Review Images #3:Cultural Geography

Material Culture

Non-material culture

• Material culture: clothing, language, food, housing, music, art, sports, etc.

• Nonmaterial culture: beliefs, values, etc.

Challenge: Holding on to local culture in the face of increasing globalization

Examples of U.S. Popular Culture

U.S. Rural Local Culture Example:The Amish

U.S. Urban Local Culture Example:

Ethnic Neighborhoods

There are 3 Chinatowns in New York CIty. This one is in Manhattan.

Cultural DiffusionThe spread of ideas, innovations, etc.

from one person or group to another

Diffusion Isn’t Random: It Starts With a Cultural Hearth

• Cultural hearth: geographic source of innovation or idea

• Example: cultural hearth of hip hop music = Bronx, New York

DJ Kool Herc, Founder of Hip Hop

• Distance decay: the farther from the hearth, the less likely an idea is to be adopted

• Time-space compression: ideas diffuse more quickly to places that are highly connected via transportation and communication networks

Relocation DiffusionIdeas spread by the movement of people from one

location to another

Example: Spanish Language

Expansion Diffusion• Ideas spread without the physical relocation

of people– Types:

• Contagious• Hierarchical• Stimulus

Expansion Diffusion Type 1Contagious Diffusion

Ideas spread by person to person contact, media

https://youtu.be/ul7TZy9_fo4

Expansion Diffusion Type 2Hierarchical Diffusion

Ideas spread through a hierarchyFrom big cities to small places

From “trendsetters” to “the average Joe”

Stimulus DiffusionCore idea spreads and is adapted to fit local

culture

Germany - with beer!

India - no beef

Chile - with guacamole

Canada - lobster roll Japan - shrimp burger

Expansion Diffusion Type 2

Barriers to Diffusion• Physical barriers

– Oceans, mountain ranges, walls, etc.• Cultural barriers

– Language, religion, government, income level, education level, technology access, etc.

Diffusion of Innovation Model

Forced Cultural Assimilation Example: American Indian Boarding Schools

1870s to 1970s“… forbidden to speak native languages, taught Christianity

instead of native religions …forced to abandon their Indian identity and adopt European-American culture.”

Culture RealmsAreas with common cultural complexes

Culture RegionsAreas with common cultural traits

Natural Landscape

Cultural LandscapesImprint of human culture on the surface of the Earth

Placelessness

Lack of cultural uniqueness

What Is Religion?

Stories, symbols, beliefs and practices that give meaning to life, often relating to a

higher power or reality.

How Is Religion Expressed on the Cultural Landscape?

3 Major Categories of Religions

• Monotheistic - one God– Judaism, Christianity, Islam

• Polytheistic - multiple gods– Hinduism

• Animistic - non-human objects revered

2 Explanations for Diffusion of Religion

• Universalizing religions - actively seek converts– Christianity, Islam, Buddhism

• Ethnic religions - do not actively seek converts, people are born into the faith– Judaism, Hinduism

World Religions Today

Remember these are broad generalizations!Where are you most likely to encounter Hindus? Buddhists? Jews?

Christians? Muslims? Followers of traditional religious beliefs? Why in those locations? How does it affect those locations?

Hearths of the 5 Major Religions

• Hinduism - Indus River Valley (modern day Pakistan)

• Buddhism - Indus River Valley (splintered from Hinduism)

• Judaism - Eastern Mediterranean region• Christianity - Eastern Mediterranean region

(splintered from Judaism)• Islam - Arabian Peninsula

Religious Hearths

Source: CIA World Factbook 2010

Muslim Distribution Map

More Muslims in Indonesia than any other single country.

Where are you most likely to encounter Catholics? Baptists? Mormons? Lutherans? Methodists? Followers of other Christian religions? Non-Christian

religions? Why in those locations? How does it affect those locations?

Rise in SecularismConducting public life without religious elements

Rise in FundamentalismStrictly following religious principles

Extremist Elements Within Many Religions

1948: United Nations Establishes Israel as Jewish Homeland

• Continuing conflict over this land between Israelis and Palestinian Arabs, whose ancestors have lived in the region for centuries.

Sunni and Shi’a Muslims

Sunni more diffused, Shia predominantly in Iran and parts of Iraq and Afghanistan

Religion and ConflictReligion Usually One of Many Factors, Not the Only Factor

• Interfaith boundaries: “boundaries” between different faiths (religions)– Examples:

• Israel and Palestine - Jews and Muslims• Northern and Southern Africa - Muslims and Christians

• Intrafaith boundaries: “boundaries” within the same faith (religion)– Examples:

• Northern Ireland - Catholics and Protestants (both Christians)• Middle East - Sunni and Shi’a (both Muslims)

Varnasi, India

Ganges River – Hindushttp://www.sacred-destinations.com/india/varanasi

The Golden Temple - Sikhshttp://www.sacred-destinations.com/india/golden-temple-of-amritsar

Amritsar, India

Bodh Gaya, India

Mahabodhi Temple – Buddhists

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/india/bodhgaya-bodhi-tree

Jerusalem, Israel

Western Wall - Judaism, Dome of the Rock - Islam, and Church of the Holy Sepulchre – Christianityhttp://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/jerusalem-western-wall

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/jerusalem-church-of-holy-sepulchre

Mecca, Saudi Arabia

The Holy Mosque- Islamhttp://www.sacred-destinations.com/saudi-arabia/mecca-haram-mosque

Why so many more languages spoken in the tropics?

Languages Can Be Categorized

Major Language Families

Lime green = Indo-European Language Family

Sino-Tibetan

Austronesian

Afro-Asiatic

Niger-Congo

Dravidian

Altaic

English is in the Indo-European Language Family

Language Subfamilies

English = Germanic

Subfamily

Language Families of Africa

Most Spoken Languages

How Do Languages Diffuse?• Relocation Diffusion

– Migration• Expansion Diffusion

– Contagious Diffusion• Person to person

– Trade– Media

– Hierarchical Diffusion• Colonialism one country establishes control over another

Spatial Interaction

Types of Languages• Lingua franca

-Language used among speakers of different languages to communicate

• The world’s most common lingua franca is currently ENGLISH

• There are many regional lingua francas (for example, Swahili)

• Pidgin language-Language created when people combine parts of two or more languages

Types of Languages

• Standard language:-Version of a language that is taught and used publicly

• “Slang” is not considered standard language

• Official language:-Language legally established to promote unity

Example of Dialect Difference

Isoglosses

Anglophone Countries

Hispanophone Countries

Francophone Countries

Toponyms = Place Names

Global Gender Gap Report 2013

For details, see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-24650912?ocid=socialflow_twitter_bbcworld

Race & Ethnicity• Race: groupings of people based on physical

characteristics (skin color, eye color, hair color, nose shape, eye shape, etc.)

• Ancestry or Ethnicity: groupings of people based on shared culture, language, beliefs. Sometimes called nationality.

U.S. Census 2010 Question on Race

Categories:

WhiteBlackAmerican Indian or Alaska NativeAsianNative Hawaiian or Pacific IslanderOther

Hispanic: Person Whose Ancestors Come From Spanish Speaking Countries or Regions

Hispanics may be of any race.

Why Collect Data on Race and Ethnicity?

• To monitor compliance with Civil Rights laws

• To determine congressional & voting districts

• To assess fairness of employment practices

• To monitor racial differences in health, education, etc.

• To distribute tax dollars for public services

Residential Segregation - Minneapolis

Residential Segregation - St. Paul

Succession

Example: Swede Hollow, St. Paul, Minnesota

“Swedes, Poles, Italians and Mexicans all at one point called the valley home.”

American Indian & Alaska Native Population 2010

Asian Population 2010

Black or African American Population 2010

Hispanic Population 2010

Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 2010

Two Or More Races 2010

White non-Hispanic Population 2010

15 Largest U.S. Ancestries

Largest Racial and Ethnic Groups 2010

1 2 3

4 5

6 7

Mystery Maps

A. % of Persons Who Are American Indian or Alaska Native

B.% of Persons Who Are Asian

C. % of Persons Who Are Black or African American

D. % of Persons Who Are Hispanic or Latino (of any race), 2000

E. % of Persons Who Are Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

F. % of Persons Of Two Or More Races

G. % of Persons Who Are White

G

C

B

E

D

A F

1 2 3

4 5

6 7

Mystery Maps

A. % of Persons Who Are American Indian or Alaska Native

B.% of Persons Who Are Asian

C. % of Persons Who Are Black or African American

D. % of Persons Who Are Hispanic or Latino (of any race), 2000

E. % of Persons Who Are Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

F. % of Persons Of Two Or More Races

G. % of Persons Who Are White