What is culture?

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What is culture?

• A group of peoples particular way of life
• Cultural Hearths are places in which religions,
  language, government organization, inventions,
  etc. have had the most effect on the rest of the
  world.

The seven original culture hearths are 1) The
Nile River Valley2) The Indus River Valley3)
The Wei-Huang Valley4) The Ganges River
Valley5) Mesopotamia6) Mesoamerica7) West
Africa
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What is cultural diffusion?

• The spreading of cultures
• Some cultures are near each other or trade with
  each other and mix and blend over time (Soccer?)
• Sometimes they are spread by war. In this case,
  those who conquer try to force their beliefs on
  others because they think themselves to be
  superior. This is called ethnocentrism.

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See, Think, Wonder

• Make observations about what you see, hear and
  generally notice. (I See)
• What thoughts were triggered as you made your
  observations? Connections to your experiences
  connections to culture emotional reactions and
  judgments fascinating and interesting
  observations (I think..)
• What puzzles you? What questions do you have?
  What are you wondering about? (I wonder)

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(No Transcript)
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SW Asia and Middle East
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SW Asia in the World
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Southwest Asia and Middle East
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Speaking of ethnocentrism.

• Why is this part of the world known as the Middle
  East.?
• The term Middle East was popularized by an
  American naval officer named Alfred Thayer Mahan
  in 1902, but it might have been used by the
  British during their years of colonialism in the
  region. China and Japan for example were
  considered to be the Far East so the region
  between the Far East and The West then became the
  Near East or the Middle East. It now generally
  means the Middle East plus Turkey and Iran. The
  terms Middle East and Near East are Eurocentric
  because they describe a region in relation to
  Europe or The West. Despite this, the term is now
  accepted and even people in the Middle East call
  it that (Al-Sharq Al-Awasat means Middle East in
  Arabic).

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ANCIENT HISTORY

• Home of the first Cultural Hearth
• Centers of ideas, innovations and ideologies
• Mesopotamia
• Between Tigris and Euphrates River
• Farmers used irrigation and food storage
• Domesticated cereal, vegetables, fruits, animals
• Developed calendar, math, astronomy, government
  and engineering
• Many Empires have controlled
• Sumerian, Persia, Mongols, Romans, Ottoman Turks
  

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HISTORY cont.

• Ottoman Turk Impact
• Ruled from 1453 until after WWI
• After WWI divided region into Syria, Iraq,
  Lebanon and Yemen controlled by British and
  French
• Didnt adequately define border so when colonies
  gained independence, created problems
• Oil
• Most important resource for outside world
• Within the realm, water and land most important
• About 65 of known reserves in world located here

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Impact of Oil

• Middle Easterners who were mostly herders and
  fishermen became rich.
• Most countries have high standard of living.
• Countries have built desalinization plants,
  improved education and health.
• Not all oil is distributed evenly. Most around
  the Persian Gulf
• First oil in region found in 1908 in Iran. First
  discovery in Saudi Arabia in 1932.
• Shiites and Palestinians move into Arabia
• Saudi Arabia has 5 million foreigners in
  population of 23 million
• Disparities between oil rich and oil poor
  countries
• Foreign investment

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IRAQ

• Size of California with 65 of total land and 42
  of regions wealth
• Major oil reserves and large areas of irrigated
  farmland
• Site of Mesopotamia culture hearth
• Modern Iraq
• Adversarial with neighbors
• Turkey, Iran, Kuwait, Jordan, Syria
• 3 regions
• Core around Baghdad, heart of country
• South around Basra, major oil fields, invasion
  of Kuwait in 1990
• North Land of Kurds and Sunni, but not Arab
  Sunnis
• Kurds want own country
• Treated poorly under Suddam

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Arabian Peninsula

• Saudi Arabia
• Mostly desert with huge oil reserves
• Absolute monarchy
• Created in 1920s and stabilized now friendly to
  west
• Currently trying to update social programs
• Economy entirely dependent upon oil
• Periphery
• Kuwait tiny but lots of oil
• Bahrain island with dwindling oil supply
• Qatar declining oil but increasing natural gas
• UAE (United Arab Emirates) unique government
• Oman absolute monarchy that controls choke point
  of Hormuz Strait
• Yemen united in 1990s and created democracy,
  only one in region

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Dubailand
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And if that isnt impressive enough!!!
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Try Hydropolis An Underwater Hotel
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And theres more!The Palms 3 Artificial Islands
in the shape of a tree!
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IRAN

• Formerly Persian Empire that ruled for 2500 years
• Controls area between Caspian Sea and Persian
  Gulf
• 69.4 million population with 63 urban
• Struggle between modernity and traditional
  Islamic rulers
• Revolution in 1979 that put in Ayatollah Khomeini
• 1980-1990 fought war with Iraq that left Iran
  very weak
• Late 1990s saw desire to liberalize, but put
  down by government
• Government is theocracy run by religious law
• Current US policies becoming a question. Nuke
  Threat?

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MODERN ISSUES

• Economically dependent on oil
• OPEC Organization of Petroleum Exporting
  Countries
• Food importers
• Growing cities
• Capital of Islamic world
• What to do with Iraq?

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EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN
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ISRAEL

• Creation
• Created in 1948 as Jewish homeland with UN
  support with idea of Zionism
• May 14, 1948 created Israel with Arabic neighbors
  immediately attacking
• At end of war, Israel controlled 80 of what had
  been Palestine
• Wars
• 1967 week long war where Israel gains Golan
  Heights, West Bank and Sinai Peninsula
• 1973 war forces withdraw from Suez Canal
• 1978 Israel gives all of Sinai Peninsula back to
  Egypt

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MAJOR ISSUES MODERN ISRAEL

• Golan Heights
• Syria wants it back but Israel wants to keep it
• West Bank
• Originally set as Palestinian Homeland but Jewish
  migration now makes it difficult
• 1977 5,000 Jews in West Bank
• 2000 200,000 Jews in West Bank
• Palestinians
• Nation without a state
• Many live in Jordan but still large percentage
  living in Israel

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JERUSALEM

• Major issue in Middle East
• Suppose to be international city, but captured by
  Israel in 1967
• Now considered capital of Israel
• History
• Moses leads Jews into Philistine land and created
  Jerusalem where lived 40 centuries
• After King Solomon, kingdom divided and conquered
• AD 70 Rome destroys 2nd temple leaving only part
  of West Wall
• Under Rome became focus for Christians
• 700 AD Muslims move into Jerusalem

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JERUSALEM, cont.

• Holy Site for 3 major religions
• Western Wall Jewish
• Church of Holy Sepulcher Christians, place
  where Jesus buried
• Dome of the Rock Muslims. Muhammad's ascension
  to heaven on Temple Mount
• Modern Issues
• 1948-49 captures only part of Jerusalem
• Tel Aviv suppose to be capital of Israel
• Jerusalem divided into 2 sections Old and New

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MODERN ISSUES, cont.

• Jerusalem
• 1967 Israel conquered West Bank and reunited
  Jerusalem with West mostly Jewish and East
  mostly Arabic
• 1980 called foreign nations to move from Tel Aviv
  to Jerusalem, but most didnt and Israel began
  huge resettlement attempt
• 1990s UN tells Israel to stop construction and
  settlement, but Israel not listening
• Modern Issues
• One of wealthiest nations in region
• 90 of population urban
• Water issues 30 of useable water under West
  Bank but Israel uses 4X as much water as
  Palestinians
• Finding peace biggest issue and problem

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OTHER NATIONS IN REGION

• Syria
• Shares border with Israel
• Lost Golan Heights in 1967 military republic
  since 1963
• 75 Sunni, but ruled by Alawites who suppress all
  dissension
• On Mediterranean Coast so can grow crops creating
  come self-sufficiency
• Damascus believed to be longest lived in city in
  world
• Needs Modernization
• Jordan
• East of Israel and depends upon Lebanon for Port
  Access
• 1946 population 400,000 with 1 million
  Palestinians refugees coming in 1948
• Received lots of aide, but hasnt really helped

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Other Nations, cont.

• Lebanon
• 25 population is Christian creating Civil War
• 1975 civil war after Muslim population grows and
  Christian doesnt
• Beirut destroyed and only 150,000 still lived
  there out of 1.5 million now being rebuilt
• Turkey
• Influenced by Chinese, Mongols, Russians,
  Byzantium and Islam
• Modern Turkey is remnants of Ottoman Turkish
  Empire
• Modern Problems
• 20 of population Kurdish creating human rights
  violations
• Islamic Fundamentalism gaining some support and
  strength
• Cultural conflict between Alevis Islam and Sunni
  Islam
• Wants EU membership but not likely
• Controls Bosporus and Dardanelles