Cultural Geography Chapter 7

What is a culture? Cultural traits (language, objects, ideas) Cultural complexes (religion, organizations) Cultural regions (places with shared values) Cultural realms (large scale)

What level of occurrence constitutes “ presence ” of a trait in a particular formal culture region? People in the region engage in certain activities – all of them? most of them? some of them? belong to a particular group – Minorities, subcultural groups possess certain artifacts

Culture complexes a culture complex is a closely related set of culture traits Some links are historical – Germanic language  Protestant religion – Romance language  Catholic religion Some links are causal – urban culture  tolerance of lifestyle diversity

What is culture? Pervasive – Difficult to perceive from “ inside ” Learned – Transmitted through socialization Shared – What makes “ us ” different from “ them ” Contested – Culture includes forms of social control and oppression that are resisted and negotiated by those in the subordinate position – Contestation may lead to occasional shifts in cultural norms

Defintion Culture is the set of learned behaviors and symbolic systems transmitted through socialization, as well as the set of material artifacts and systems used by a social group. You are to your culture as a fish is to water: normally it is so thoroughly ubiquitous that you have no way of recognizing it; you can only know of its existence by temporarily leaping out (through thought or intercultural encounters) “ It's frightening to think that you mark your children merely by being yourself. It seems unfair. You can't assume the responsibility for everything you do -or don't do. ” – Simone De Beauvoir

Interaction of people and environment Cultural ecology Environmental determinism Possibilism Cultural landscape Earth’s surfice modified by people. Houses, infrastructure, parks

Cultural Ecology Organism-environment relationship is reciprocal and mutually constitutive, that is, it is a two-way street. The same is true of human-environment relations. Animals adapt to their environments over eons, genetically People adapt through culture Culture is an adaptive strategy mainly (but not entirely) limited to humans, involving learned, cooperative behavior and major environmental modifications

General Trend Environmental determinism has been rejected Current approaches are based on ecology and possibilism Much greater focus on human impacts on the environment than on the environment ’ s culture-shaping force

Subsystems of culture, Lesley White Technological subsystems Artifacts Sociological subsystems Sociofacts Ideological subsystems Mentifacts

ARTIFACTS What sociofacts and mentifacts might go along with them?

Feet like this were considered pretty for over 1000 years in China

Part of Culture Complex Sociofacts: – Confucianism Children are expected to be subservient to adults Women are expected to be subservient to men – Status Human presence in a place is always embodied Embodied performance in place always reflects power relations Mentifacts: – Tolerance for odd-smelling feet – Physical impairment understood collectively as a sign of a family ’ s prestige In the “ best ” families women are obviously dependent and helpless – In other words, a family shows that it is “ good ” (powerful) by displaying the “ prettiness ” (powerlessness) of its women

New Chinese Fad Leg stretching Why? – For economic success –“ Short people cannot succeed ” – The body ’ s size conveys its power to succeed in business, law, etc. – Capitalism is diffusing into China so this new value system guides a reworking of the body – What ethical and moral values prevent this bodily deformation from diffusing into the US? – What body-deforming practices do our values permit, and why?

Does Western culture include deformation of the body?

A body-deforming artifact found as early as 3000 BC (Crete) Later used by aristocratic and aspiring American & European women Popularized in 19 th c. Narrowed waist to 15 inches or less causing health problems – Shortness of breath – Fainting – Back problems – Inability to participate in strenuous activities (including work, but also play)

Sociofacts linked to the use of the corset Endured in modified form into the 1950s Women of the upper classes “ needed help ” (out of seats, up stairs, etc.) Families showed their class by preventing girls from engaging in strenuous activities like sports and manual labor “ Good ” women were “ delicate ” and dependent Girls from working-class families were not embodied in this way

Yes, but we don ’ t deform the body to make it look thin any more!

Actually we do, but the technology is chemical rather than physical 63% of American girls in their teens have dieted Only 14% are happy with their body size and shape In other words, these are the body- deforming artifacts that match our sociofacts and mentifacts Is feminine “ fragility ” still a sign of social status, or is some other mentifact involved in today ’ s social pressure for women to be thin?

Cultural change Socialization (cultural learning without intent) –Vertical transmission –Horizontal transmission –Oblique transmission Enculturation (deliberate cultural learning) Acculturation (cultural learning as a result of first-hand contact) parents kids sibling teacher student

What is Innovation??? Transformation of an idea into something useful. There are two different kinds of innovations 1.New things 2.Development of new things.

Diffusion of Innovation The diffusion of innovations theory seeks to explain how and why new ideas and practices are adopted, with timelines potentially spread out over long periods. It is designed in two process: 1.Diffusion 2.Adoption

Stages in innovation Innovators Early adopters Early majority Late majority Laggards.

The diffusion process The innovation  Various approaches have been taken to define new product: 1.Firm oriented 2.Product oriented 3.Market oriented 4.Consumer oriented The channels of communication The social system Time

The diffusion process The innovation  how quickly innovation spread depends on channel on communication.  There are two sources for communication: I.Impersonal II.Interpersonal The social system Time

The diffusion process The innovation  It is a physical, social or cultural environment in which people belong and within which they function:  It can be of two type : I.Traditional social system II.Modern social system The channels of communication Time

The diffusion process The innovation  Backbone of diffusion process.  it pervades the study of diffusion in three distinct ways : 1.The amount of purchase time. 2.The identification of adopter categories 3.The rate of adoption. The channels of communication The social system

Product characteristics that influence diffusion Relative advantage Compatibility Complexity Trialability Observability Resistance to innovation

Stages in adoption

Adoption process  Consumer in first expose to the product innovation.  Lacks in information about the product  May only know the name of product and its basic features. Interest Evaluation Trial Adoption or Rejection

Adoption process Awareness  Consumer is interested in product and search for additional information.  He wants to know what is it, how it works and what its potentialities are. Evaluation Trial Adoption or Rejection

Adoption process Awareness  Consumer decides whether or not to believe this product or service.  Will it satisfy his needs and requirements.  Individual makes a mental trial of the idea Interest Trial Adoption or Rejection

Adoption process Awareness  Consumer uses the product on a limited basis.  During this stage the individual determines the usefulness of the innovation and may search for further information about it.  The trial stage is characterized by small-scale experimental use, when it’s possible. Interest Evaluation Adoption or Rejection

Adoption process Awareness  If trail in favorable consumer decides to use the product  If unfavorable the consumer decides to reject it. Interest Evaluation Trial

Cultural Diffusion Defined An increase in the spatial extent of a particular culture trait or culture complex either through movement of people through space (migration) or through the adoption of a culture trait by other groups.

PIZZA What was required before frozen pizza could become popular in the US? – saturation of market with electrical refrigeration – dependence on the car for shopping trips – demand for fast food women in the workforce – changing attitudes about gender roles – small families – etc.

Map example: diffusion of religion

Types of Diffusion

Factors affecting diffusion barriers to diffusion – different culture different language different religion other – lack of necessary infrastructure where are computers least likely to diffuse? where are large grocery stores least likely to diffuse?

Factors affecting diffusion cultural receptivity to diffusion – Factors that cause diffusion to occur or accelerate diffusion same culture – same language – same religion – other necessary infrastructure affluence what else?

Multiple traits define overlapping culture regions (formal)

Edges of culture regions exceptions to general pattern of culture complexes transition zones areas of conflict areas of diffusion

Culture Hearths DEFINITION Culture Hearth: - heartland - source area - innovation center - place of origin of a major culture * “ civilization incubator ”

Culture Hearths Primary Culture Hearths of the World

Culture Hearths Keys to Success: - geographical integrity - ecological sustainability - agricultural surpluses - internal order

Culture Hearths Common Factors of Decline: - increased contacts with hostile neighbors - ecological degradation & exhaustion - over-attractive agricultural hearths (?) - internal disorder

World Religions Spread of World Religions (500BCE-600CE)

World Religions Spread of Islam ( CE)

Acculturation The process and implications of cultural change

Cultural change Socialization (cultural learning without intent) –Vertical transmission –Horizontal transmission –Oblique transmission Enculturation (deliberate cultural learning) Acculturation (cultural learning as a result of first-hand contact) parents kids sibling teacher student

Acculturation definition Individual or group-level change that occurs as a result of first-hand contact with another culture More “American” More “Russian” Early conceptualization and scales were unidimensional

Is it considered to be of value to maintain the traditional cultural identity and characteristics? “YES” “NO” Is it considered to be of value to develop and maintain relationships with members of the new culture? “YES” “NO” BICULTURALISM ASSIMILATION SEPARATION MARGINALIZATION Four modes of acculturation Issue 1 Issue 2

The Acculturation Process

Review Culture – Difficulty perceiving from inside – Complicated Culture trait Culture region – Can be defined by: A culture trait (formal region) A combination (complex) of culture traits (formal region) An organizing structure or system (functional region) Popular culture (vernacular region) Formal Functional Vernacular Cultural diffusion – The expansion of a culture trait through space due to: Expansion diffusion – contagious expansion diffusion » The neighborhood effect – hierarchical expansion diffusion » Communications and commerce – Relocation diffusion » Immigration Adaptation and significant reinterpretation (stimulus diffusion) Barriers and Receptivity to Diffusion Cultural interaction – Cultures are integrated systems in which each part (trait) is linked to all of the others – This situation makes it most appropriate to identify culture regions defined not by single traits but by complexes of traits