Cultural Patterns and Processes

Question 1

architectural structure

Answer 1

the style of a particular culture or society’s buildings, which varies dramatically over space and time

for example, sacred buildings or houses or worship, through their form or structure, can often easily reveal the type of religion being practiced in that building. Mosques differ dramatically from cathedrals or Hindu temples

Question 2

artifacts

Answer 2

the technological subsystem of culture; consisting of material objects necessary for meeting basic needs such as tools

Question 3

mentifacts

Answer 3

compromise the ideological subsystem of culture; including ideas, beliefs, and knowledge, and how these things are communicated

Question 4

sociofacts

Answer 4

comprise the sociological subsystem of culture; including the expected and accepted patterns of interpersonal relations within a people or group

Question 5

buddhism

Answer 5

originated in the 6th century BC in northern India

traces origins and many traditions from hinduism

while still centered in east asia, has gained an increasingly large following in europe and north america since the 1950s

a pattern attributable in part to emigration by asian people to western nations and in part to buddhism’s teachings, which resonate with many westerners

nearly half of buddhists in the US live in southern california

Question 6

build environments

Answer 6

refers to spaces that have been modified by human activity

includes houses and other structures that human activity takes place in, but also includes reservoirs, parks, dams, and other facilities that reflect human-induced change in the landscape

Question 7

charter group

Answer 7

the first ethnic group to establish cultural norms in an area

sometimes called the “first effective settlement” or “first self-perpetuating society.” whose imprint affects modern cultural geography of an area

for example, the cultural geography of the eastern US was heavily influenced by British settlers, while southwestern cultural geography displays more Spanish influence

Question 8

christian denominations in the united states

Answer 8

Baptist denominations are predominant in the “Bible Belt” region, which is essentially the southeastern states

The upper Midwest is predominantly Lutheran

The midland states are predominantly Methodist

Spanish Catholicism is dominant in the southwestern states of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas; it also has dominant pockets in Florida

Mormonism is dominant in Utah and parts of its surrounding states

Catholicism is dominant in the northeastern states

The West (including large parts of California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington) is largely categorized as being of mixed religions

Question 9

christianity

Answer 9

The world’s most widespread religion

A monotheistic religion with its origins in Judaism

The 3 major categories include Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, and Roman Catholic

Roman Catholicism is prominent in large parts of Central and South America, North America, and Western Europe

Protestantism includes distinct denominations and is especially prevalent in North America

Eastern Orthodox is dominant in Eastern Europe and Russia

Question 10

confucianism

Answer 10

Belief system derived from the 5th Century BCE by Confucius, a Chinese philosopher and teacher

Emphasizes relationships among all living things and therefore stresses harmoy or balance through the following of particular standards or processes

Followers of Confucianism believe strongly in filial piety, or respect for elder

Question 11

countering language extinction

Answer 11

In the last couple of decades, movements have arisen to revive native languages

In parts of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, native languages are being brought back from near extinction

In Israel, Hebrew was revived after WWII, when it became an independent state

Native Americans from Alaska to South America maintain distinct and unique linguistic heritage

Question 12

cultural assimilation

Answer 12

When integration of new arrivals into the economic and cultural mainstream of a host society is complete

Behavioural assimilation is essentially acculturation; integration into a common cultural life through language, intermarriage, and shared experiences.

Structural assimilation involves two-way full acceptance of cultural values and practices.

Once people of an “outside” culture rise to positions of political leadership, structural assimilation has taken place

Question 13

cultural imperialism

Answer 13

Dominance of one culture over another

Historically, often occurred as a result of colonization

Occurs in present day as pop culture, which is so easily diffused across national boundaries; causes local traditions to either die out or become completely commercialized

Sometimes called cultural homogenization, as pop culture continually pervades the globe

Question 14

cultural traits

Answer 14

Specific customs that are part of everyday life, including language, religion, ethnicity, and social institutions

all have hearths, or places of origin

may expand broadly through processes of diffusion, adoption, and assimilation; referred to collectively as transculturation

a cultural complex is the group of traits that define a particular culture

Question 15

culture

Answer 15

derives from the latin cultus, meaning “to care about”

dates back to Enlightenment, when culture referred to a variety of human endeavours, such as agriculture

currently defined as all the ideas, practices, and material objects associated with a particular group of people

cultural geographer study how cultures vary over space

Question 16

denominations

Answer 16

subgroups of a larger belief system that have slightly different rituals or interpretations from other subgroups

for example, christianity has many different denominations. while the basic belief system is relatively similar among all subgroups (or denominations), they vary in terms of certain beliefs, rituals or customs

common christian denominations include: presbyterian, episcopalian, baptist, methodist, and lutheran among many others

as in the case with Christianity, all of the world’s major religions have a variety of different denominations

Question 17

dialects

Answer 17

geographically distinct versions of a single language that vary somewhat from parent form

for example, english contains numerous dialects, reflecting historical, social, and geographic differences between many diverse people

while the primary language is Houston, London, NY, Sydney, and Toronto is English, speakers in each place have different words for the same thing and different ways of saying the same word (as reflected in their accent)

Question 18

diaspora

Answer 18

experiences of people who come from a common ethnic background but live in different regions or ethnic neighbourhoods

often used to refer to jews or blacks of african descent, who maintain aspects of their common heritage despite living outside their home community

often illustrates itself through music, food, or religious traditions that allow individuals to celebrate and maintain common heritage outside of their native culture region

Question 19

diffusion

Answer 19

process by which an idea or innovation is transmitted from one individual or group across space

relocation diffusion involves spacial spreading as a result of physical movement to a new place

expansion diffusion typically involves the spreading of an innovation through communication

Question 20

environmental determinism

Answer 20

environmental determinists claim that cultural traits are formed and controlled by environmental conditions

certain types of people, who come from cultures that arose in certain physical environments, may be smarter, more attractive, or more able to govern themselves as a result

Question 21

ethnic cleansing and genocide

Answer 21

cleansing involves the effort to rid a country or region of everyone of a particular ethnicity either through forced migration or genocide

genocide is a premeditated effort to kill everyone from a particular ethnic group

Question 22

ethnic enclaves

Answer 22

a relatively small area occupied by a distinct culture or ethnicity, which largely results from chain migration

“little italy” or “chinatown” are common names of ethnic enclaves that exist in numerous american cities

eases the adaptation process by providing business opportunities, community, and cultural items, and traditions from home such as food and clothes

Question 23

ethnic islands

Answer 23

small, rural areas settled by a single ethnic group as opposed to ethnic neighbourhoods or enclaves, which are urban

formed in the US by later settlers including Scandinavians in the north central states; germans in the appalachians, upper midwest, and Texas; Slavics in the western plains; and Armenians and Italians in California

Leave their imprint in rural areas through housing, barn style, and farmstead layouts

Question 24

ethnic neighbourhoods

Answer 24

concentration of people from the same ethnicity in certain pockets of the city

result from friends and relatives who have immigrated, encouraging friends and relatives back home to join them where opportunities or freedom are more available

when ethnic groups are forced to live in segregated parts of the city, the ethnic neighbourhood becomes a “ghetto”

ghettos exist in some of the least desirable locations within a city

Question 25

ethnic provinces

Answer 25

when entire regions become associated with ethnic or racial aggregations

include french canadians in quebec; african americans in the us southeast; native americans in Oklahoma, the southwest, the northern plains and prairies; and hispanics in the southwestern border state

Question 26

ethnicity

Answer 26

refers to a group of people who share a common identity

first came into popular usage during the 1940s as an alternative to the term “race” which was negatively associated with Hitler’s Nazi regime

involves more than physical characteristics associated with race; also includes a person’s perceived social and cultural identity

Question 27

ethnocentrism

Answer 27

tendency to evaluate other cultures against the standards of one’s own, implying superiority of one’s ethnic group

can be negative in multiethnic societies by provoking social discord and isolation

can be positive when ethnic groups exist in relative isolation by providing familiarity through traditions, friends, business opportunities, and political identification

Question 28

folk culture

Answer 28

refers to cultural practices that form the sights, smells, sounds, and rituals of everyday existence in traditional societies in which they developed

usually rural, with strong family ties and strong interpersonal relationships leading to cohesive group identity

usually form a subsistence economy, where most goods are handmade, and most individuals perform a variety of tasks rather than specializing in any one area

elements vary dramatically from place to place but do not change much over times

Question 29

fundamentalism vs extremism

Answer 29

fundamentalism is strict and literal adherence to a set of principles, beliefs, or teachings

members of any religion can be fundamentalists

fundamentalism differs from extremism, which is violent fundamentalism, and is becoming more prevalent across the globe

Question 30

gender and sex

Answer 30

gender refers to socially created distinctions between masculinity and femininity, while sex connotes biological differences between males and females

geographers are increasingly interested in spatial behaviour pattern differences between males and females

for example, females, for safety reasons, may be less willing to travel alone in certain parts of a city as compared to males

culture can play a strong role in determining a woman’s role in society, which often has implications for economic development

Question 31

global vs ethnic religions

Answer 31

global religions have numerous members, are widespread, and their doctrines have global appeal (buddhism, christianity, and islam are global religions)

ethnic religions appeal to small groups of people with a common heritage or to large groups of people living in a single region (hinduism and judaism are ethnic religions)