1. Geographers study culture to understand…
…how place affects culture.
…how culture affects place.
…the distributions of culture
groups and reasons for those
distributions.

2. 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.”

3. Culture Traits
…are single elements of normal practice in culture.

4. Culture trait examples
Silence
Private space
Touching
Hand gestures
Eye contact
Greetings
Perceptions of time
Gift giving

5. A culture group
a group of people with shared culture traits

6. A Culture Region …an area showing the location of a culture groups.
**in the modern world there are 1000s of culture groups

7. A Culture Realm…
…is a group of culture regions that share a common culture system.

8. trait/group/region/realm
Combine traits to make a groups
Map groups to make a region
Many regions make a realm

9. Culture and HEI
Cultural ecology …the study of the relationship between a culture and its environment.
High Island (Maori)
Low Island

10. Culture and HEI
Cultural landscape…is the imprint of a culture on the earth’s surface.

11. Culture and HEI
Environmental determinism is the belief that the physical environment (especially climate) is the major factor influencing culture.

12. Culture and HEI
Possibilism is the belief that people and not the environment shape culture.
Lagos, Nigeria

13. Culture and HEI
Some locations are “luckier” than others--mild climate, fresh water, fertile soil, resources.

14. A culture hearth is a region where cultural traits developed.

15. What do cultures leave behind?
Artifacts are the tangible aspects of culture.
Cooking utensils (in India)
Voting machines
A judge’s gavel

16. What do cultures leave behind?
Sociofacts are the social behaviors of a culture.
Dietary restrictions of a culture (Many are vegetarian.)
The political process
The court system

17. What do cultures leave behind?
Mentifacts are the ideas, values, beliefs of a culture.
Religious beliefs. (Cows are sacred.)
Ideas about democracy
Ideas about justice

18. Culture Change
Innovation refers to the use of existing technology to create something new.

19. Culture Change
Cultural diffusion is the process of spreading an idea or an innovation from one area to another

20. Culture Change
Assimilation – becoming part of a new culture

21. Culture Change
Acculturation occurs when a society changes as it comes into contact with a dominant culture.

22. Culture Change
Transculturation occurs when two strong cultures come together and create a blended culture--neither one dominates.

23. Acceleration of diffusion
Travel is faster
Communication is instananeous.

24. Barriers to diffusion…
Distance
Physical environment
Lack of acceptance or resistance to change.

25. Are we creating a global culture?