geog101 chapter 7 lecture
Post on 13-May-2015
1.085 Views
Preview:
TRANSCRIPT
Overview
Components of Culture Interaction of People and Environment Subsystems of Culture Culture Change Cultural Diversity Language Religion Ethnicity Gender and Culture Other Aspects of Diversity
Components of Culture
Culture is learned, not biological Through imitation, instruction, example
Culture is not homogenous Culture trait
Single distinguishing feature of a culture Culture complex
Group of culture traits that are functionally interrelated
Components of Culture
Culture system Shared, identifying traits uniting two or more culture
complexes Culture region
Portion of the earth’s surface in which common cultural characteristics prevail
Culture realm Collective of culture regions sharing related culture
systems
Interaction of People and Environment
Cultural ecology Study of the relationship between a culture group
and the natural environment it occupies Environments as controls
Environmental determinism The physical environment molds human behavior and
conditions cultural development Possibilism
People, not environments, are the dynamic forces of cultural development Physical environment offers a set of opportunities and
limitations
Interaction of People and Environment
Human Impacts Cultural landscape
The earth’s surface as modified by human action Relationship between technological advancement
and impact on the environment
Subsystems of Culture
Technological subsystem Material objects and techniques people use to carry
out their productive activities Technologically advanced countries
Many people employed in manufacturing or services High per capita incomes, levels of education and nutrition,
life expectancies, medical services Economic and political power
Technologically less-advanced countries High percentage of people engaged in farming Lower GNI and per capita incomes, life expectancies,
literacy rates
Subsystems of Culture
Sociological subsystem Common patterns of interpersonal relations
Define the social organizations of a culture Social institutions are closely related to the
technological subsystem Ideological subsystem
Ideas, beliefs, knowledge and means of their communication
Cultural integration Interconnectedness of all aspects of culture
Culture Change
Cultures are always in a state of flux Three types of change
Innovation Spatial diffusion Acculturation
Innovation
Comes from within the social group Premodern societies typically are not
innovative or receptive to change Agricultural Revolution
Occurred independently in several areas Affected every aspect of society
Culture hearth Area of innovation from which key culture elements
diffused Innovation is common in modern societies
Spatial Diffusion
Outward spread of a phenomenon from its point of origin to other areas People move to a new area and take culture with them Information about an innovation spreads
Receiver culture may selectively adopt some goods or ideas and reject others
Syncretism is a major feature of culture change Fusion of old and new culture elements
Acculturation
Culture group or individual undergoes major modification by adopting many characteristics of another, usually dominant, culture group May occur in a conquered or colonized region Population relocations
Amalgamation theory Multiethnic societies become a merger of the culture
traits of their member groups Assimilation
Merging into a composite culture and becoming culturally homogenized
Cultural Diversity
Prominent differentiating culture traits of societies and regions Language Religion Ethnicity Gender
Language
Most important medium by which culture is transmitted
6000-7000 languages spoken in the world Many languages are disappearing
Language family Group of languages thought to have descended from
a common ancestral tongue E.g., Indo-European languages
Spoken by about ½ the world’s peoples
Language Spread and Change
Language spreads through dispersion of speakers or acquisition of speakers
Evolution and spread of English ≈ 400 million native speakers
≈ 600 million use it as a second language Official language of 60 countries
Standard and Variant Languages Standard language
Represents norms of syntax, vocabulary, pronunciation Dialect
Regional or socioeconomic variation of a language Pidgin
Auxiliary language derived from other languages Simplified grammatical structure and reduced vocabulary
Creole Native tongue developed from a pidgin
Lingua franca Used by people whose native tongues are
incomprehensible
Language and Culture
Gender differences A common language fosters unity Bilingualism or multilingualism complicates
national linguistic structure Toponyms
Place names Record of past and present cultures
Religion
Value system that involves formal or informal worship and faith in the sacred and divine Joins adherents into a moral community
May affect all facets of a culture
Classification of Religions
Universalizing religions Claim applicability to all and seek conversion
Christianity, Islam, Buddhism
Ethnic religions Identified with a particular ethnic group
Judaism, Hinduism, Shinto
Tribal (traditional) religions Ethnic religions specific to small, preindustrial
cultures having close ties to nature Secularism
An increasing part of many modern societies
Principal Religions
Judaism Monotheism laid foundation for Christianity and Islam Emerged 3000-3500 years ago in the Near East Descent from Israel, the Torah, Jewish traditions Diaspora State of Israel was a fulfillment of Zionism
Christianity Jesus believed to be the messiah Division of Western Church and Eastern Church Protestant Reformation Catholic vs. Protestant cultural landscape
Principal Religions
Islam Mohammed revered as the prophet of Allah (God) Observance of “five pillars” and surrender to Allah Spread quickly outward from source region of Arabia Division between Sunnis and Shi’ites
Hinduism Oldest major religion
No founding event or initial prophet A Hindu is one born into a caste
Member of a complex social, economic, religious community Expression of the eternal transmigration of souls
Principal Religions
Buddhism Founded 6th century B.C. in northern India Moral philosophy taught by Siddhartha Gautama Enlightenment and salvation lie in “four noble truths” Spread to other parts of Asia
Various schools of thought Amalgamated with other belief systems
East Asian ethnic religions Confucianism Taoism Japanese Shinto
Ethnicity
Usually refers to the ancestry of people who share some common characteristic Language, religion, national origin, unique customs
Ethnocentrism Feeling that one’s own ethnic group is superior
Territorial segregation Strong and sustaining trait of ethnic identity
Gender and Culture
Socially created distinctions between femininity and masculinity
Gender relationships and role assignments differ among societies Influenced by economic development, religion, customs
General egalitarianism in hunting and gathering cultures Agriculture altered the structure of gender roles Subordinate role of women changed only in the later 20th
century in more-developed countries
Mixed impact of economic globalization
Other Aspects of Diversity
Culture is the sum total of the way of life of a society
Many other elements of culture, including: Architectural styles Music Food Games
top related