Transcript Definition of Culture

Definition of Culture
• Culture is a group’s
way of life, including
the shared set of
meanings and symbolic
practices, transmitted
between generations.
• Culture can be seen as
“learned behavior.”
Culture Traits
• …are single elements of normal practice in
culture.
• …include beliefs, institutions, language,
and technology.
Culture trait examples
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Silence
Private space
Touching
Hand gestures
Eye contact
Greetings
Perceptions of time
Gift giving
A culture complex
• …is an interrelated web of culture traits that
are characteristic of a group.
Navajo Corn Maiden
Masai cows
A Culture Region
• …is an area that shares common culture traits--an
area within which a culture complex prevails.
A Culture Realm…
• …is a group of culture regions that share a
common culture system.
Cultural landscape refers to the
. distinct imprint of a culture on the
land.
The geographic perspective--cultural
geography is concerned with…
• …how place affects culture.
• …how culture affects place.
• …the distributions of culture
groups and reasons for those
distributions.
Human Interaction with the
Environment
• Cultural ecology…the study of the
relationship between a culture and its
environment.
Low Island
High Island (Maori)
Human Interaction with the
Environment
• Cultural landscape…is the imprint of a
culture on the earth’s surface.
Human Interaction with the
Environment
• Environmental determinism is the belief
that the physical environment (especially
climate) is the major factor influencing
culture.
Human Interaction with the
Environment
• Possibilism is the
belief that people
and not the
environment
shape culture.
Lagos, Nigeria
Are there environmental
limitations to culture?
• Some locations are “luckier” than others-mild climate, fresh water, fertile soil,
resources.
A culture hearth is a region
where cultural traits such as
religion and agriculture develop.
The structure (framework) of culture
• Artifacts are the material aspects of culture.
– Cooking utensils (in India)
– Voting machines
– A judge’s gavel
• Sociofacts are the social behaviors of a culture.
– Dietary restrictions of a culture (Many are vegetarian.)
– The political process
– The court system
• Mentifacts are the ideas, values, beliefs of a culture.
– Religious beliefs. (Cows are sacred.)
– Ideas about democracy
– Ideas about justice
Culture Change
• Innovation refers to the use of existing
technology to create something new.
Culture Change
• Cultural diffusion is the process of spreading an
idea or an innovation from one area to another
Culture Change
• Acculturation occurs when a society
changes as it comes into contact with a
dominant culture.
Culture Change
• Transculturation occurs when two strong
cultures come together and create a blended
culture--neither one dominates.
Acceleration of diffusion
• Travel is faster
• Communication is instananeous.
Barriers to diffusion…
• Distance
• Physical environment
• Lack of acceptance or resistance to change.
Are we
creating a
global
culture?