Chapter 6: Geographies of Culture and Landscape

what is culture

a given society’s shared way of life

• e.g., belief systems, gender and other social norms that are immaterial/intangible

• also, material objects and practices such as clothing, foods/cuisines, language

• differentiates human groups from each other

what’s an easily recognizable form of material culture

pottery. ex: tajines = north african cooking dishes and the name of the savoury stew prepared in it

is culture static or dynamic

it’s dynamic - always changing over time and space

• some ideas, traits or practices change more quickly than others

• established cultures also (often) may resist change; ‘stickiness’ of ‘tradition’ - aka who in society has power and control

what is tradition

the customary, widely recognized or followed procedure

• an old or former style, way of thinking or method for accomplishing a task

• a long established custom or belief (incl. stories, tales or myths) passed on from one generation to another

• a belief or set of beliefs, including ceremonies, held and taught by a church, political party or other influential group

• “peer pressure from dead people”

how do people develop their ideas and worldviews

through experiences and information, which shape how they act and perceive the world

what happens when information sources become increasingly divided

it leads to echo chambers and less genuine critique or discussion

• echo chambers are environments where people only encounter beliefs that match their own, reinforcing unchallenged perspectives

how do established cultural attitudes and behaviours influence society

they become dominant frames of reference, even when they’re outdated or inappropriate

give an example of a cultural framework that has persisted over time

colonialism and concepts of race

why do cultural frameworks often self perpetuate

because change requires deliberate action to create new sets of values and behaviours

why is cultural change difficult

because it requires changing ourselves and questioning our own assumptions

how can society counter self perpetuating cultural frameworks

through initiatives like anti racism eduction that challenge dominant norms and values

what are formal cultural regions

areas with degree of homogeneity in cultural characteristics

what are the four basic points of formal cultural regions

1. criteria for inclusion (ex: defining characteristic or ‘variable’) - eg. religion, language, dominate staple foods, political affiliation

2. date or time period - recognition that as cultures evolve/change, regions will as well

3. spatial scale - larger the area, the more generic the regional identifiers 

4. boundary lines - imply firm demarcation - reality see transitional zones

what is the goal of identification based on four basic points of formal cultural regions

to enhance understanding, not generate a perfect description

what do smaller regions show in terms of regionalization

more homogeneity; more meaningful?

explain regionalization in manitoba

greater cultural and social homogeneity, similarities within regions

• ex: mb tourist regions - northern/southern mb boundary; transition zones

what are vernacular cultural regions

• not defined but ‘perceived’ or ‘emotionally recognized’ by those living there, or by those elsewhere

• recognized by a palpable ‘sense of place’ - the feelings evoked by, or deep attachments to, specific locations…emotional geography

• strong place identity shared amongst members of a regional population

what are sacred places and landscapes

dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity

• worthy of religious veneration; entitle to reverence and respect; holy

• of or related to religion or spiritual practice - not secular

• highly valued and important to a group/culture

how did winnipeg become the slurpie capital of the world

identified/studied by examining shared perceptions; ‘us/our place’ and ‘other’

• popular perceptions of an area can be widespread, localized, broadly accepted or contested

what is an example of the making of a cultural landscape

canadian prairie agriculture first dominated by wheat but evolved into a more diverse agricultural landscape: corn and hogs, canola, flax

• loss of community grain elevators as prairie landmark and symbol

explain the changing prairie cultural and economic landscape

‘prairie sentinel’ grain elevators once common in every community - horse cart distance

• rail lines: economic and social link to the world

• 1990s: diversification, rationalization of production

• community elevators replaces by far fewer, larger, more mechanized ‘inland terminals’

what is cultural diffusion

cultures change due to the spread of new ideas and practices

• movement of ideas and people across geographic space and over time

explain the first typical way of cultural diffusion

historical: spread of material landscape features such as housing styles, barn types or place names - ex: california’s spanish place names

explain the second typical way of cultural diffusion

contribution of innovations to landscape change; adoptions first close to source then spread out gradually

• gemeinschaft and gesellschaft societies

explain the gemeinschaft and gesellschaft societies

gemeinschaft: associations based on loyalty, informality and personal contact

• assumed character of small, rural communities

• considered more resistant to change, new innovations

gesellschaft societies: association based on rationality, formality, anonymity

• assumed character of organ, large communities

• considered less resistant to innovation

explain the third typical way of cultural diffusion

consequences of diffusion

• innovation adds to technological capacity of a culture but impacts use of resources/environment

• ex: cellphones diffused rapidly communication tool but so did problems of e waste

• differences in uptake of innovations by age, gender, level of education, place in economic and political systems

• eg: lower income inds disadvantaged by lack of access to technologies others take for granted

how is cultural diffusion often represented as

graphically as an s-curve

• ex: spread of initial mask use adopted during early stages of covid pandemic

• cultural innovations can be ‘pre empted’ by misinformation, mishandling of introduction or other negative factors

what is language

both a cultural variable and learned behaviour - different languages developed as humans moved into new areas with new environmental experiences

• source of group identity; source of cultural continuity through time - useful way to differentiate groups and religions

what is happening to languages

around 7000 distinct languages that existed in 17th century, now more than 1000 are gone, with 2500 endangered

• 96% of world populations speak 4% of languages

when do languages die

when

• a language with few speakers; seen as low status or a disadvantage - ex; minority languages in multilingual african countries

• may be actively oppressed or perceived as a handicap - ex: historically, indigenous languages in north america

• inter group communication favours fewer languages - dominance of english, mandarin chinese in media, trade, politics

what does language represent

a representation of unique ways of thinking and perceiving the world

what are indigenous languages

unique systems of knowledge of environment, skills and value

• central to cultural identity and focus of cultural resurgence - new degree programs in ojibway and cree

• inuktitut is the 1st indigenous language spoken in canada on google translate

what are sacred places of healing

search for healing has a spiritual dimension in many cultures

• therapeutic landscapes with lasting reputations for physical, mental, spiritual healing

• reputation for relief from emotional suffering and or physical pain

what is an example of a sacred place of healing

Lourdes, France; world famous catholic pilgrimage site - 5 mil + annually seek healing

what are religious teachings

constructs for relationship between human beings and the natural world

what is the judeo christian traditional/conservative view

god is above humans; humans are above nature

• attitude of human dominance over natural world/physical environment

• theological interpretation → obligation to tame and control land and non human life

what is green christianity

‘stewards’ of natural world with an obligation to responsibly care for all life on earth; embrace environmentalism

why are some languages dominant

1. colonial expansion spread european languages

• eg: ‘francophonie’ - france and former french colonies; language of education, government in addition to (often numerous) local, native languages

2. economically advantaged/prioritized languages

• eg: canadian immigration - points for proficiency in english and/or french; toefl scores for university admittance

3. prestige association; economic, artistic or religious connections

• latin in RC church; additional language requirement in canadian phd programs until 1990s

what is lingua franca

selected or created to facilitate communications between groups

what is pidgin

simplified compositions/mixes of several languages, to aid communication between groups

what is an example of a pidgin

jamaican patois, which is also a ‘creolo’ language or dominant pidgin in a region

• developed in 17th century, mix of english/scots and west and central african languages, mostly akan

what is religion

a social system based in a set of beliefs and practices, through which people make sense of the universe and their place within it

• associated moral and ethical values or ‘rules’ influence behaviour

• beliefs expressed intents, rituals, everyday behaviour, symbols and landscapes

what percentages of the global population identifies as non religious

over 10% - non religious, irreligious, religiously unaffiliated

what is agnostic

someone who does not know, or believes that it is impossible to know, if a god exists

what is atheist

someone who does not believe in any gods/god, or that no gods/god exists

where is canada ranked in the least religious countries

number 6 - 43% are not religious

what are religious landscapes

many religions explicitly choose to display their identity in the landscape

• distinctive architecture of temples, churches, gurdwares etc

• indigenous practices interwoven with interactions with nature, on the land

• also displayed at personal scale; visibility in choice of public dress; head coverings, beards, jewelry, hair

what is bill 21 in quebec

an act respecting the laicity of the state passed by quebec national assembly june 2019

• confirms province’s secular status and prohibits wearing of religious symbols by civil service employees in positions of authority and by teachers in the public sector

what is the eastern religions and indigenous belief systems

humans are part of nature; not separate or more important

• all elements in the natural world (incl. humans) have equivalent status

hinduism

god is everything; radically interconnected nature of reality

anishnaabe

everything is connected through the lands, waters and all living things - sustain and provide; have roles and responsibilities to look after the lands, water and living things