Chapter 7: Cultural Geography
Race and EthnicityWHAT IS RACE? From a sociological perspective, race is a social construct. Many social scientists argue that race is a social construct and that the scientific basis for it is very weak because, as Larry Adelman (2003) argues, "most variation is within, not between, 'races': Of the small amount of total human variation, 84% exists within any local population. About 94% can be found within any continent" (p. 1). Race, in this sense, presumes real or assumed shared biology or genes and in 19th century, racial differences were used to justify colonization, racial inequities, immigration quotas, and slavery (in the U.S.). PBS has created an interesting website called RACE - The Power of an Illusion that looks at whether race truly is a biological characteristic of humans or a social construct. WHAT IS ETHNICITY? Take the sorting quiz and watch The Human Family Tree and Black in Latin America: An Island Divided to "witness" how migration and geography play a role in the complex issues surrounding race and ethnicity. Pay attention to how the racial and ethnic landscape of the island of Hispaniola impacts cultural identity and the geopolitics both within Hispaniola and beyond its shores. How did you do?
What did you learn about Race and Ethnicity from taking the quiz?
Some of the worst acts by humans have been in the terms of ethnic cleansing and genocide. The United Nations Security Council established Resolution 780, which states that ethnic cleansing is "a purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove by violent and terror-inspiring means the civilian population of
another ethnic or religious group from certain geographic areas." Genocide is similar to ethnic cleaning, but only goes deeper. Genocide is usually defined at the intentional killing of large sums of people targeted because of their ethnicity, political ideology, religion, or culture. At first glance, it appears that ethnic cleansing and genocide are similar. With ethnic cleansing, the aim is to remove a group of people with similar ethnic backgrounds from a specific geographic region by any means possible.
This could include forced migration, terror and rape, destruction of villages, and large scale death. With genocide, the true intent is the death of a group of people at any scale possible until they are extinct. This has happened many times in recent history including Bosnia-Herzegovina, Burma, Cambodia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Sudan, and now Syria. Sadly, with all these ethnic conflicts, most were not officially declared as genocides by the United Nations Security Council, but the conditions on the ground and the reasons why the were occurring fit the definition. Classifying LanguagesLanguage and religion are two essential cultural characteristics for human geographers to study. Geographers describe the historical and
spatial distributions of language and religion across the landscape as a way of understanding cultural identity. Furthermore, when geographers study religion, they are less concerned with theology and more concerned with the diffusion and interaction of religious ideologies across time and space and the imprint it has on the cultural landscape
DEFINING LANGUAGE Origins and DiffusionsORIGINS OF
LANGUAGES PIDGINS AND
CREOLES Creole languages are stable languages that develop from pidgins. Different from pidgins, creole languages are primary languages that are nativized by children. Additionally, creoles have their own formal grammar and vocabulary. The grammar of a creole language often has grammatical features that differ from those of both parent languages. However, the vocabulary of a creole is primarily taken from the language of the dominant contact group. ENDANGERED LANGUAGES AND PRESERVING LANGUAGE DIVERSITY Consider the impact of language on culture, particularly religion. Most religions have some form of written or literary tradition or history, which allows for information to be transferred to future generations. But some religions are only transferred verbally and when that culture disappears (which is happening at a frightening rate), so does all of the knowledge and history of that culture. Luckily, there is an effort to preserve many of the world’s languages before extinction occurs. Recently the National Geographic Society created a campaign called the Enduring Voices Project, which is focusing on bringing awareness and protecting many of the world's endangered languages. In 2012, Google announced its own project to protect half of the world's total languages--3,054 to be exact--called Endangered Languages. Please take a moment and study these two important projects
Image taken from National Geographic's Enduring Voices Project. Origins and Diffusion of ReligionOur world’s cultural geography is very complex with language and religion as two cultural traits that contribute to the richness, diversity, and complexity of the human experience. Nowadays, the word “diversity” is gaining a great deal of attention as nations around the world are becoming more culturally, religiously, and linguistically complex and interconnected. Specifically in regards to religion, these
important cultural institutions are no longer isolated in their place of origin, but have diffused into other realms and regions with their own religious history and cultural dominance. In some parts of the world, this has caused religious wars and persecution; in other regions it has help initiate cultural tolerance and respect for others. ORIGINS AND WORLD RELIGIONS RELIGIOUS CONFLICT
Types of ReligionsUNIVERSAL RELIGIONS Christianity is divided into three branches: Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Eastern Orthodox. The largest of the three is Roman Catholic with nearly 52 percent of the Christian population. In the western hemisphere, where nearly 90 percent of the population is Christian, there are strong divides between the Christian branches. In Latin America, 93 percent are Roman Catholic compared to just 29 percent in North America. In the United States, Roman Catholics are clustered in the southwest and northeast. Nearly 28 percent of North America is Protestant with Baptist being the major denomination followed by Methodist, Pentecostal, Lutheran, and Mormon. Most major religions have laws, rules, commandments, or beliefs that all members should follow. In Christianity, they are the Ten Commandments and they are written as direct commandments from God.
Probably one of the most misunderstood religions in the world is Islam. Though predominantly centered in the Middle East and Northern Africa, Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world with 1.3 billion and is only second to Christianity is
members. Founded by Muhammad, the core beliefs of Islam are called the Five Pillars of Faith and they include:
Founded by the Prophet Muhammad, the core beliefs of Islam are called the Five Pillars of Faith and they include:
The third largest universal religion is Buddhism with 400 million followers. This religion is mainly clustered in China and Southeast Asia. Buddhism is actually a break-off of Hinduism and founded by Siddhartha Gautama. After seeing the suffering of people in India, Siddhartha left his riches to learn the root causes of pain and suffering. After a long journey, he became enlightened and became the Buddha. In order to transcend pain and suffering, the Buddha presented the Four Noble Truths, which leads to the Eight-fold Path.
Eightfold Path: Right view; Right intention; Right speech; Right action; Right livelihood; Right effort; Right mindfulness; Right concentration After Siddhartha Gautama died, Buddhism split between the Mahayanist, Theravada, and Tantrayana branches. The Mahayanist branch is by far the most popular and tends to be the most universal. It also more of philosophical practice/way of life rather than a religion. The Theravada and Tantrayana branches are centered on spiritual ideologies and practices, thus making them religious sects of Buddhism. HOLY RELIGIOUS PLACES Buddhists have eight holy sites because they have special meaning or important events during the Buddha's life. The first one is in Lumbini, Nepal where the Buddha was born around 563 B.C. The second holy site is in Bodh Gaya, Nepal, where it is believed Siddhartha reached enlightenment to become the Buddha. The third most important site is in Sarnath, India where he gave his first sermon. The fourth holiest site is Kusinagara, India where the Buddha died at the age of 80 and became enlightened. The other four holy sites are where Buddha performed/experienced specific miracles. People who practice Buddhism or Shintoism erect and use pagodas to house relics and sacred texts. Pagodas are also used for individual prayer and meditation. Islam's holiest sites are located in Saudi Arabia. The holiest city is Mecca, Saudi Arabia where the Prophet
Muhammad was born. It is also the location of the religion's holiest objects called the Ka'ba, a cube-like structure believed to have been built by Abraham and Ishmael. The second holiest site to Muslims is Medina, Saudi Arabia where Muhammad began his leadership and gained original support by the people. Every healthy, and financially able Muslim is suppose to make at least one pilgrimage to Mecca in their lifetime. For Muslims, a mosque is
considered a holy site of worship, but also a place for community assembly. Usually assembled around a courtyard, the pulpit faces Mecca so that all Muslims pray toward their holiest site. Mosques will have a tower called a minaret where someone summons people to worship. Meaning lord, master, or power, a Christian church is a place of gathering and worship. Compared to other religions, churches play a more important role because they are created to express values and principles. Churches also play a vital role to the landscape. In earlier days and in smaller towns, churches tend to be the largest buildings. Also because of their importance, Christian religions spend lots of money and commitment to the building and maintenance of their churches. To learn more
about various world religions, click on the following links: , Christianity, IslamEthnic religions: Hinduism, Judaism, Taoism,Shinto, Zoroastrianism, Sikhism, AnimistsReturning to our original discussion on genocide, below is a documentary by PBS on the subject titled "Genocide: Worse Than War." As quoted by Danial Goldhagen "By the most fundamental measure -- the number of people killed -- the perpetrators of mass murder since the beginning of the twentieth century have taken the lives of more people than have died in military conflict. So genocide is worse than war," reiterates Goldhagen. "This is a little-known fact that should be a central focus of international politics, because once you know it, the world, international politics, and what we need to do all begin to look substantially different from how they are typically conceived" (Genocide: Worse Than War).
SummaryFew things determine human characteristics than ethnicity and culture. Many believe that humans can be categorized by ethnicity and by race. But biological science is starting to show that race is more of a social construct and not grounded or supported by genetics. For human geographers and sociologists, a culture is largely determined by language and religion. Language is a complex way humans have learned to communicate with each other. Like a family tree, the history of a language can be traced back using language branches and language families. Linguists are concerned that globalization is causing many of the world’s languages to become extinct. The extinction of a language is also the extinction of knowledge that may not be replaceable. There are a variety of religions, but most can be divided as being either universal and ethnic. Universal religions tend to focus a lot on missionaries and the spread of their religion, whereas ethnic religions do not focus on spreading their religion. The places of worship are and complex and the religions themselves because they are the symbols of the religion. Has an identity as a separate group of people within the region where they live?Ethnic group: to refer to a group that shares a language, customs, and a common heritage. An ethnic group has an identity as a separate group of people within the region where they live.
What refers to a group of people with a common culture living in a territory and having a strong sense of unity?Nation refers to a group of people with a common culture living in a territory and having a strong sense of unity.
Which term best describes a social group of people sharing a common culture language religion and history?Listen to pronunciation. (ETH-nik groop) A group of people who share a similar culture (beliefs, values, and behaviors), language, religion, ancestry, or other characteristic that is often handed down from one generation to the next. They may come from the same country or live together in the same area.
When people have the same culture what is it they share?The learned and shared way of life of a group of people, which includes the generally accepted customs, beliefs, and values. Cultural heritage, language, religion, politics, economics, technology, education, art, and recreation are all aspects that may influence the culture of a group of people.
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