3.
1: Introduction to Culture
Cultural traits…
- Building blocks of culture that are visible & invisible such as beliefs, traditions,
customs, taboos, etc.
Culture Complex…
- Interrelated characteristics that are passed on from generation to generation
through imitation, informal/formal instruction, etc
Culture hearth…
- The area in which a unique culture develops
Culture realm…
- Larger areas that cover several regions that share common traits such as
language, religion, food preferences, architectural styles, and history
Culture…
- The way of life including arts, beliefs, and institutions of a population
- Custom
- frequent repetition of an act until it becomes characteristic of a group
of people
- Taboo
- A restriction on behavior imposed by a social custom (unliked)
- NOT Habit
- Which is a repetitive act performed by an individual
Folk Culture…
- Traditionally practiced by a small group of homogeneous individuals
- Generally in rural areas living in isolation
- Rapidly changing and disappearing throughout much of the world
- Usually has anonymous origins
- Diffuses slowly through relocation migration
- Stable and close-knit
- Social pressure to maintain cultural practices
Pop Culture…
- Found ina large, heterogeneous society that shares certain habits despite
differences in personal characteristics
- Often product of advancements in industrial technology and increased leisure
time
- Originates in mdc’s
- Diffuses to other MDCs as well as less developed countries
- Hierarchical diffusion
- Typically from a hearth or node of innovation (Major city)
Ethnocentrism…
- To apply one’s own culture or ethnicity as a frame of reference to judge other
cultures, practices, behaviors, beliefs, and people
- Judging others based on one’s own cultural experience
- Leads to misunderstanding and conflict
Cultural Relativism…
- Cultural relativism is the view that ethical and social standards reflect the
cultural context
- When you look through a culture throughout a lens other than your own
3.2 Cultural Landscapes
Cultural Landscape
- The permanent change of a landscape that has a cultural significance
Traditional Architecture
- Folk & Popular culture is evident on the types of housing in which people live in
- Traditional Housing was constructed from local materials that were readily &
cheaply available & built for particular climates
Post Modern Architecture
- Rejects the modern architecture emphasis on efficiency & instead tries to
design buildings that are visually pleasing
- Many places have access to a variety of building materials & technological
advancements
Ethnicity & Culture
- A group of people who identify with each other on the basis of perceived
shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups
3.3 Culture Patterns
Sense of place
- The industrial, agricultural, architectural, religions, language, and gendered
elements a cultural landscape
Placelessness
- Pop culture has lead to a sense of placlessness
- Now most places look the smae due to “Bog Box” businesses and “cookie cutter”
homes
Ethnicity & Centripetal Forces
- Centripental forces are farces that unify people
- Can be language, religion, common ecternal threats, etc
- Centrifugal forces are forces that pull people apart
- Very common in multicultural states where one group feels oppressed or
demands or receives special treatment
- Can be language, religion, etc
Relocation Diffusion
- The spread of people from one place to another
- The poeple bring ideas through physical movement
Expansion DIffusion
- When innovations spread to new places while staying strong in their hearth
- Hieracrchical Diffusion
- From a high power to low power
- Usually spread through media
- Contagioius Diffusion
- From person to person
- Stimulus Diffusion
- Taking the basics of an idea and modifying it for the area
- Reverse Hierarchical Diffusion
- From lower power to higher power
- Through both person to person and through media
3.5 Historical Causes of Diffusion
Colonization/Imperialism
- 700-1200s: Muslim Merchants and Missionaries in South and Southeast Asia
- 1492: Christopher Columbus connects the hemispheres
- 1500-1800: Colonization of Latin America by Spain
- 1500-1800: Colonization of North America by Spain, England, France, and Dutch
- 1500-1800: Colonization of South Africa by British and Dutch
- 1500-1800: Colonization of India by the British and French
- 1800s: Imperialism of Africa by Many Western European nations
- Wherever conquerors go they take their cultures religion and language with
them.
- Greatly responisble for the globalization of culture
Colonization Effect on Language
- Creole or Creolized language is a language that results from the mixing of a
colonizer’s language with the indigenous language of the people being
dominated
Pidgin Language
- Often emerges when two or more languages coexist in a small geographic
area. It involves the natural combination of two or more languages into one
fluid and changeable dialect
Lingua Franca
- A bridge language
- When two people who speak different languages can use a third language to
communicate with each other
3.6 Contemporary Causes of Diffusion
Urbanization ‘s Role in Cultural Diffusion
- Culture is impacted by urbanization by increasing diversity, artistic innovation,
& economic opportunities
- Multicultuarlism is the basic aspect of urban living
Globalization & Cultural Diffusion
- Refers to the transmission of ideas, meanings/values around the world
- Diffused by internet, popular culture, media, & international travel
Western Media Imperialism
- US, Britain, & Japan dominate worldwide media
- Glorified consumerism, violence, sexuality in media
- US (Networks and CNN) and British (BBC) news media provide the
dissemination od information worldwide
- Unlikely to focus on or provide third world perspectives on issues important in
the LDCs
3.7 Diffusion of Religion & Language
Breaking down English
- family : Indo-Eropean
- Brance: Germanic
- Group: Western Germanic
- Sub-group: English
Indo-European Language Family Branches
- Germanic
- English
- Dutch
- German
- Swedish
- Balto-slavic
- Russian
- Ukranian
- Polish
- Romance
- Italian
- Spanish
- Portuguese
- French
- Indo-iranian
- Persian
- Hindi
- Urdu
- Bengati
How does language spread?
- The Kurgan Theory
- When people move they take their language with them
- Anatolian Theory
- People force others to speak new languages
Language Facts
- The Indo-European family represents the majority of languages spoken in the
world today
- English is the most wide-spread language
- Mandarin Chineas has the most speakers
Dialects
- Regional variation of a language that can be distinguished by its distinctive
pronunciation, vocab, and spelling
Adages & Idioms
- Phrase or expression that typically presents a figure, non-literal meaning
attached to the phrase
Perserving Language Diversity
- Languages can die
- Global dominance of English and other “world languages” are dominating the
world
- People are trying to preserve & even revive languages
- Language is more than just a communication, language is about identity,
history, and continuity
Acculturation
- The adoption of cultural traits, such as language, by one group under the
influence of another while retaining important parts of ones original culture
