AP Human Geography Unit 3: Culture

Introduction

• The exam is approaching and Unit 3 is crucial.
• Focus on understanding culture, its effects on environments, and how it spreads.

What is Culture?

• Definition: Shared practices, technologies, attitudes, and behaviors passed down by a society.
• Cultural Iceberg:
  • Above Water (Obvious): Language, clothing, behavior, land use.
  • Below Water (Less Obvious): Thought patterns, cultural values.

Cultural Traits

• Types of Cultural Traits:
  • Food Preferences: Example: Southern Chinese influence on Singaporean food.
  • Architecture: Suburbs in America, Adobe homes in the Southwest.
  • Land Use: Grass lawns in Nevada reflecting East Coast heritage.

Attitudes Towards Cultural Differences

• Cultural Relativism: Embracing other cultures without judgment.
• Ethnocentrism: Judging other cultures by one's own standards.
  • Xenophobia: Fear or dislike of foreigners.

Cultural Landscapes

• Definition: How people modify physical landscapes to reflect their culture.
• Influences on Cultural Landscapes:
  • Agricultural & Industrial Practices: Rice paddies in Asia, generic suburban architecture in America.
  • Religion: Churches, mosques, temples, and synagogues.
  • Linguistic Characteristics: Bilingual signs in New York's Chinatown.
  • Sequent Occupancy: Layered cultural imprints over time, e.g., Dome of the Rock.
  • Architecture: Traditional vs. post-modern.

Values Shaping Occupation of Space

• Ethnicity: Smells, sounds, and tastes marking ethnic enclaves.
• Gender: Property rights, public space segregation.
• Ethnic Neighborhoods: Impact of historical discrimination.
• Indigenous Communities: Reservations in the U.S.

Placemaking and Sense of Place

• Placemaking: Modifying landscapes to live.
• Sense of Place: Emotional attachment to a location.
• Contributing Factors:
  • Language: Dialects shaping regional identity.
  • Religion: Regional dominance of particular sects or churches.
  • Ethnicity: Enclaves creating communal identity.

Cultural Forces

• Centripetal Forces: Unifying factors like shared religion or language.
• Centrifugal Forces: Divisive factors like sectarian conflict or ethnic tension.

Cultural Diffusion

• Definition: The spread of cultural traits from one place to another.
• Types of Diffusion:
  • Relocation Diffusion: Migration spreading cultural traits.
  • Expansion Diffusion: Cultural traits spread without moving people.
    • Contagious Diffusion: Rapid, widespread diffusion regardless of boundaries.
    • Hierarchical Diffusion: Top-down spread from influential nodes.
    • Stimulus Diffusion: Innovation inspired by another culture.

Historical Causes of Diffusion

• Colonialism and Imperialism: European languages and religions spreading globally.
• Trade Routes: Silk Roads facilitating cultural exchanges like Buddhism and Christianity.
• Language Evolution: Lingua franca and creolization as examples of language merging.

Contemporary Causes of Diffusion

• Globalization: Increasing interdependence worldwide.
• Urbanization: Cultural changes in densely populated cities.
• Media, Technology, Politics, Economics: Tools of spreading urban ideas.

Effects of Diffusion

• Cultural Convergence: Cultures becoming more alike.
• Cultural Divergence: Cultures maintaining distinctiveness.

Diffusion of Language and Religion

• Language: Categorized into families, branches, and individual languages.
• Religion:
  • Universalizing Religions: Christianity, Islam, Buddhism spreading widely.
  • Ethnic Religions: Hinduism, Judaism remaining regional.

Cultural Outcomes

• Acculturation: Adopting some aspects of another culture.
• Assimilation: Full absorption into another culture.
• Syncretism: Blending of cultural traits.
• Multiculturalism: Coexistence of distinct cultures in the same area.

Conclusion

• Review more in detail with additional resources and guides for better preparation.