Introduction to Cultural Geography

1
Introduction to Cultural Geography

• The five themes of cultural geography from Human
  Mosaic
• Chapter 1

2
THEMES

• Cultural Region
• Cultural Diffusion
• Cultural Ecology
• Cultural Interaction
• Cultural Landscape

3
Regions

• Formal Region
• No distinct boundaries
• Based on cultural traits or similarities
• Two or more traits in common
• Core vs. hinterland trait intensity
• Example language or religion
• Functional Region
• Hard boundaries
• Usually socio-economic, political trait
• Example district or media coverage area

4
(No Transcript)
5
Regions, cont.

• Vernacular Region
• Based on cultural or individual perception
• Boundaries are variable
• Example The Midwest, Rural vs. Urban, Dixie

6
(No Transcript)
7
Cultural Diffusion

• Relocation Diffusion
• Physical movement of population
• Response to push-pull factors
• Expansion Diffusion
• Three types contagious, heirarchical, stimulus
• Contagious diffusion
• spreads just like a cold or a rumor.
• Snowballing numbers of knowers
• Effect of modern media

8
(No Transcript)
9
Cultural Diffusion, cont.

• Hierarchical diffusion
• Top-down spread or large to small places
• Only certain knowers pass along trait
• Effect of modern media
• Stimulus diffusion
• Keeping the trait, but changing the method
• The Evens and Chuchik tribes of Siberia
• Rare type
• Media effect?

10
Cultural Diffusion

• Barriers to diffusion
• Absorbing or absolute barrier
• Political orders
• Religion
• Permeable barriers
• Some borders
• Media driven
• Time-distance decay
• Media eliminates this..

11
Cultural Ecology

• Environmental Determinism
• Possibilism
• Environmental Perception
• Natural hazards
• Organic view
• Mechanistic (teleological) view
• Humans as modifiers of the Earth

12
Cultural Interaction

• Cultural Determinism?
• Sense of Place
• Power and Ideology

13
Cultural Landscape

• Visible manifestations of culture
• Settlement pattern
• Reading landscape
• Land use/division patterns
• Architecture
• What is the quintessential (you fill in)?
• Knowing your way..