Introduction to
Geography
Arthur Getis, Judith Getis, &
Jerome D. Fellmann
Cultural Geography
Chapter 7
Overview
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Components of Culture
Interaction of People & Environment
Subsystems of Culture
Culture Change
Language
Religion
Ethnicity
Gender & Culture
Culture Realms
Components of Culture
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Culture is learned, not biological
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A complexly interlocked web of behaviors
Culture traits
Culture complexes
Culture regions
Culture realm
Interaction of People &
Environment
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Environmental Determinism
Possibilism
Cultural landscapes
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The earth’s surface as modified by human action
Subsystems of Culture
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Technological
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Sociological
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Artifacts
Sociofacts
Ideological
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Mentifacts
Culture Change
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Innovation
Spatial Diffusion
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Syncretism
Acculturation
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Amalgamation theory
Assimilation
Language
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Language families
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Language spread & change
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Indo-European, etc.
Word meaning, pronunciation, vocabulary, &
syntax
Standard & variant languages
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Dialects
Pidgins & creoles
Lingua franca
Language & Culture
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Gender differences
Language as a unifying force
Bilingualism / Multilingualism
Toponymy
Religion
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Dominant in some societies, less so in others
Affects social roles, economics, politics, etc.
Classification of Religions
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Universalizing
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Ethnic
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Seek to transmit beliefs to others
Buddhism, Christianity, Islam
Strong territorial & cultural ties
Judaism, Hinduism, Shinto
Tribal or Traditional
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Small, ethnic religions
Judaism
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Monotheistic
Ethnic religion
Origins in Southwest Asia about 3,000-3,500
years ago
Dispersion after 1st century AD (CE)
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Known as the Diaspora
Synagogues are centers of worship
Christianity
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Origins in Southwest Asia 2,000 years ago
Grounded in Jewish religious beliefs
Universalizing; grew rapidly
Split by dissolution of the Roman Empire
Reformation in the 15th & 16th centuries
Islam
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Judeo-Christian roots
Mohammed lived in the early 7th century in modernday Saudi Arabia
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Five Pillars
Koran
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Should be read in Arabic
Succession disputes led to Sunni / Shi’ite split
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Islamic calendar begins in 622 AD with the flight to Medina
(Hegira)
Sunnis account for 80-85% of Muslims
Worship centered on the mosque
Hinduism
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Possibly 5,000 years old
1 billion adherents
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80% of Indians
Spread into Southeast Asia
No single creed or doctrine
Caste system
Dharma
A lot of rites, ceremonies, festivals, and gatherings
Temples & shrines are important
Buddhism
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Began in the 6th century BC in what is now
northern India
Siddhartha Gautama was the Buddha,
“Enlightened One”
Four noble truths
Universalizing
Spread to Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, China,
Korea, & Japan
Ethnicity
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Refers to the ancestry of people who share
some common characteristic
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Language, religion, race, national origin, customs
Territorial segregation
Gender & Culture
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Gender is a social term, not biological
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Greatly affected by culture
Traditional roles changed by industrial
revolution & modern society
Culture Realms
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Regionally discrete areas that are more alike
internally than they are like other realms