AP Human Geography - Unit 3 Culture

help

culture

shared practices, technologies, attitudes, and behaviors transmitted by the members of a society that are not the result of biological inheritance (socially constructed)

ethnicity

a group of people who share a common cultural identity

- social group that defines itself based on certain factors: culture, language, religion, tradition, etc.
- changeable through movement, assimilation, etc.

ethnicity examples

hispanic, german, italian, hmong, japanese

race

historical classification that is used to categorize human populations with shared physical traits (not culture)

social construct around biology of a person

race examples

american indian/alaska native, native hawaiian/pacific islander, black/african american, white, asian

culture trait

a single attribute of a culture, such as food preferences, architecture, and land use

- what members of local culture produce in material culture reflects beliefs and values of nonmaterial cultures

material culture traits

things people construct: clothing, food, literature/art, house/public buildings

nonmaterial culture traits

beliefs, practices, aesthetics, values of group of people: language/religion, education systems, government/law systems, music/holidays

2 attitudes toward cultural differences

1. ethnocentrism
2. cultural relativism

ethnocentrism

judging another culture based on the values of one's own culture (language, religion, customs)

cultural relativism

the idea that a person's beliefs, values, and practices should be understood based on that person's own culture, rather than be judged against the criteria of another

cultural landscape

combination of physical features, agricultural and industrial practices, religions and linguistic characteristics, sequent occupancy, traditional and postmodern architecture, and land use patterns

sequent occupance

the combined imprint on an area when it has been inhabited by a succession of cultures (ex. buildings, transportation systems, farms, irrigation, recreation facilities)

attitudes toward ____________ and ___________ shape the use of space in a society

ethnicity and gender

indigenous communities

the original settlers of an area (pre-invasion/colonialism) who have retained their culture apart from the colonizers (ex. Native Americans, First Nations, Aborigines)

ethnic enclave

an area within a city occupied by a distinctive minority culture (ex. Little Italy in NYC)

gender

social and cultural differences between males and females (not biological differences)

gender role

learned behaviors that are deemed appropriate to gender as determined by cultural norms

role of women in workforce

women engaged in paid work outside the home has increased substantially over the second half of the 20th century

gendered spaces

areas in which gender expression is either welcome or unwelcome
- Muslim society: public space (employment, politics) belong to men and private space (home) belongs to women
- U.S. society: public restrooms divided by gender

patterns of ________, __________, and ___________ shape the cultural landscape

language, religion, ethnicity

sense of place

term used to connote attachment to and comfort in a particular place with a strong identity that is deeply felt by inhabitants

STRONG sense of place: sense of place that is felt by visitors as well as inhabitants

place making

how a culture makes a place fit their identity by shaping the landscape to show what they believe and value (buildings, statues, sacred sites, etc.)

_________, _________, and ___________ are forces that can unite or divide a country

language, religion, and ethnicity

centripetal forces

forces that unite a country: custom/common language, ethnicity, religion

centrifugal forces

forces that divide a country: multiple competing ethnicities, languages, or religions

culture spreads through

diffusion

cultural diffusion

spread of an idea, innovation, cultural trend, or disease from its source area to other areas

relocation diffusion

type of cultural diffusion when an innovation or idea spreads by the actual movement of individuals who have adopted the idea and carry it to a new place (ex. spread of Christianity to New World, spread of Spanish and English to the New World)

expansion diffusion

type of cultural diffusion when an innovation or idea develops in a source area and remains strong there while also spreading outward the innovation or idea moves through fixed populations (wave-like)

NO MOVING PEOPLE

3 types of diffusion

1. contagious
2. hierarchical
3. stimulus

contagious diffusion

type of expansion diffusion where nearly all individuals are affected as it spreads outward (ex. spread of Islam)

hierarchical diffusion

type of expansion diffusion where particular (most connected) groups are affected as it leapfrogs over areas (ex. FAX machines, AIDS)

stimulus diffusion

type of expansion diffusion where a small portion of the population adopts an idea or modifies it (ex. veggie burgers in India)

culture changes and/or disappears over time through

interactions between groups

lingua franca

a language mutually understood by people who speak different languages, usually for the purpose of trade (ex. English as language of international business, Swahili as language of trade in East Africa, Arabic as language of trade in Southwest Asia)

creolization

2 or more languages mix - develop formal structure & vocab to create a new language (developed through settings of colonization/slavery)

blending of European, Amerindian, and African cultures in the New World as a result of colonialism to create something new (ex. Haitian Creole language in the Caribbean, Santeria religion in the Caribbean)

historical processes impact

cultural patterns

cultural imperialism

dominance of one culture over another, historically, often occurred as a result of colonization (ex. Spanish and English cultures imposed on the Native People in the Americas, occurs in present day as pop culture, which is easily diffused and causes local traditions to become commercialized)

colonialism

policy of acquiring control over another country, occupying it with settlers and exploiting it economically (ex. English pilgrims landing in America, Spanish conquistadors landing in America)

when a powerful country establishes settlements in a less powerful country for economic/political gain

neocolonialism

"new" colonialism - imperialism can be pursued through assertion of political, economic, cultural, influence rather than occupation

trade

people move from place to place around the world as they trade and come into contact with new ideas and cultural practices

culture is _______ constructed and change through both ______ scale and ______ scale processes

socially, small, large

culture is socially constructed

practices and beliefs (culture) that appear to be natural and obvious to people who accept it, but are actually learned behaviors (ex. race is not biological, but an agreed upon set of ideas about how humans are differentiated)

how does culture change?

through media, technological change, politics, economics, and social relationships

globalization

process of increased interconnectedness among countries most notably in areas of economics, politics, and culture

urbanization

refers to the movement of people to town/cities and the resulting expansion of the rural countryside to absorb increase in people

communication technologies are accelerating

interactions and changing cultural practices

time-space convergence

increasing connectivity between cultures that occurs as a result of communication technology (ex. internet)

cultural convergence

cultures become more alike as their interactions increase (ex. increasing use of English)

languages change through convergence: different languages have consistent spatial interaction = collapse 2 languages into 1

cultural divergence

tendency for culture groups to disassociate from others in order to protect or preserve their culture from influence or change (ex. Amish, Hutterite, Mennonite, Inuit)

local culture (folk culture)

culture traits of usually small, traditional, homogenous, rural communities (ex. Amish, Hutterite, Mennonite, Inuit)

why are there loss of indigenous languages?

consequence of colonialism and policies of assimilation

culture (language, religion, gender roles) spread from ________ ______

culture hearths

culture hearth

source of civilization: place where a civilization began and their ideas and practices spread to surrounding areas

civilization

society with an advanced state of social development possessing recordkeeping (writing), advanced cities (urbanization), technology, specialized workers, complex institutions (government, religion)

language

method of communication (spoke/written)

language family

group of languages with a shared but fairly distant origin

dialect

variant of a standard language along regional or ethnic lines (ex. differences in vocab, syntax, pronunciation, cadence, and pace)

world religions

belief systems that originated in a hearth and diffused

Christianity
Islam
Nonreligious
Hinduism
Chinese traditional religion
Buddhism
Animism - indigenous
African traditional
Sikhism
Judaism

ethnic cultures

members that share cultural heritage, ancestry, origin myth, history, homeland, language/dialect, symbolic systems (religion/mythology), rituals, cuisine, dressing styles, art, or physical appearance (ex. Greek, Spanish, Italian)

diffusion of language, religion, ethnic cultures can be represented on maps, charts, and toponyms

diffusion of language, religion, and ethnic cultures: trade, migration, invasion, conflicts, conquests, missions, and the spread of agriculture

toponym

place-names that can uncover historical information about a place and its origins, such as the language of the original inhabitants and succeeding settlement history and population dispersal (ex. Osceola County, Florida)

Indo-European language family

family of languages believed to all come from a single language (Proto-Indo European) that spread outward

conquest theory

source of Indo-European language lay somewhere in the steppes of present-day Ukraine and Russia more than 5000 years ago and spread by conquerors on horseback who moved westward from east

agriculture theory

source of Indo-European language lay somewhere in mountainous terrain of Anatolia in modern Turkey between 7000 and 9000 years ago and spread with diffusion of agriculture

established farming ----> reliable food supply ----> population increase ---> slow/steady wave of farmers dispersed into Europe and mixed with nonfarmers

diffusion of major religions

1. buddhism
2. islam
3. christianity
4. sikhism
5. hinduism
6. judaism
7. animism

universalizing religions

religions that actively seek converts because they view themselves as offering belief systems of universal applicability and appeal

buddhism
islam
christianity
sikhism

BICS

buddhism

culture hearth: south asia/northern india
distribution: southeast asia, east asia, south asia

- founded by Siddhartha Gautma in northern India with roots in Hinduism
- lost its following in India, becoming most widespread religion in East Asia
- spread by relocation diffusion to East Asia
- spread by expansion diffusion in China, Korea, Thailand, Burma, Japan

islam

culture hearth: southwest asia/mecca
distribution: southwest asia, northern africa, and parts of southeast asia

- roots in Judaism
- based on one god belief Allah and Muhammad was Allah's prophet
- spread by expansion diffusion in Southwest Asia and North Africa
- relocation diffusion to Southeast Asia, Europe, and U.S.
- 2 major branches:
1. Sunni -- largest branch prominent through Southwest Asia and North Africa
2. Shiite (Shia) -- second largest in Iran and Iraq

christianity

culture hearth: southwest asia/jerusalem/palestine/israel
distribution: australia, northern europe, north america, central and south america
MOST DOMINANT UNIVERSALIZING RELIGION

- roots in Judaism
- based on Old Testament and teachings of Jesus as told in New Testament
- spread by relocation and expansion diffusion throughout the world
- 3 major branches:
1. roman catholicism -- prominent in Europe, Americas
2. protestantism -- prominent in North America and England
3. eastern orthodox -- prominent in Eastern Europe and Russia

sikhism

culture hearth: south asia/india - punjab
distribution: India

- roots in Islam and Hinduism (reincarnation)
- founded in northern India
- based on teachings of Guru Nanak
- spread by expansion diffusion throughout India
- relocation to Southeast Asia, Europe, and North America
- spread through expansion in Middle East
- relocation North Africa, Europe, South East Asia, and U.S.

ethnic religions

religions that do not actively seek converts and are generally found near the hearth or spread through relocation diffusion

judaism
animism
hinduism

JAH!

judaism

culture hearth: south asia/canaan
distribution: north america (U.S.), southwest asia (israel), europe, russia

- founded by Abraham in Southwest Asia
- first monotheistic religion (one god)
- spread by relocation diffusion due to Diaspora: scattering of Jews from homeland by Romans
- many Jews relocated back to Southwest Asia following WWII and creation of Israel
- highly concentrated today: 4/5 Jews live in U.S. and Israel (rest in Canada, France, UK, Germany, Russia, Argentina)

animism

- oldest religion pre-dating civilization and centered on belief that inanimate objects (mountains, rivers, trees) possess spirits and should be revered
- found among Native Americans in North and South America and among Africans and other indigenous groups globally

hinduism

culture hearth: south asia/india
distribution: indian subcontinent

- oldest major religion founded in India that can't be traced to 1 founder
- collection of religious beliefs strongly connected to Hindu culture based on reincarnation
- spread by expansion diffusion throughout India
- relocation diffusion to Southeast Asia, South Africa, North America and South America

effects of diffusion of culture

assimilation

process in which members of 1 cultural group adopt the beliefs and behaviors of another group, but still retain some original uniqueness; often occurs due to colonization or immigration (ex. native americans forced to learn english, chinese immigtant relocated and learns english)

acculturation

process by which a person or persons acquire the social and psychological characteristics of a group and can't be distinguished from anyone else (ex. european immigrants in america)

prolonged contact between 2 or more cultures when people in 1 culture adopt some traits from other cultures

multiculturalism

maintaining a diversity of ethnic cultures within a community that are valued and respected for their unique differences (ex. New York City)

syncretism

development of a new cultural trait due to blending of 2 distinct but interacting cultures (ex. Americanized Chinese food, Americanized Mexican food)

placelessness

loss of distinct local features (uniqueness) in favor of standardized landscapes which happens as a result of pervasiveness of pop culture and mass production and availability of a wide variety of consumables (ex. strip malls)

pop culture

culture traits of large, heterogeneous, urban populations (usually rapid changing)

interfaith boundaries

conflict between world's major faiths

Islam and Judaism in Israel
Hinduism and Buddhism in Sri Lanka
Christians and Muslims in Sudan

intrafaith boundaries

conflict within a single major faith, such as different denominations of Christianity or the two branches of Islam

Catholics/Protestants in Northern Ireland
Sunni/Shia in Iraq

sacred sites (spaces)

areas/places of religious/spiritual significance, including cathedrals, mosques, temples, and cemeteries

Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem
Western Wall in Jerusalem

religions in U.S.

catholicism, protestantism, mixed

catholicism

northeastern states, southwestern states of arizona, new mexico, texas, florida

protestantism

baptist: southeastern states (Bible Belt region)
mormonism: utah
methodist: midland states
lutheran: upper midwest

mixed

western states (large parts of cali, idaho, nevada, oregon, washington)

hindu architecture

colorful, ornate, multiple gods

buddhist architecture

far east: pagoda style, buddha, stupas