What is

Culture?

• Pronunciation: \ˈkəl-chər\ • Function: noun • Etymology: Middle English, cultivated land, cultivation, from

Anglo-French, from Latin cultura, from cultus, past participle • Date: 15th century• 1 : CULTIVATION, TILLAGE

2 : the act of developing the intellectual and moral faculties especially by education3 : expert care and training <beauty culture>4 a : enlightenment and excellence of taste acquired by intellectual and aesthetic training b : acquaintance with and taste in fine arts, humanities, and broad aspects of science as distinguished from vocational and technical skills5 a : the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations b : the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group; also : the characteristic features of everyday existence (as diversions or a way of life} shared by people in a place or time <popular culture> <southern culture> c : the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization <a corporate culture focused on the bottom line> d : the set of values, conventions, or social practices associated with a particular field, activity, or societal characteristic

• The Textbook states…Culture is the combination of

- Values - Material artifacts - Political institutions

The collection of beliefs, practices, knowledge, behaviors, social forms, artifacts, attitudes, values, and goals of a group that is transmitted to succeeding generations.

How is Culture spread to succeeding generations?

Culture is transmitted through Social Institutions, using language.

Family, Friends, Education,Religion, Media,

Government, and Economy*The language does not have to be written!*As written language is developed, its characteristics become intertwined into material culture!

Cultural Characteristics fall into TWO categories:

• Material Culture – tangible, can touch them, they are things we take care of…Ex: Artifacts, blanket, money, crest, jewelry, clothing, etc.

***Your textbook states that Material Culture falls into two categories……Folk and Popular!

• Non-Material Culture – intangible, cannot touch them, they are things we care about…Ex. Religion, music, rituals, language, etc

What influences the development of these Cultural Characteristics?

In short….

Time:• When in History or what type of Society:• Hunter/Gatherer, Horticultural, Pastoral, Agrarian, Industrial, Post-

Ind.

AND…

• Location:• Physical Features, Climate, Proximity to another location or other

cultures, etc

In order to survive early humans adapted to their environment:•They made dwellings out of available supplies.•They gathered vegetations that grew naturally.•They hunted available wildlife.•They following their food sources with the changes of the seasons.

The Paleolithic Era (The Old Stone Age)•hunter-gatherer societies•lived in clans•nomadic (searched for food, water, shelter)•developed oral language•created “cave art”•use of fire (allowed them to live in colder climates)•developed simple tools and weapons•overcame physical limitations and adapted to their environment

The Neolithic Era (The New Stone Age)• Began to create permanent communities• domesticated plants and animals for human use• invented the pottery wheel to make useful containers• weaved cloth for clothing and shelter• used advanced tools (flint, axe, hoe, grindstone, knife, wheels, animal-drawn carts)

Advanced civilizations began to develop!

Why is this SOOOO important, you ask?

Because…

now that man is fed, clothed and housed there is time to develop…

Culture!

All people need the same things!WHAT ARE THEY?

• Cultural Universals– broad categories, found in every culture, that address the needs and wants of a group.Ex: Food, Shelter, Clothing, Hierarchy, Transportation…

• Cultural Particulars – the unique way that a culture fulfills their needs and wants. Ex. Lumpia, Yurts, Saris, Chiefs, Rickshaws…

What influences the uniqueness of the particulars? Think about possiblism and environmental determinism!

Sometimes the cultural particulars

of a society are a reflection of Folk Culture

and sometimes Popular Culture!

Human Geographers are interested in two aspects

of culture (whether folk or popular)

• Where cultures are located in space.

• How cultures interact with the environment.

Where Do Cultures Originate and Diffuse?

• Origin of folk and popular cultures– Folk culture = hearth area; originators are

usually unknown– Popular culture = hearth area comes from

more developed countries (MDCs)• People in MDCs have disposable income and leisure

time that allow for these innovations

Where Do Cultures Originate and Diffuse?

• Origin of folk and popular music– Folk music characteristics• Tells a story or recounts important life events or

activities• Is personal in nature

– Popular music characteristics• Written by individuals for the purpose of selling to a

large audience• Highly technical

Where Do Cultures Originate and Diffuse?

• Diffusion of folk and popular culture– Folk culture diffuses slowly, primarily through

migration, and at a small scale• Example: Diffusion of Amish culture

– Popular culture diffuses rapidly, via hierarchical diffusion, and over a large scale• Example: Sports

Distribution of Amish

Soccer!!!