ethnic geography the human mosaic chapter 9. examples of ethnic enclaves in the united states north...
TRANSCRIPT
Ethnic Geography
The Human MosaicChapter 9
Examples of ethnic enclaves in the United States
North Boston Mounted statue of American hero Paul Revere
is in an Italian neighborhood Most businesses have Italian names Women lean out of upper-story windows
conversing —Naples-style — to neighbors across the street
Italian-dominated outdoor vegetable market Pilgrimage to the site where the American
Revolution began has become a trip to Little Italy
Examples of ethnic enclaves in the United States
Wilber, Nebraska, bills itself “The Czech Capital of Nebraska” Holds an annual “National Czech
Festival” Authentic food, and locally made
handicraft are offered for sale Many shops are decorated in Czech
motif and ethnic music is played on the streets
The festival draws thousands of visitors each year
Examples of ethnic enclaves in the United States
Other ethnic festivals held in Nebraska Newman Grove—”Norwegian Days” Bridgeport—”the Greek Festival” Dannebrog—the Danish “Grundlovs Fest” McCook—”German Heritage Days” Stromsburg—the “Swedish Festival” O’Neal—
the “St. Patrick’s Day Celebration” Several Indian tribal “powwows” are held in
other cities
Examples of ethnic enclaves in the United States
An ethnic crazy-quilt pattern exists in both urban and rural areas of the United States
Same kind of pattern exists in Canada, Russia, China, and many other countries
Problems encountered when defining ethnic group
Controversy has surround attempts to formulate an accepted definition
Word ethnic derived from Greek word ethnos meaning “people” or “nation”
For this text defined as people of common ancestry and cultural tradition, living as a minority in a larger society, or host culture
Strong feeling of group identity, of belonging characterizes ethnicity
Problems encountered when defining ethnic group
Membership in an ethnic group is involuntary He or she must be born into the group Often individuals choose to discard
their ethnicity
Problems encountered when defining ethnic group
Main problem is different groups base their identities on different traits The Jews—primarily means religion The Amish—both folk culture and religion African-Americans—skin color Swiss-Americans—national origin German-Americans—ancestral language Cuban-Americans—mainly anti-Castro, and
anti-Marxist sentiment
Problems encountered when defining ethnic group
Politics can also help provide the basis for the we/they dichotomy that underlies ethnicity
Role of ethnic groups
Keepers of distinctive cultural traditions Focal point of various kinds of social
interaction Provide group identity, friendships, and
marriage partners Also provides a recreational outlet,
business success, and a political power base
Can give rise to suspicion, friction, distrust, clannishness, and even violence
How ethnic minorities can be changed by their host culture
Acculturation — an ethnic group adopts enough of the host society’s ways to be able to function economically and socially
Assimilation — a complete blending with the host culture Involves loss of all distinctive ethnic traits American host culture now includes many
descendants of —Germans, Scots, Irish, French, Swedes, and Welsh
Intermarriage is perhaps the most effective assimilatory device
How ethnic minorities can be changed by their host culture
In reality few ethnic groups have been assimilated in the so-called “melting-pot”
It was assumed all ethnic groups would eventually be assimilated
The last 25 years has witnessed a resurgence of ethnic identity in the United States, Canada, Europe, and elsewhere
Ethnicity easily made the transition from folk to popular culture
Popular culture reveals a vivid ethnic component
Ethnic geography
The study of ethnic geography is the study of spatial and ecological aspects of ethnicity Ethnic groups often practice unique
adaptive strategies Normally occupy clearly defined areas
—urban and rural
Culture regions
Ethnic regions Cultural diffusion and ethnicity Ethnic ecology Ethnic cultural integration Ethnic landscapes
Culture groups typically occupy compact territories
Ethnic formal culture regions can be mapped
Geographers rely on diverse data Surnames in telephone directories Census totals for mother tongue
Each method will produce a slightly different map
Such regions exist in most countries
Ethnic formal culture regions
Culture groups typically occupy compact territories
Two distinct geographical types of ethnic regions exist Ethnic minorities who reside in ancient home
territories Lands where their ancestors lived back into
prehistoric times Became ethnic when their territory was
annexed into a larger independent state Examples — Basques of Spain, Navajo Indians
of American Southwest Place and region provide a basic element in
their ethnic identity
Culture groups typically occupy compact territories
Two distinct geographical types of ethnic regions exist Results from migration when people
move great distances Emotional attachment tends to be weaker
toward new homeland Only after many generations pass do
descendants of immigrants develop strong bonds to region and place
Ethnic culture regions in rural North America
Ethnic homelands Cover large areas, often over-lapping state and
provincial borders Have sizable populations Residents seek or enjoy some measure of
political autonomy or self-rule Populations usually exhibit a strong sense of
attachment to the region Most homelands belong to indigenous ethnic
groups
Ethnic culture regions in rural North America
Ethnic homelands Possess special, venerated places that serve to
symbolize and celebrate the region — shrines to the special identity of the group
Combines the attributes of both formal and functional culture regions
Regarded by some as incompletely developed nation-states
Because of sex, age, and geographical segregation tend to strengthen ethnicity
Long occupation helps people develop modes of life, behavior, tastes, and relationships regarded as the correct ones
Ethnic culture regions in rural North America
Examples of ethnic homelands in North America Acadiana — Louisiana French increasingly
identified with the Cajun people and recognized as a perceptual region
Spanish-American — highland New Mexico, Colorado, and South Texas
Navajo Reservation — New Mexico and Arizona French-Canadian — centered on valley of lower St.
Lawrence River in Quebec Some include Deseret— Mormon homeland in the
Great Basin of the Intermontane West
Ethnic culture regions in rural North America
Some ethnic homelands have experienced decline and decay Pennsylvania “Dutch” — weakened to almost
extinction by assimilation Southern “Black Belt” — diminished by collapse of
plantation-sharecrop system resulting in out-migration to urban areas
Mormon absorption into the American cultural mainstream
Non-ethnic immigration has damaged the Spanish-American homeland
Ethnic culture regions in rural North America
Most vigorous homelands are the French-Canadians and South Texas Mexican-Americans
Ethnic substrate Occurs when a people in a homeland are
assimilated into the host culture and a geographical residue remains
The resultant culture region retains some distinctiveness
Ethnic culture regions in rural North America
Ethnic substrate Geographers often find traces of an
ancient, vanished ethnicity in a region Italian province of Tuscany owes both its
name and some uniqueness to the Etruscan people who ceased as an ethnic group 2,000 years ago
Massive German presence in American Heartland helped shape cultural character of the Midwest, which can be said to have a German ethnic substrate
Ethnic Island: Westby, Wisconsin
Ethnic Island: Westby, Wisconsin
This small town is in America’s ethnically diverse rural heartland.
Westby was a Norwegian pioneer and the town’s population is primarily Norwegian.
Ethnic Island: Westby, Wisconsin
Although traditional events such as the fall lutefisk dinner and the May 17th Norwegian Independence Day celebration are celebrated, this ethnic group has essentially assimilated with the host culture.
Note the various popular cultural organizations and activities in this community.
Ethnic culture regions in rural North America
Ethnic islands in North America Small dots in the countryside Usually occupy less area than a county Much smaller than a homeland-serve as
home to only several hundred or several thousand people
More numerous than homelands or substrates
Many found in large areas of rural North America
Ethnic culture regions in rural North America
Ethnic islands in North America Crazy-quilt pattern found in some areas of Midwest Germans form the largest group found in ethnic
islands—southeastern Pennsylvania and in Wisconsin Scandinavians — primarily Swedes and Norwegians
—came mainly to Minnesota, the eastern Dakotas, and western Wisconsin
Ukrainians settled mainly in the Canadian Prairie Provinces
Slavic groups — mainly Poles and Czechs —established scattered colonies in the Midwest and Texas
Ethnic culture regions in rural North America
Ethnic islands develop because “a minority group will tend to utilize space in such a way as to minimize the interaction distance between group members”
The desire is to facilitate contacts within the community and minimize exposure to the outside world
The ideal shape of an ethnic island is circular or hexagonal
People are drawn to rural places where others of the same ethnic background are found
Ethnic culture regions in rural North America
Survive from one generation to the next because most land is inherited
Sale of land is typically confined within the ethnic group, helping to preserve its identity
Social stigma is often attached to sale of land to outsiders
Small size makes populations more susceptible to acculturation and assimilation
Urban ethnic neighborhoods and ghettos
Formal ethnic culture regions occur in cities throughout the world
Minority people tend to create ethnic residential quarters
Ethnic neighborhood — a voluntary community where people of like origin reside by choice showing a desire to maintain group cohesiveness
Urban ethnic neighborhoods and ghettos
Benefits of the ethnic neighborhood Common use of language Nearby kin Stores and services specially tailored to
a certain group’s tastes Presence of factories relying on
ethnically based division of labor Institutions important to the group —
churches and lodges
Urban ethnic neighborhoods and ghettos
The ghetto — traditionally been used to describe an area within the city where a certain ethnic group is forced to live An involuntary community and as much a
functional culture region as a formal one Discrimination decides whether a ethnic group
lives in a ghetto or voluntarily forms its own neighborhood
American society discriminates more against blacks and Asians
Jewish Ghetto: Salzburg, Austria
The name of this street is Judengasse – Jew Street.
Here, as in many European cities, Jews were forced to live in a specific walled and gated area.
Jewish Ghetto: Salzburg, Austria
Judengasse had 3000 residents by 1610.
Virtually all of Salzburg’s Jewish population succumbed to the Nazi Holocaust.
The term ghetto derives from the Jewish quarter by the Ghetto Novo or New Foundry in Venice.
Urban ethnic neighborhoods and ghettos
Study of Cleveland, Ohio, by John Kain Blacks are confined to a ghetto by
discriminatory housing practices Blacks more highly segregated
residentially than white ethnic groups Italians, Poles, Jews, Appalachian folk, and
other white ethnic groups occupy neighborhoods rather than ghettos
These other white ethnic groups disperse to suburbs more readily than African-Americans
Urban ethnic neighborhoods and ghettos
Ethnic clustering survives relocation from neighborhoods to suburbs Example of the Chinese in the San Gabriel
Valley near Los Angeles In ancient times, conquerors often forced
vanquished native people to live in ghettos Religious minorities usually received similar
treatment Sometimes walls were built around ghettos Islamic cities had Christian districts Medieval European cities had Jewish ghettos
Urban ethnic neighborhoods and ghettos
North American cities are more ethnically diverse than any other urban centers in the world Ethnic neighborhoods became typical after
about 1840 Immigrant groups clustered together instead of
dispersing Ethnic groups generally came from different
parts of Europe than those who moved to rural areas
Urban ethnic neighborhoods and ghettos
North American cities are more ethnically diverse than any other urban centers in the world Catholic Irish, Italians, Poles, and East
European Jews became the main urban ethnic groups
Other non-European groups later came to urban areas — French-Canadians, southern blacks, Puerto Ricans, Appalachian whites, Amerindians
Other ethnic migrants
As immigration laws changed, the ethnic variety in North American cities grew even greater
Asia, rather than Europe, is now the principal source continent for immigrants in the United States and Canada Chinese, Koreans, and Vietnamese comprise
the most numerous immigrant groups Asia supplied 37 percent of all legal immigrant
to United states in mid-1990s Japanese ancestry forms the largest national-
origin group in Hawaii
Chinatown: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
A key link in a pattern of chain migration, Victoria’s Chinatown is Canada’s oldest, the earliest gold-seekers coming by boat via San Francisco in 1858.
Between 1861 and 1884, nearly 16000 Chinese railroad workers funneled through Victoria to the mainland.
Chinatown: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Discrimation concentrated the community and by 1910, Chinatown was the nation’s largest, comprising six city blocks and 3000 Chinese.
Second to Vancouver until 1950, it now ranks eighth.
Decline followed the 1923-47 prohibition of Chinese immigration.
Chinatown: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
However, in the 1980s, it became the first to undergo a comprehensive rehabilitation program and to have a Chinese arch. The Tong Ji Men – Gate of Harmonious Interest, replete with Animist, Buddhist and Taoist motifs, symbolizes Canadian multiculturalism.
Other ethnic migrants
Many West Coast cities have acquired sizable Asiatic populations
Vancouver Eleven percent Asian in 1981 Has absorbed more immigrants,
particularly from Hong Kong
Other ethnic migrants
Latin America, including Caribbean countries, has surpassed Europe as a source of
immigrants to North America East Coast cities have large numbers from the
West Indies Miami has become a West Indies/Caribbean
city As early as the 1970s, New York City was receiving large numbers of immigrants from the Dominican Republic and Jamaica
Image of Canada and the United States as predominantly “European” may change
Other ethnic migrants
We need to be reminded not all emigrant ethnic groups live in North America About 28 million ethnic Chinese reside
outside China and Taiwan Most live in Southeast Asian countries Indonesia has over 7 million Thailand has nearly 6 million Malaysia has more than 5 million
Other ethnic migrants
We need to be reminded not all emigrant ethnic groups live in North America Auckland, New Zealand, has the largest
Polynesian population of any city in the world
Germany, The United Kingdom, Italy, and Spain are home to millions of Africans, Turks, and Asians
Ethnic Neighborhood:Sao Paulo, Brazil
This torii marks entry to Liberdade, a Japanese community.
Japanese were initially recruited to work on coffee fazendas and by 1924, 34,000 had been subsidized by the Sao Paulo state government.
Ethnic Neighborhood:Sao Paulo, Brazil
After 1920, emigration was subsidized by Japan and arrivals peaked in 1933 with 25,000.
Highly successful farmers, especially in market gardening, many eventually moved into cities to form distinctly Japanese communities.
Other ethnic migrants
Urban ethnic neighborhoods tend to be transitory Ethnic groups remain while undergoing
acculturation Central-city ethnic neighborhoods experience a
life cycle Often one group is replace by a later-arriving one Example of Boston’s West End
Mainly an Irish area in the nineteenth century At the beginning of the twentieth century Jews
replaced the Irish Poles and Italians replaced Jews in the late 1930s
Other ethnic migrants
Urban ethnic neighborhoods tend to be transitory In Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood Central
Americans replaced Cubans Chicago’s Adams area provides an almost
complete history of American migratory pattern
First came the Germans and Irish Next Greeks, Poles, French Canadians,
Czechs, and Russian Jews Soon the Italians pressed those listed above The Italians were challenged by Chicanos and
a small group of Puerto Ricans
Other ethnic migrants
Urban ethnic neighborhoods tend to be transitory Older groups often established new
ethnic neighborhoods in suburban areas
Ethnic mix and national character
Any country is the sum of its cultural parts
Each country has its own unique mixes of national origin and ethnic groups that help shape national character
Russia has less diversity and a largely different array of minorities than the United States
Ethnic mix and national character
Canada is also strikingly different from the United States
Far higher proportions of English, French, Scots, and Ukrainians
Far fewer Germans, Africans, and Hispanics
Ethnic mix and national character
Most persons in the United States claiming German origin have in fact been acculturated and assimilated They have become part of the host
culture Massive absorption into the
mainstream culture Major factor in shaping a national
character distinct from that of Canada