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Culture complex  Individual cultural traits that are interrelated.  Gaming complex:  Language  Ownership of particular games, hardware, peripherals  Value on new technology  Realism  Violence

A. Three-Part System of Culture Leslie White’s “cultural materialist” theory (1971): I.Ideological subsystem (mentifacts) Ex.: language, religion, thoughts, feelings II. Technological subsystem (artifacts) Ex.: tools, clothes, housing III. Sociological subsystem (sociofacts) Ex.: social groups, economic & political systems, religious structures

The Structure of Culture  In addition to the traits/complexes model, we can analyze the structure of a culture by looking at the…  Ideological subsystem  Ideas, beliefs, knowledge of a culture  Nonmaterial culture  Ways of speech and communication  Mentifacts: abstract belief systems that tell us what we ought to believe/value  Basis of socialization

 Technological subsystem  Material objects & techniques of their use  Artifacts: objects we use to fill basic needs

 Sociological subsystem: patterns of interpersonal relations in social institutions  Sociofacts: define the social organization of a culture  How the individual functions within societal group (family, church, state)  Of course, all of these subsystems are interconnected, and one object can be a part of all three (like your uniform!).

1. Material objects placed on the landscape  cities  farms  roads 2. The Cultural Landscape  housing  transportation networks  parks, cemeteries B. Human Impacts on the Environment:

: human made landscape cultural landscape: human made landscape * structures imposed on the physical landscape by the activities of humans * every group that occupies & dominates a geographic area leaves its imprint on the environment Ex: Balinese temples Islamic mosques Christian churches sports stadiums

3. The Destructive Process  deforestation (causes desertification & erosion)  hunting animals to extinction  use of fire  not just a “modern” problem  more industrialized, the more destructive (Monthly electricity bill of our school? A shopping mall?) Ancient Pueblo People (Anasazi) at Chaco Canyon: com/video/places/culture- places/historical/us_mesaverde/ com/video/places/culture- places/historical/us_mesaverde/

Easter Island. What happened?

cultural hearth: point of diffusion of a cultural group (the “cradle” of any culture) How Do Cultures Develop?

 development of a culture as it adapts to a new environment Multilinear Evolution: anthropologist Julian Steward in Theory of Culture Change described: 1. Diffusion 2. Cultural Convergence (increased sharing/similarities) 3. Cultural Divergence (differences in cultures) “Evolution” of Cultures? From similar origins, but through separate adaptations and independent innovations, distinctive cultures emerged.

Cultural Change takes place through… independent invention: innovation, ideas created within a social group itself expansion diffusion: process by which innovation is transmitted across space relocation diffusion: spreads culture through a permanent move from one place to another

Types of expansion diffusion: contagious diffusion: spreads through direct contact hierarchical diffusion: spreads through established structures, such as from urban centers outward Hearth Hearth: the point of origin of a cultural trait

Type of diffusion?

stimulus diffusion: when a specific trait is rejected, but the idea is accepted Siberians rejected cattle herding, but adopted reindeer herding instead.

Factors that affect diffusion?  distance  population density  means of communication Barriers to diffusion?  physical barriers  conflict zones

acculturation: a process in which members of one cultural group adopt the beliefs & behaviors of another assimilation: one cultural group dominated by another syncretism: the merging of two different cultural forms ex: Santeria How do cultures interact? Phoenix Indian School, 1900 Pocahontas in England 1616