Cultural Geography Flashcards
Culture
the set of behaviors, values, and beliefs that a group of people share and pass down through generations
Components of culture
1) Customary beliefs - ideas, values, knowledge of group + way it is expressed, explains what we should believe, value, act
2) social forms - social organization of group that maintains beliefs + material traits, sum of expected + accepted patterns
3) Material traits - visible elements that group possesses + leaves behind`
What happens to cultures over time
1) they can change significantly
Space
1) Physical gap or interval between two objects
2) Area between places
3) area that lacks meaning or does not hold too much value to an individual or community
Space vs meaning
a location can be a space for some people (don’t rlly care about it) but for others it could be culturally significant or meaningful for others
Place
3 components:
1) Location - actual address
2) locale - description of arrangement of objects (cemetery, hillside fortress, city) + where people conduct their lives
3) sense of place - subjective + emotional attachment people have to place
Meaning and Location
Meaning + space = place
Cultural Landscapes
1) Landscapes that have been affected, influenced, or shaped by human involvement
2) fashioning of natural landscape by cultural group
3) gives regions unified character
Relationship between landscape, culture, cultural landscape
1) culture is the agent
2) natural landscape is medium
3) cultural landscape is result
What is the role of public space
1) Place of contestation, where people can rally, rejoice, form up, etc.
Roosevelt statute
1) Made it seem as though Roosevelt tamed everyone, including Native Americans + Blacks
2) Shows colonial power –> Roosevelt on horse makes him look far more powerful
struggle over virtual place
1) reflects struggles over place by protests around world
2) demolition of Berlin War, Tiananmen Square
Cultural Landscapes
landscapes that have been affected, influenced, or shaped by human involvement
Place names (toponym)
1) toponym = name given to a place on Earth
2) could be named for person like founder or just some famous dude
3) indicate origin of settlers
Site
1) physical character of a place
2) important characteristics include climate, water sources, topography, soil, vegetation, latitude, elevation
3) essential in selecting locations for settlements