Transcript Culture
Culture
The way of life of a group of people
who share beliefs and similar
customs
2 Kinds of culture:
Material culture – things people make;
food, clothing, art, architecture,
technology
Nonmaterial culture – things that are
necessary for society, but not objects
– religion, language, government
systems, patterns of behavior,
education systems & attitudes about
the roles of men & women
Cultural Diffusion
Spreading of knowledge, skills, and ideas
from one group or individual to another.
Examples: trade, migration, war
Cultural Convergence
Occurs when skills, arts, ideas, habits,
and institutions of one culture come in
contact with those of another culture.
Things blend
Cultural Divergence
When there are restrictions on a culture
from outside influences.
Repressive governments often restrict
Movement into and out of the country
Transportation & communication (radio
transmissions, newspapers, internet, etc.) into a
country
Culture Hearths
Where civilizations began and spread.
Mesopotamia – between the Tigris and
Euphrates Rivers, Iraq
Nile River Valley – along Nile River, Egypt
Indus River Valley – along Indus River,
Pakistan
Shang – along the Yellow River, China
Also – Ganges (India) and Mesoamerica
(Mexico) a little later.
Social Groups
A group that works together to meet the
basic needs (food, water, and shelter) of
a society.
The most important social group is the
family.
Major elements of culture
Language is #1 unifying force
Government
Economics
Social groups
Language Families
Diverse languages with similar roots.
We share the same language family –
Indo European as Germany, Mexico, and
most of India.
See map page 81
Acculturation
Adapting some traits from other cultures
into your own culture
Ethnic Groups
People who share a common language,
history, and place of origin (or a
combination of these traits)
5 major religions –
sometimes called 5 “Great”
religions.
Buddhism
Christianity
Hinduism
Islam
Judaism
World Religions
See map on page 82
Ethnocentrism
Belief in the
superiority of one’s
own ethnic group.
When taken to
extreme – can be
racism.
Migration
Movement of people from place to place
Push Factors
Factors that would promote migration AWAY
from an area (famine, war, poverty)
Pull Factors
Factors that would promote migration TO
an area (jobs, better schools, family)
Population Distribution
Pattern of human settlement – where do
people actually live
Main factor in distribution is geography
Population DENSITY does not take into
consideration uneven settlement
patterns.
Culture Region
An area that includes many different cultures that
have certain traits in common (economic systems,
religion, government systems, and social groups)
See map on page 83 for our text. We will use:
US & Canada
Europe & Russia
Latin America
Southwest Asia & North Africa
Africa South of the Sahara
South Asia
East and Southeast Asia
Oceania
Civilization
Highly organized, city-based society with
and advanced knowledge of farming,
trade, government, art, and science.
Agricultural / Neolithic
Revolution
10,000 years ago, humans began
growing crops on permanent settlements.
Industrial Revolution
Late 1700s AD – industrialization and
mass production. Factories and
machines replaced agriculture.
Started in Britain because of availability
of iron ore, coal, and workers
Information Revolution
End of the 1900s (20th Century)
Computers began to make it possible to
store huge amounts of information and
send it instantly around the world
Computers aided humans in jobs
Demographics
Study of human population statistics
ZPG – Zero Population
Growth
When birth rates and death rates are
equal.
This is the goal of developed nations.
Doubling Time
The amount of time it will take for a
population to double in size
At current rate – the world will have 12
billion by 2050