1. The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography
Chapter 7: Ethnicity
The Cultural Landscape:
An Introduction to Human Geography

2. Cultural Heritage Examples of Syncretism - Merging of cultural, religious and sometimes political beliefs
Native American Cultural Traits
European Cultural Traits
Human Sacrifices to Gods as part of complex rituals that petitioned the Gods for something (ex: Aztecs - rising of sun)
Belief in the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ as a reconciliation with God for forgiveness of human sins.
- Mexican Catholic Traditions unique and distinct to Mexican culture.
- Widespread acceptance of Catholic belief system within Mexico and has become a large part of their cultural heritage.

3. Cultural Heritage Examples of Syncretism
Native American Cultural Traits
European Cultural Traits
Worship of the Dead (especially dead rulers)
In the pre-Hispanic era, it was common to keep skulls as trophies and display them during the rituals to symbolize death and rebirth.
Aztecs honored the “Lady of the Dead”
Worship of dead saints in Catholic traditions
All Saints Day (November 1st)
All Souls Day (November 2nd)
Dia de los Muertos – merges the Native and Catholic traditions

4. Holidays & Syncretism Christmas Easter
When we celebrate Christmas with Christmas trees, and feasts, we hearken back to Pagan rituals that were swept up and incorporated into Christianity in an effort to convert non-Christians. The date for Christmas was originally a holiday for the pagan god Mithras.
If you hunt Easter eggs at Easter, you’re not only celebrating the resurrection of Christ but also adding Greek and Roman pagan ritual to your beliefs as a Christian.

5. Religion and Ethnicity
Complex conflict that merge both religion and ethnic conflict, often over defined areas or resources.

6. Ethnicity Ethnicity = from the Greek ethnikos, meaning “national”
Ethnicities share a cultural identity with people from the same homeland
Ethnicities have distinctive cultural traits
Race = people who share a biological ancestor

7. Universalizing vs. ethnic religions
Universalizing religions attempt to be global, to appeal to all people wherever they live – 60% of world’s population (Christianity, Islam, Buddhism)
Ethnic religions appeal to one group of people living in one place – 25% (Hinduism, Confucianism, Taoism, Shintoism, Judaism, ethnic African religions
No religion – 15% of world’s population

8. Borders How are Borders determined?
Berlin wall
How are Borders determined?
Borders can separate nations, cultures, or neighborhoods.
A number of factors determine where borders can be located…
Peace Lines, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Israel-Palestine Wall: Banksy Graffiti

9. West Bank Wall

10. Belfast Peace Walls What are the problems with cultural borders?

11. Borders What are the problems with natural borders?
Who controls the resources?
What are the problems with geometric borders?
Ethnic conflict

13. The Nine Nations of North America

14. Regionalism
Clusters of like areas that are distinctive by their uniformity or description (similar characteristics, either physical or human).
Many regions are perceptual
How do we define our regions?
Legal Regions
Regionalism based on early settlement patterns
Belt Regions
Cultural Regions

15. Regionalism
1. Legal Regions – US census Bureau Regions

16. 2. Regions based on settlement patterns
"American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America."

17. 3. Belt Regions
Belt Regions of the US – portions of the country that share certain characteristics.
First applied to growing regions – follow lines of latitude and have similar climates, soil conditions.
Usage has expanded to other economic, climatic and cultural concentrations.
Often vague borders
Ex: Bible Belt, Snowbelt, Sun Belt…

18. 4. Cultural Traits by Region
EX: Observations of Stephen Fry in Maine….
Language – accents
People – hard workers (immigrant heritage)
Landscape, animals, food (insiders knowledge)
Maine – 6:30

19. Cultural Regionalism within State
The Quiet Corner
noticeably more rustic in character than the more suburban towns to the west
under populated and isolated in contrast with the rest of Connecticut, with many of its towns having populations below 5,000.
Greater Hartford
Not dependent on out-of-state metropolitan areas such as New York City or Boston.
It is on the fairly level land of the Connecticut River valley with soil less rocky than that of other areas in the state

21. Examples of American Regions Geography’s impact on regional culture
Midwest developed into food crop centers
Northern plains were rocky
lent to Dairy Belt: Wisconsin, Minnesota, Dakotas, Montana
Central plains had rich soil
Wheat Belt (Texas up to Saskatchewan)
Corn Belts (Ohio to Iowa)
West/Pacific
Mixed economy
Started as timber in Oregon on up
Gold/minerals in California and Rocky Mountains
Now: Hollywood, technology (Silicon Valley), fruits (plus win)
Overall, population has shifted westward and southward

24. Where Are Ethnicities Distributed?
Distribution of ethnicities in the United States
Hispanics (Latinos) = 15 percent of the U.S. population
African Americans = 13 percent of the U.S. population
Asian Americans = 4 percent of the U.S. population
American Indians = 1 percent of the U.S. population

25. Distribution of Hispanics in the United States
Figure 7-1

26. Distribution of African Americans in the United States
Figure 7-2

27. Distribution of Asian Americans in the United States
Figure 7-3

28. Distribution of American Indians in the United States
Figure 7-4

29. Where Are Ethnicities Distributed?
Concentration of ethnicities in U.S. cities
90 percent of African Americans and Hispanics live in cities
Remnants of twentieth-century European migration = still evident on the landscape
Example: clustering of restaurants in Little Italy, Greektown

30. Distribution of Ethnicities in Chicago and Los Angeles
Figure 7-5
Figure 7-6

31. Where Are Ethnicities Distributed?
African American migration patterns
Three major migration patterns
Forced migration from Africa (eighteenth century)
The triangular slave trade
Immigration from the South to northern cities (first half of the twentieth century)
Identifiable paths of migration
Immigration out of inner cities to other urban areas (second half of the twentieth century to present)
The ghetto

32. Triangular Slave Pattern
Figure 7-8

33. African American Migration in the United States (Twentieth Century)
Figure 7-10

34. Where Are Ethnicities Distributed?
Differentiating ethnicity and race
Often confusing
Race = traits that are shared genetically
Biological features within one racial group are highly variable
Biological classification of people into distinct racial groups is meaningless
Spatial effects of racism
“Separate but equal”
“White flight”
Blockbusting
Apartheid in South Africa

35. Apartheid
Figure 7-13

36. Why Have Ethnicities Been Transformed into Nationalities?
Rise of nationalities
Nationality = identity with a group of people who share a common allegiance to a particular country
Nation-state
Examples
Denmark
Nation-states in Europe
Nationalism = loyalty and devotion to a nationality

37. Nation-states in Europe
Figure 7-15

38. Why Have Ethnicities Been Transformed into Nationalities?
Multinational states
Multiethnic state
A state with multiple ethnic groups, all of whom might contribute to a larger national identity
Example: the United States
Multinational state
A state with multiple ethnic groups who retain their own distinctive national identity
Example: the United Kingdom
Example: Russia (the largest multinational state)
Revival of ethnic identity

39. Ethnicities in Russia
Figure 7-18

40. Why Do Ethnicities Clash?
Ethnic competition to dominate nationality
Ethnic competition in the Horn of Africa
Ethiopia and Eritrea
Sudan
Somalia
Ethnic competition in Lebanon
Religious and ethnic differences

41. Ethnic Diversity in Eastern Africa
Figure 7-21

42. Ethnicities in Lebanon
Figure 7-23

43. Why Do Ethnicities Clash?
Dividing ethnicities among more than one state
Dividing ethnicities in South Asia examples
India and Pakistan
Kashmir
Sinhalese and Tamils in Sri Lanka

44. Ethnic Division in South Asia
Figure 7-24

45. What Is Ethnic Cleansing?
Ethnic cleansing = process in which a more powerful ethnic group forcibly removes a less powerful group from their territory
The purpose is not to subjugate, but to remove
Today, most ethnic cleansing happens in Europe and Africa

46. What Is Ethnic Cleansing?
Ethnic cleansing in Europe
Largest forced migration = 1939–1945
Jews, gypsies, and others forcibly removed by Nazis
The former Yugoslavia
Creation of multiethnic Yugoslavia
The breakup of Yugoslavia
Ethnic cleansing in Bosnia
Ethnic cleansing in Kosovo
Balkanization

47. The Balkans in 1914
Figure 7-29

48. What Is Ethnic Cleansing?
Ethnic cleansing in central Africa
Most boundaries in Africa do not correspond to ethnic groups
Conflict between Hutu and Tutsi destabilizes the region
Ethnic cleansing and genocide in Rwanda
Refugees spill into neighboring countries
Democratic Republic of Congo falls into civil war

49. Ethnic, Religion and Political Conflicts
Similarities
Differences
Solutions?
Ethnic Tension
Religious
Political

50. Combat Zone

54. Ethnicities in Africa
Figure 7-33

55. Up next: Political Geography
The End.
Up next: Political Geography