The Elements of Culture (section 1)
•Human
Chapter 4
Human Geography: People and Place
beings are members of social groups with shared
and unique sets of behaviors and attitudes.
•Language and religion are two very important aspects of
culture.
Cultures: The Tapestry of Life
The Elements of Culture
What is a tapestry?
Culture acts as guide for how
a group of people should
behave if they want to fit in
with a group.
Cultures: The Tapestry of Life
What makes us similar to some
people in the world but different
from most others?
Culture Defined
Knowledge, attitudes, behaviors shared over generations
• Society is a group that shares geographic region, identity,
culture
•An ethnic group shares language, customs, common
heritage
Culture Change and Exchange
Innovation is creating something new with existing
resources (could happen with purpose or on accident)
•Example: weaving baskets from reeds to solve storage
problem
Cultural Diffusion: Spread of ideas, inventions, patterns of
behavior
What does technology do for cultural
diffusion? Explain.
In which locations would diffusion
happen less frequently?
•Cultural hearth—site of innovation; origin of cultural diffusion
said
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Examples of cultural hearth
The seven original cultural hearths are the Nile
River valley, the Indus River valley, the Wei-Huang
valley, the Ganges River valley, Mesopotamia,
Mesoamerica and West Africa.
Mesopotamia, forexample, saw the invention of
the wheel, writing and astronomy, and it is the
birthplace of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Acculturation—society changes because it accepts innovation
● Could radically change a society
● Could be positive or negative
● Forced or willingly accepted
Example:
● wearing jeans instead of traditional garments
● In 1970’s in Somalia, 1,000s of lives saved due to
being persuaded to be vaccinated for smallpox
A satellite dish brings the outside
world to a Mongolian family living
in this traditional house called
yurt.
How does this show
acculturation?