Cultural Concepts Chapter 4/5 Flashcards

Cultural Concepts

• Artifact: Represents remnants of extinct cultures or places.
• Built Environment: Refers to man-made surroundings that provide the setting for human activity.
• Core-Domain-Sphere Model: Illustrates levels of concentration of cultural traits in a region.
• Sociofact: Institutions and connections between individuals that unite a culture, such as family and educational systems.
• Cultural Convergence: The process where cultures become more similar due to shared technology and improved communication.
• Culture Hearth: Origin points where specific cultural innovations and ideas emerge and spread.

Culture Definitions

• Culture: A collective of knowledge, attitudes, and habitual behaviors shared within a society. Environmental perception varies based on cultural backgrounds.
• Environmental Determinism: Suggests the natural environment heavily influences human culture and development.
• Possibilism: Contrasts determinism by affirming human adaptability to environmental constraints.

Culture Types and Traits

• Folk Culture: Traditional culture practiced by homogeneous rural communities, resistant to change.
• Popular Culture: Widespread practices found in heterogeneous societies, heavily influenced by media and trends.
• Custom: Repetitive acts that become characteristic of a group.

Cultural Dynamics

• Glocalization: Local individuals adapt global cultural influences to fit regional contexts.
• Monoculture/Placelessness: Dependence on singular agricultural products leading to lost geographical uniqueness.
• Culture Region: Areas where people share similar cultural traits; can encompass multiple traits such as language or dietary habits.

Ethnicity and Identity

• Ethnicity: Shared identity based on ancestry and culture.
• Ethnic Cleansing: Theme of violence where dominant groups remove minority groups.
• Nation-State: A political entity where a single cultural identity predominates.
• Self-Determination: The right of a community to govern itself and make its own decisions.

Conflict and Nationalism

• Balkanization: The fragmentation of states into smaller, often hostile, entities based on ethnic divisions.
• Nationalism: Political ideology emphasizing a shared identity and common culture often promoting unity but can lead to exclusion or violence against outsiders.
• Genocide: The systematic extermination of a cultural or racial group.

Gender and Geography

• Gender Dynamics: Examines the relationships and roles of different genders within society, informed by socio-cultural norms.

Globalization and Culture

• Impact of Globalization: Leads to a homogenization of cultural identities, often diminishing local customs.
• Cultural Geography: Field that studies the spatial variations of cultures across regions.
• Cultural Landscape: The physical manifestation of cultural practices and values in a region.

Historical Context

• Colonialism and Imperialism: Both involve the exploitation or dominance of weaker nations, affecting cultural identities and relationships.

Examples and Specific Traits

• Folk Culture Examples: Traditional architecture, locally-sourced foods, and specific cultural customs like non-consumption of certain animals in specific regions.
• Popular Culture Traits: Franchises and uniformity in geographical locations influenced by mass media, technology, and global supply chains.

Issues of Ethnocentrism and Racism

• Ethnocentrism: Judging other cultures based on the values of one's own, often leading to bias and misunderstanding.
• Racism: A systemic issue resulting in discrimination based on race, stemming from perceived cultural superiority and often tied to histories of exploitation.

Macro Cultural Regions

• Defined as large geographic areas characterized by certain cultural traits and languages, such as Anglo-American (primarily English) and Latin-American (primarily Spanish with diverse influences).