Intro to Culture

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Intro to Culture

• AP Human Geography

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Bell Ringer

• On the next slide I will show you the definition
  of culture.
• 1. Write the definition in your notebook or on a
  notecard
• 2. In your notebook try to deconstruct the
  definition by writing it in your own words

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Culture

• A social creation consisting of shared beliefs
  and practices that are dynamic rather than fixed

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Culture System

• A system of culture that is shaped by people and,
  in turn, influences them.

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• Chapulines (grasshoppers) in the Market in
  Oaxaca, Mexico

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Cultural Systems

• What we eat, when we eat and how we eat is an
  example of cultural differences
• Some Asian cultures eat with the right hand, East
  Asian cultures use chopsticks, Western cultures
  use knife, fork and a spoon.
• Certain foods are considered delicacies by some
  cultures, unclean and unfit for consumption by
  others. E.g. shrimp, snails, worms, insects, etc.
• Body gestures-Japanese bowing, Western shaking
  hands, tipping of the hat
• Various marriage customs-intermarriage is
  accepted in some societies, but not others

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Culture Trait

• A single component of a culture can be a thing ,
  and idea, or a social convention.
• Lets think of examples of Culture Traits in the
  US

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Local cultures are sustained by maintaining
customs.

• Custom
• a practice that a group of people routinely
  follows.

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Material and Nonmaterial Culture

• Material Culture
• The things a group of people construct, such as
  art, houses, clothing, sports, dance, and food.

• Nonmaterial Culture
• The beliefs, practices, aesthetics, and values of
  a group of people. Examples-religion, language,
  traditions customs

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Culture Region

• An area defined by a large number of common
  culture traits

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Bell Ringer

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vq1zh49J5rsg
• Watch this video on how Japanese addresses are
  formed? What cultural differences exist between
  us and them when it comes to how we create
  addresses?
• Who knew!?

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Culture Complex

• A group of interrelated culture traits
• Example Aspects of Chinese culture including
  religion, language, dance, dress, food, customs

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Culture Identity

• the identity of a group or culture, or of an
  individual as far as one is influenced by one's
  belonging to a group or culture
• Often shown in
• Fashion choices

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Culture Imperialism

• The dominance of one culture over another

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Cultural Isolation

• Cultural isolation is the separation from a
  larger cultural group in a group's proximity. The
  isolated group does not participate in the
  cultural conditioning, beliefs, or activities of
  the larger group
• Lets think of examples?

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Culture Hearth

• An area from which important culture traits,
  including ideas, technology, and social
  structures, originated.

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How are hearths of popular culture traits
established?

• Typically begins with an idea/good and contagious
  diffusion.
• Companies can create/manufacture popular culture.
  (ie. MTV)
• Individuals can create/manufacture popular
  culture. (ie. Tony Hawk)-video games involving
  extreme sports popularized skateboarding and
  other sports.

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The hearth of Phish concerts is in the
northeastern United States, near where the band
began in Vermont.
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Cultural Diffusion

• The movement of culture traits from one place to
  another.
• Also known as spatial diffusion

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How do cultural traits diffuse?
Hearth the point of origin of a cultural
trait. Contagious diffusion Hierarchical
diffusion
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Employing the concept of hierarchical diffusion,
describe how you first became a knower of your
favorite kind of music where is its hearth, and
how did it reach you?
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Why are popular culture traits usually diffused
hierarchically? How is fashion in popular
culture an example of hierarchical diffusion?
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Cultural Landscape

• The imprint of people on the land-how humans use,
  alter and manipulate the landscape to express
  their identity.
• Examples
• Architecture of buildings
• Methods of tilling the soil
• Means of transportation
• Clothing and adornment
• Sights, sounds and smells of a place

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Cultural Convergence/Divergence

• Cultural divergence is when a culture separates
  or goes in a different direction.
• Cultural convergence where different cultures
  become similar or even come together.

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• New technology
• At one time in history, different parts of the
  world did not even know about each other.
• Today people in most cultures are familiar with
  telephones, televisions, computers, cell phones,
  and the Internet.
• These are helping us to build a common culture.

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• Global Sports
• Sporting events such as the Olympics or the World
  Cup in soccer.
• Sports provide a universal language that can
  bridge gaps, resolve conflicts, and bring about a
  greater understanding of each other.