Transcript Culture
Physical Environment and Culture We have already learnt how humans have physically evolved to adapt to their environments But CULTURE helps people adapt to their physical environments much more quickly than evolution Cold Climate Adaptation In the Arctic, instead of developing a heavy coat of fur or blubber to adapt to the the cold weather, Inuit people created warm sealskin clothing, igluit (igloos) and other cultural ways of surviving When Europeans came in contact with the Inuit, their cultural ways changed, now they use snowmobiles, parkas, and central heating Hot Climate Adaptation The Bedouin are a nomadic people who live in the deserts of the Middle East Their cultural adaptations include loose and light clothing to protect them from the sun and sand People who live in hotter climates are often more likely to use spices in their food…to protect against bacteria Climate Adaptation What are ways we adapt to Toronto’s changing climate? Can you think of more examples of how other cultures adapt to climate? How has climate change affected culture? How will it affect it in the future? Why do Humans form groups? A majority of mammals do not live in large social units But primates, including humans, do tend to form large social groups Physical anthropologists have found that primates living in large groups can more easily defend food resources, protect against predators, and warn others of danger Economic Systems and Culture Foraging Societies Horticultural Societies Agricultural Societies Industrial Societies Postindustrial Societies Foraging Societies (Hunter-Gatherers) One of most studied groups in anthropology Canada’s Aboriginal peoples were mobile, would hunt and fish in the fall and winter, and gather berries and plants in the spring and summer Labour often divided along gender lines, men did most of hunting and tool building while women would do fishing, child care and fur processing Goods distributed by reciprocity, the generalized giving of resources, with the expectation that in the future the giver will be the receiver Horticultural Societies Practice agriculture but without irrigating or cultivating the soil Semi-nomadic: use up resources in one area over several years, then change locations Used redistribution: goods produced are collected centrally and then divided between members of society Agricultural Societies Irrigation and fertilization of fields led to surplus crops, allowing people to store food Societies shared less and divided into social classes, labour was freed to do other things (merchant and craft classes developed) Industrial Societies Have less than the majority of population working to produce food Families sold their labour to earn a wage and buy their food from someone else Factories and farms relied increasingly on machines, specialization of labour became possible Societies are complex and large, people living close to each other often don’t know each other. Postindustrial Society Since 1970s, Canada has been a postindustrial economy Most people don’t work for subsistence or in industry, now work in service sector Is a global system, with things made and sold all across the world Information is a product bought (ex. MP3) Culture and Economy How has our culture changed as we have gone through different types of economic societies? What are the effects of globalization on culture?