Cultural Geography Science or an Art?

► A wide-ranging and comprehensive field that studies spatial aspects of human cultures ► Major components focus on:  Cultural Landscapes  Culture Hearths  Cultural Diffusion  Cultural Environments  Culture Regions CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY

7 Cultural Geographical Ideas that Changed the World ► MAPS ► Human adaptation to habitat ► Human transformation of the Earth ► Sense of Place ► Spatial Organization and interdependence ► Central Place Theory (later chapter) ► Megalopolis (later chapter)

CULTURE ► Definition: Shared patterns of learned behavior ► Components:  Beliefs  Institutions  Technology

CULTURE HEARTH ► The source areas from which radiated ideas, innovations, and ideologies that change the world beyond

The composite of human imprints on the earth’s surface. Carl Sauer’s definition: “the forms superimposed on the physical landscape by the activities of man” CULTURAL LANDSCAPE

Formal Culture Regions ► An area inhabited by people who have one or more cultural traits in common. Therefore it has cultural homogeneity ► No two cultural traits have the same distribution ► Cultural geographers attempt to base culture regions on the totality of traits displayed by the culture.

CULTURAL LANDSCAPE

Functional Culture Regions ► Need not be culturally homogeneous ► It is an area that has been organized to function politically, socially, or economically ► Have a node, or central point where the functions are coordinated and directed ► EX: a city, precinct, parish, farm, independent state ► Not all functional culture regions have fixed, precise borders. EX: newspaper circulation

Vernacular Culture Regions ► One that is perceived to exist by its inhabitants ► Some VCR are based on physical environmental features ► Others find their basis in economic, political, historical, or promotional characteristics ► Generally lack sharp borders ► The regions can vary from city neighborhoods to sizable parts of continents. ► Often created by publicity campaigns ► The VCR grows out of people’s sense of belonging

Two Types of Culture ► FOLK CULTURE – a rural, cohesive, conservative, largely self-sufficient group that is homogeneous in custom and race ► With a strong family or clan structure and highly developed traits. ► POPULAR CULTURE – occurs in large heterogeneous groups of people concentrated mainly in urban centers. ► Material goods are mass-produced & a money economy prevails.