters or, alternately, evenly dispersed across space.

Pattern: a geometric or regular arrangement of the phenomenon across space.

Describing Distributions

Rheris Valley, Atlas Mountains, Morocco.Photo by Yann Arthus-Bertrand.

Phoenix, Arizona

Collegeville, Pennsylvania

Hong Kong, China

San Francisco, California

Farm Fields near Des Moines, Iowa

Fields near Pullman, WashingtonPhoto by Yann Arthus-Bertrand

Marina Del Rey, Los Angeles, California

Napa, California

Key Concepts REGION - an area that shares common

characteristics1. Formal - whole area shares essential uniformity across the

space (i.e., City of Glendale)2. Functional – the region is defined by some activity or

function or process (i.e. cell phone coverage, English speaking countries, etc.)

3. Vernacular – common perception of cultural identity (i.e.,“Deep South”)

Formal Regions- whole area shares essential uniformity

across the space.

Functional Regions- defined by a node of activity and distance decay from

center (i.e. cell phone coverage)

Functional Region

What is the function in this example? What acts as the node of functionality?

- defined by a node of activity and distance decay from center (i.e. cell phone coverage)

Vernacular Regions

Vernacular Regions– areas that include common perception of cultural

identity (“Deep South”)

Spatial Analysis

Geographers search for patterns in the distribution and movement of human activities and environmental processes.

Where do we find hunger?Where did crime occur this week?Where is petroleum produced?

Spatial Analysis: Crime Mapping

Click on the Map!

Diffusion

• Relocation

• Hierarchical

• Contagious

• Stimulus

Diffusion

• Relocation

• Hierarchical

• Contagious

• Stimulus

Diffusion• Relocation

• Hierarchical

• Contagious

• Stimulus

Tobler’s 1st Law of Geography

All things are related. However, all other things being equal, those things that are closest together are more related.

Related Concepts: Distance Decay Friction of Distance

SpaceLatitude and Longitude - a reference

system designed to provide “absolute” location (as opposed to relative locations).

Parallels of Latitude Meridians of Longitude

Glendale College is located at 34 10 03 N 118 13 41 W

Place and Sense of PlaceEvery place is unique. Imagine where

you lived as a child. What made that special? Sensory Architecture Symbolic

Humanistic Geography - values the individual perspective.

Place and Placelessness (Relph, 1978)

What kinds of cultural values are reflected in each of these American houses?

Gated community?

What kinds of cultural values are reflected in this landscape?

The Cultural Landscape

The result of the natural environment and all of the changes to it as a result of a particular culture. (Carl Sauer) Environmental Determinism:

environment is primary determinant of culture.

Possibilism: humans are primary determinant of culture.

N.Y.C.

Environmentally Determined?

What about Bali,

Indonesia?

Where are we? What values are reflected in each? What relation to physical environment?

Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey

Timber House, Switzerland

Yurt on Mongolian Steppe Suburban Home, Chicago

Geography and Politics

Historically tied to Military Functions: Role in ColonizationRole in ImperialismRole in Cold War

Historically EthnocentricHistorically Patriarchal

Foreign - 4) Situated in an abnormal or improper place. 5) Not natural: alien.

The American Heritage Dictionary

Key Concepts:Core-Periphery

Core (Devoloped Countries )

U.S., Europe, Japan, Australia

Wealthy Powerful Control Media and

Finance Technologically

advanced

Periphery (Less Developed Countries)

Poor Dependent upon Core

countries for: Education Technology Media Military Equipment Financing

Key C

on

cep

ts:

Core

-Peri

ph

ery

All of the possessions of a statistically avearge U.S. family. Photograph by Peter Menzel.

1994 U.S. StatsPopulation: 292 millionPopulation density: 29 people per sq. km.Total fertility rate: 2.0 children per womanPopulation doubling time: 116 yearsPercentage urban/rural: 78% urban, 22% ruralPer capita energy use: 8,148 kg. oil equivalentInfant mortality: 6.7 deaths per 1,000 birthsLife expectancy: 74 (male), 80 (female)Adult illiteracy: 3% (male), 3% (female)Internet users: 165 million

All of the possessions of a statistically average Indian family. Photograph by Peter Menzel.

1994 India StatsPopulation: 1.0 billionPopulation density: 318 people per sq. km.Total fertility rate: 3.0 children per womanPopulation doubling time: 36 yearsPercentage urban/rural: 28% urban, 72% ruralPer capita energy use: 494 kg. oil equivalentInfant mortality: 66 deaths per 1,000 birthsLife expectancy: 62 (male), 64 (female)Adult illiteracy: 32% (male), 55% (female)Internet users: 7 million

All of the possessions of a statistically average Japanese family. Photograph by Peter Menzel.

1994 Japan StatsPopulation: 128 millionPopulation density: 336 people per sq. km.Total fertility rate: 1.3 children per womanPopulation doubling time: 289 yearsPercentage urban/rural: 79% urban, 21% ruralPer capita energy use: 4,316 kg. oil equivalentInfant mortality: 3 deaths per 1,000 birthsLife expectancy: 78 (male), 85 (female)Adult illiteracy: 1% (male), 1% (female)Internet users: 56 million

All of the possessions of a statistically average Malian family. Photograph by Peter Menzel.

1994 Mali StatsPopulation: 12 millionPopulation density: 9.1 people per sq. km.Total fertility rate: 7.0 children per womanPopulation doubling time: 23 yearsPercentage urban/rural: 26% urban, 64% ruralPer capita energy use: 22 kg. oil equivalentInfant mortality: 118.7 deaths per 1,000 birthsLife expectancy: 48 (male), 49 (female)Adult illiteracy: 64% (male), 84% (female)Internet users: 30,000

GlobalizationThe increasing

interconnectedness of different parts of the world through common processes of economic, political, and cultural change. The economic, cultural, and environmental effects of globalization are highly contested.

Panama, 1997

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Steamship Routes, Circa 1900

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