What is an area that includes different countries share similar culture traits?

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Socio-cultural Exchanges
Cultural DIFFUSION
Consumerism and culture
Media, Brands, TNCs
Sociocultural integration
Diaspora of the Irish
The Xingu
Cultural imperialism
What are the areas of culture?
What is an example of a culture area?
What is an area where people share cultural traits called?
What are some of the common traits of a culture region?

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Socio-cultural Exchanges

Cultural DIFFUSION

Key Terms

Culture: the total of the inherited ideas, beliefs, values and knowledge which constitute the shared basis of social action.
Cultural traits: individual components of a cultural complex which may be divided into three categories: sociological, ideological and technological.
Cultural hearth: an area that is or has been a rich source of cultural traits.
Cultural hybridity: the extent to which cultures are intermixed.
Official language: the language of a country, region or institution that is embedded in law.
Bilingual country: a country in which two languages are commonly spoken.

Separatist movements: political parties or other organisations which believe that their region should separate from its current country to form a new country.
Customs: the established patterns of behaviour that are commonplace within a particular country, region or social setting.
Secularism: a view that rejects religion and religious considerations.
Stereotype: a standardised mental picture that is held in common by members of a group and that represents an oversimplified opinion, prejudiced attitude or uncritical judgement.
Cultural diffusion: the process of the spreading of cultural traits from one place to another.
Cultural or creative industries: industries that involve the spreading or creating of culture.

Using the below subsections create a detailed mind map of each section of cultural traits. Do not forget to give examples.

Coggle

Language

Language: It is estimated that there is over 6,500 spoken languages in the world today. Countries with a large number of indigenous groups tend to have the most languages. In Papua New Guinea that only has a population of about 5 million, there are over 800 languages. Other countries like Belgium (French and Flemish) and Canada (English and French) are officially bilingual, while others have one predominant language and some minority languages e.g. in France about 500,000 either speak Corsican or Breton. The most widely spoke language in the world is Mandarin, followed by English and Spanish. The UN has six official languages; Arabic, Mandarin, English, French , Russian and Spanish. However, despite the wide variety of languages, many languages are being lost. English has become an international language. It is the first language used in many international conferences, in business transactions, in media, and in transport. It is also the language most commonly taught as a second language. Despite many languages being lost, there is a fight to preserve others. In wales there have been many laws introduced to protect the language, including making it compulsory up to GCSE level in all Welsh school. 'Historic' assembly vote for new Welsh language law - BBC article.
(Source: Greenfieldgeography)

Customs

Customs: These are common patterns of behaviour found with particular countries or regions that are then passed down through generations. Examples may include bowing to elders, not tipping, taking of shoes inside houses and celebrating certain days e.g. St. Patrick's (Paddy's) Day. Some of these customs may get diluted as young people see different behaviour in the media, while others may grow. St. Patrick's Day is a classic example. Not only are there now Irish bars around the World, but also the day is celebrated around the World, New York actually has a St. Patrick's Day parade.

Beliefs

Beliefs: There are five major religions in the World i.e. Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism and Taoism. Out of these probably only Islam and Christianity can be regarded as truly global. However, even these world religions have many different sects e.g. Islam has Sunni, Shia, Wahhabi, etc., while Christianity has Roman Catholic, Baptist, Church of England, etc. However, despite the growth of some religions e.g. Islam, many are seeing a reduction in the number practicing. Secularism is also on the rise in many countries like France and the UK.

Dress

Dress: Most countries have traditional dress e.g. the ao dai in Vietnam and the sari in India. However, globalisation has meant that in many countries traditional dress is worn less as global fashions take over e.g. jeans. Some cultures though do follow strict dress codes either by choice or by law in Saudi Arabia women have to wear an abaya and head scarf, in Afghanistan women also had to wear a full burka (although these restrictions have now been slightly relaxed). At the other end of the extreme the French government has decided that the burkha is a sign of repression and banned its wearing in public.

Images

Images: Images can now be spread around the world via the internet. These images can be from the past or the present. Images can help break or reinforce stereotypes. Traditional stereotypes of the English may be suited people with bowler hats and brief cases, but more images show that it is much more diverse. The internet can be used for positive purposes e.g. to spread images of environmental damage or political repression or more negative purposes e.g. promoting racism. Therefore images may not necessarily change our culture, but it may change our understanding and opinions of others.

Music

Music: Most regions have traditional styles of music, traditional instruments and national or regional songs e.g. Italy is very much associated with opera. However, the growth of the internet, TV and radio mean that people are exposed to different styles of music. The power of TNCs to sell their artists means that certain styles of music e.g. rock, pop, rap, R&B have become dominant. Many countries managed to retain some of their national music style through their national anthems. TV shows like Eurovison may also promote music styles from some countries, not normally exposed to an international audience.

Food

Food: Most countries have traditional dishes that they are famous for e.g. pupusas in El Salvador and pho in Vietnam. Many countries also have regional dishes e.g. Staffordshire in the UK is famous for oat cakes, Lancashire for Lancashire hot pot and Yorkshire for Yorkshire pudding. However, with increased migration global foods have spread around the world and most cities will now have Indian, Chinese, Thai, Mexican, Italian and French restaurants. Most cities also have fast food restaurants like Burger King, KFC and McDonald's. With the globalisation of food there has also been the development of fusion food e.g. the mixing of food from two or more countries and the development of seemingly foreign dishes in surrogate countries e.g. Chicken tikka masala which is seen as a Indian dish was actually invented in Birmingham, UK. As well regional foods there are also foods associated with religions e.g. Hindu's will not eat beef while Muslims will not eat Pork. Muslim and Jews also specify that their food should follow strict criteria for slaughter, preparation, etc. For Muslims this is known as Halal food for Jews Kosher food. In short globalisation has probably increased the variety of foods available and reduced the consumption of traditional dishes. It has also changed people's diet, which has caused health problems in some countries e.g. the growth of fast food in Asian countries has increased obesity and heart disease.

Technology

Technology: The development of technology can certainly change culture. The development of agricultural equipment e.g. tractors and combine harvesters has meant that the number of agricultural societies around the world has decreased. The development of contraception and the medical procedure of abortion has brought about debate in the Catholic church. Also the development of computers and phones has possibly reduced face-to-face contact both in social and business settings.

How would:

International movement of workers
Tourists
Commodities

Affect the cultural diffusion of ideas? (Brainstorm ideas)

The phases of long-term cross-cultural encounters

Consumerism and culture

Key Terms

Consumer culture: the equation of personal happiness with consumption and the purchase of material possessions.
Mass media: a section of the media specifically designed to reach a large audience. The term was coined in the 1920s with the advent of nationwide radio networks, and mass-circulation newspapers and magazines.
Brand: a distinguishing name and/or symbol intended to identify a product or producer.

Cultural commodification: when the objects, ideas and traits of a culture become part of the capitalist system of exchange and are bought and sold.
Brand identity: image and values associated with a brand.
Brand image: the totality of consumer perceptions about the brand.
Franchises: businesses that are based upon the name, logos and trading methods of an existing organisation.

Media, Brands, TNCs

Using the Global interactions textbook (pages 161 to 166) create two case studies on how two brands have been adapted in a spatial and temporal fashion on a global scale.

McDonalds
Coca Cola

Sociocultural integration

Key Terms

Diaspora: the scattering of a culture from its homeland.
Ethnicity: the identification of individuals within particular ethnic groups.
Racial assimilation: the gradual process of integration into the mainstream community. This process has three main strands which are broadly in chronological order: economic, social and political.
Urban mosaic: the complex pattern of different residential areas within a city reflecting variations in socio-economic status which are mainly attributable to income and ethnicity.

Integrationist communities: communities where a variety of ethnic groups intermix spatially and socially.
Indigenous people: any ethnic group that inhabits a geographical region with which they have the earliest known historical connection.
Homogeneity: a situation in which there is a lack of variation.
Cultural imperialism: the practice of promoting the culture or language of one nation in another. It is usually the case that the former is a large, powerful nation and the latter is a smaller, less affluent one.

Diaspora of the Irish

Using the photos and sources below examine the ways in which the Irish diaspora has spread throughout the world. What advantages/disadvantages does this offer?

Global Irish Diaspora

The Irish in the USA

Benefits created by a large diaspora

Improved economic links with different countries
Increased political influence around the World
Irish culture (music, food, dance, drink, etc.) has been spread around the World
It has increased tourism in Ireland, both migrants visiting their homeland and foreigners interested in Irish culture
An increase in revenue for Irish companies like Guinness
Global support for Ireland's sporting teams (rugby, football, cricket, etc.)
Possible remittances from migrants living overseas

Problems caused by a large diaspora

Loss of workers ("brain drain")
Potentially large numbers (millions) of people who could claim Irish citizenship and move back to Ireland causing overcrowding
Many wrongful claims of Irish citizenship or descendency
Exploitation of Irish culture, possible dilution of Irish culture
Break up of families (with improved genealogy websites it is now only becoming possible for people to trace their routes)
Possible political and economic interference from people living outside the country
Possible dependency on outside help e.g. remittances

Find one other example (case study) of a diaspora in France or your home country. Create a set of notes on:

How has that diaspora tried to preserve its culture?
In what ways has that culture been adopted by the host country.

The Xingu

Case Study
Examine the Xingu people:

Locate
What is the tribe like?
How and why is their culture being impacted by the diffusion of Brazilian mainstream culture?

Cultural imperialism

Cultural imperialism: is defined as the cultural aspects of imperialism. Imperialism, here, is referring to the creation and maintenance of unequal relationships between civilizations favoring the more powerful civilization. Therefore, it can be defined as the practice of promoting and imposing a culture, usually of politically powerful nations over less potent societies

Core Concept
According to the theory of cultural imperialism, less economically prominent cultures essentially import culture from wealthier countries -- chiefly Western countries, which have the economic means necessary to produce a majority of the world's cultural media -- mostly via the global transmission of media. As one society exerts cultural influence over another, the latter society adopts its customs, philosophies, worldviews and general ways of life. Under the imposition of another culture, the “lesser” culture is thought to lose some of its own cultural identity in the process.

Accusing America
Since Herbert Schiller's book “Communication and Cultural Domination” first coined the phrase in 1976, the concept of cultural imperialism is often used to refer to the idea of America exerting cultural influence over the rest of the world, with a particularly powerful imposition on Third World countries. Examples of American cultural imperialism include brand name products, mass-produced food and, perhaps of primary importance, video media. While this may come with some positive effects -- showing women's rights or racial equality in a positive light, for example -- it also tends to paint America as a leader or hero, potentially exerting a negative effect on the viewer's perception of his own country or other non-American cultures.

Advantages of cultural imperialism

There may be a greater variety of commodities available
It may mean new technologies are introduced
Language skills may increase
Economic development may take place as trade increases between two locations

Disadvantages of cultural imperialism

Places around the World become increasingly homogenised (the same)
Local cultures are lost or diluted (language, dress, food, music, etc.)
Local businesses maybe forced out of business they can't compete with large international TNCs
Economic and political exploitation e.g. resources may be stripped

What are the areas of culture?

The major elements of culture are symbols, language, norms, values, and artifacts. Language makes effective social interaction possible and influences how people conceive of concepts and objects.

What is an example of a culture area?

Well-known examples of culture areas and their traditional residents are found on every continent except Antarctica and include Scandinavia, homeland of the Vikings; the North American Plains, home of the Plains Indians; and Africa's Al-Sudd, the seasonal wetland that is home to the Nuer, Dinka, and other cattle ...

A formal culture region is an area inhabited by people who have one or more cultural traits in common, such as language, religion, or system of livelihood. It is an area relatively homogeneous with regard to one or more cultural traits. The geographer who identifies a formal culture region must locate cultural borders.

What are some of the common traits of a culture region?

A cultural region is a region with people who share common cultural characteristics. Such characteristics include language, political system, religion, foods, customs, and participation in trading networks. A functional region is an area with a common function, often organized around a key focal point.