AP Human Geography Unit 3 Exam Notes

What is Culture?

  • Culture: shared practices, technologies, attitudes, and behaviors passed down by a society; includes observable (language, clothing) and less observable aspects (thought patterns).

  • Cultural traits: obvious characteristics of a culture (food, architecture).

  • Cultural relativism: evaluating a culture by its standards; ethnocentrism: evaluating using one's own standards. Ethnocentrism can include xenophobia.

Cultural Landscape

  • Cultural landscape: how people modify a physical landscape to reflect their culture, through practices, religious structures, linguistic characteristics, and architecture.

  • Traditional architecture: local materials and needs; postmodern: emphasizes form.

Cultural Values and Space

  • Culture's attitude toward ethnicity shapes space (ethnic enclaves). Gender attitudes affect cultural landscapes (segregation, property rights).

  • Place making: modifying a landscape; sense of place: meaning associated with a place.

Sense of Place

  • Factors: language, religion, ethnicity.

  • Centripetal forces: bring people together (religion, language, ethnicity).

  • Centrifugal forces: drive people apart (religion, language, ethnicity).

Cultural Diffusion

  • Cultural diffusion: a cultural trait spreads.

  • Cultural hearth: origin of a cultural trait.

  • Relocation diffusion: spread via migration.

  • Expansion diffusion: trait spreads, people remain. Includes contagious, hierarchical, and stimulus diffusion.

Historical Causes of Diffusion

  • Colonialism & Imperialism: powerful state extends power. Led to diffusion of language and culture.

  • Trade also leads to diffusion (Silk Road). Lingua franca facilitates communication; creolization combines languages.

Contemporary Causes of Diffusion

  • Globalization: increasing interdependence.

  • Digital technology increases globalization.

  • Increasing urbanization & exposure to new ideas through media, tech, politics, economics.

Effects and Results of Diffusion

  • Cultural convergence: cultures interact and adopt traits. Time-space compression contributes.

  • Cultural divergence: processes make cultures distinct.

Diffusion of Language

  • Language Family: related languages with common ancestor.

  • Language Branch: develops from a family (Romance, Germanic).

  • Individual Languages and Dialects vary.

Diffusion of Religion

  • Religions have distinct origins.

  • Universalizing religions appeal to many cultures (Christianity, Islam).

  • Ethnic religions tied to groups/regions (Hinduism, Judaism), diffused by relocation.

  • Toponyms indicate religious diffusion.

Outcomes/Effects of Cultural Meeting and Diffusion

  • Acculturation: adopting traits, maintaining own.

  • Assimilation: assuming almost all traits (forced/voluntary).

  • Syncretism: blending traits.

  • Multiculturalism: maintaining own identity.