Unit 3 - AP Human Geography Review

Introduction to Culture

• Definition: Culture refers to the shared practices, technologies, attitudes, and behaviors passed down by a society.
  • Obvious aspects: Language, clothing, behavior, land use, built environment.
  • Less obvious: Thought patterns, cultural rules (cultural iceberg analogy).

Cultural Traits

• Categories: Food preferences, architecture, land use.
  • Food Preferences: Reflect society’s history and heritage.
  • Architecture: Indicates national or regional tastes.
  • Land Use: Shows societal habits (e.g., grass in Nevada).

Attitudes Towards Cultural Differences

• Cultural Relativism: Evaluation by that culture’s standards, leads to embracing different cultures.
• Ethnocentrism: Evaluation by one’s own standards, often leads to seeing other cultures as inferior.
  • Xenophobia: Fear or dislike of foreigners.

Cultural Landscape

• Definition: How people modify a physical landscape to reflect their culture.
  • Agricultural Practices: Cornfields vs. terraced rice paddies.
  • Industrial Practices: Generic economic markers vs. regional distinctiveness (e.g., Baltimore row houses).
  • Religious Influences: Churches, mosques, temples, synagogues.
  • Linguistic Characteristics: Multilingual signs (e.g., Chinatown).
  • Sequent Occupance: Imprints left by each successive group (e.g., Dome of the Rock).
  • Traditional vs. Postmodern Architecture:
    • Traditional: Local materials (e.g., nipa huts).
    • Postmodern: Form over function, visually expressive.

Influence of Societal Values

• Ethnicity: Cultural traits distinguishing groups (e.g., Indian ethnic enclaves).
• Gender: Gender roles affecting land ownership, public spaces, and workplace facilities.
• Ethnic Neighborhoods: Concentrated areas shaping landscape based on cultural values.
• Indigenous Communities: Reservations and autonomous areas.

Sense of Place

• Definition: Meaning and significance people attach to a place.
  • Influences: Language, religion, ethnicity.
  • Language: Dialects contributing to regional identity.
  • Religion: Regional dominance of certain faiths (e.g., Evangelicals in the South).
  • Ethnicity: Community structures (e.g., Somali mosques).

Forces Affecting Cultural Cohesion and Division

• Centripetal Forces: Factors that unify people (e.g., common religion, language, ethnicity).
• Centrifugal Forces: Factors that divide people (e.g., religious sects, language laws, ethnic conflicts).

Cultural Diffusion

• Definition: Spread of cultural traits from one place to another.
  • Types:
    • Relocation Diffusion: Migration-based (e.g., spread of Catholicism in Latin America).
    • Expansion Diffusion: Trait spreads while the originating group remains in place.
      • Subtypes:
        • Contagious Diffusion: Rapid spreading without regard for class/race.
        • Hierarchical Diffusion: Top-down spread from influential to less influential.
        • Stimulus Diffusion: Inspired modifications of a cultural trait (e.g., Maharaja Mac).

Historical Causes of Cultural Diffusion

• Imperialism and Colonialism: Leading to language, religious spread (e.g., English in North America).
• Trade: Exchange of cultural ideas along routes (e.g., Buddhism on Silk Roads).
• Creolization and Lingua Franca:
  • Lingua Franca: Globally adopted languages for commerce (e.g., English).
  • Creolization: Merging of languages to form new ones (e.g., Afrikaans).

Contemporary Causes of Cultural Diffusion

• Globalization: Interdependence of people enhancing cultural exchange.
• Urbanization: Movement to cities fostering cultural interactions.
• Technological Change: Advancements enabling swift cultural exchange (e.g., social media).

Effects of Cultural Diffusion

• Cultural Convergence: Cultures becoming more alike (e.g., global spread of English).
• Cultural Divergence: Cultures becoming more distinct to retain uniqueness (e.g., Amish rejecting technology).

Diffusion of Language and Religion

• Language Families: Largest categorization with common ancestral language (e.g., Indo-European family).
• Language Branches: Developing from families, with similarities but limited mutual understanding (e.g., Germanic and Romantic branches).
• Religion:
  • Universalizing Religions: Spread widely across cultures (e.g., Christianity, Islam).
  • Ethnic Religions: Tied to specific ethnic groups and regions (e.g., Hinduism).

Cultural Interactions and Outcomes

• Acculturation: Adopting some traits while maintaining own culture.
• Assimilation: Adopting characteristics of dominant culture (can be forced or voluntary).
• Syncretism: Blending of traits to create new cultural practices.
• Multiculturalism: Multiple cultural groups maintaining identities within the same society.

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Study Tools Mentioned

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