Introduction to Culture

What is cultural geography?

How cultures differ across space, change over time, and spread to new locations

What does the term “culture” refer to?

The customs, art expressions, social norms, institutions, and other collective characteristics of a social group

What is material culture?

The physical component of culture, includes anything made or utilized by people

What is nonmaterial culture?

The non-physical aspects of a culture

What are sociofacts?

Structures and organizations that organize and affect social norms

What are mentifacts?

The shared ideals, values, and belief systems that shape a culture

What is a cultural hearth?

A location where a particular culture first appeared

What are the 7/8 cultural hearths?

Mesopotamia, Huang He River Valley, Mesoamerica, Ganges River Delta, West Africa, Nile River Valley, and Indus River Valley (sometimes: Andean America)

What are cultural traits?

Single aspects of a culture

What are cultural complexes?

Groups of cultural traits that cluster and exchange effects?

What are cultural systems?

Groups of cultural complexes that define broad features of a culture

What is a habit?

A personal behavior that is frequently repeated

What is a custom?

A group behavior that is frequently repeated

What are food tabboos?

Social, cultural, and religious prohibitions on certain foods

What is ethnocentrisism?

Judging another culture’s values against the values of one’s own culture

What is cultural relativism?

Judging another culture based on that culture’s values