RELIGION:THE GEOGRAPHIC PERSPECIVE

Hinduism-ethnic religion Ganesh Shrine, Kathmandu, Nepal

Chronologically, the oldest of the major religions Arose in Indus Valley,

~4,000 years ago No evolving

bureaucratic structures Reincarnation Doctrines allied with

India's caste system Tied to the physical

landscape Modernization and

Gandhi helped relax the caste system

Hinduism

Diffusion Arose in what is now

Pakistan No modern expansion

diffusion Area overtaken by

Buddhism and Islam Bali outpost has

become a syncretic faith

Relocation diffusion not the foci

Cultural landscape Hinduism is a way of

life Building a temple gives

good Karma… Shrine location

important Visual AND emotional

Buddhism- Universalizing

Resurgence in India Buddha (Prince Siddhartha)

spoke out against caste system Diffusion

Grew slowly after Buddha’s death

Fragmented today, but experiencing a revival

Principals keep diffusing, notably in the Western world

Cultural landscape The Bodhi tree Pagodas

Chinese religions- Ethnic religions

Taoism Confucianism Diffusion

Confucianism diffused early into the Korean Peninsula, Japan, and Southeast Asia

Taoism = more local Chinese communist

authorities leveled burial mounds because they took up too much ground suitable for farming

Cultural landscape Confucianism and Taoism

help expand impact of Buddhist cultural influences

Shinto: ethnic religion of Japan

Judaism-ethnic religion, exception to the rule, has diffused

The oldest major religion to emerge west of the Indus Valley

Diffusion Diaspora Sephardim Zionism=homeland for Jewish

people Israel created in 1948 by UN

Cultural landscape Synagogues, but no single

architectural style Star of David appears on most

Jewish graves The “Wailing Wall”

Wailing Wall, Jerusalem, Israel

Christianity-Universalizing Jewish search for deliverance from Romans &

appearance of Jesus Paul’s role Eastern Roman Empire (Constantinople)

Eastern (Orthodox) Church still one of three major branches

The papacy, second branch Protestant movement

Diffusion A combination of expansion and relocation diffusion

during European colonialism Most widespread of the global religions Aggressive and persistent proselytism

http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/china_705/

Christianity

Cultural landscape Medieval

Europe Imprint of death

on the landscape Uses more

land for cemeteries than any other faith

http://www.mapsofwar.com/ind/history-of-religion.html

Christianity

Religions and culture regions in the United States The Mormon culture region Christian culture regions better known

Islam-universalizing

The youngest of the major faiths Religious and social disarray in Arab world Unifying religious faith and set of values Mecca, Medina, then Jerusalem became the

spiritual center Believed strongly in education Still the heart of Arab culture Islamization

Islam by 900 CE

Islam: Shiite Regions and sects

Division conflict-2 BRANCHES Sunnis: family and

community to solve problems

Shiites: Imam is “solver” Imams—Shiite Muslims

leaders whose appointments are regarded as sanctioned by Allah

Diffusion Trading expansions led to

conflicts with Christianity The Crusades

Continues to attract converts

Experiencing resurgence; expansion will continue

Classic example of hierarchical diffusion

Islam

Cultural landscape Mosques dominate the urban landscapes Muslim architects very skilled Exquisite and distinct architecture

A symbol for faith and community Islam religion and culture are one

The Alhambraan example of Muslim Architecture

The Dome of the Rock, Jerusaleman example of Muslim tile glazing

Religious FundamentalismA worldwide drive by millions back to the “basics” (in

whose eyes?) of religious faith Often born out of frustration “Tunnel Vision”

9/11 led to many American’s equating terrorism with Islam

Globalization and religions 1. strict adherence to the holy text 2. pious or religiosity 3.

Religious Fundamentalism

Christian fundamentalism Christian fundamentalism most pronounced in Protestantism

Islamic fundamentalism Laws not equally applied Inconsistency breeds dissidence From Shah to Ayatollah 1970s and 1980s most significant Afghanistan under the Taliban

Jihad and Wahhabi Extreme Islamic fundamentalists who resort to violence

are relatively small in number (Usually from the Shiites)

Resources De Blij, Harm, J. (2007). Human Geography People, Place and Culture.

Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons Inc. Domosh, Mona, Neumann, Roderic, Price, Patricia, & Jordan-Bychkov,

2010. The Human Mosaic, A Cultural Approach to Human Geography. New York: W.H. Freeman and Company.

Fellman, Jerome, D., Getis, Arthur, & Getis, Judith, 2008. Human Geography, Landscapes of Human Activities. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

Pulsipher, Lydia Mihelic and Alex M. and Pulsipher, 2008. World Regional Geography, Global Patterns, Local Lives. W.H. Freeman and Company New York.  

Rubenstein, James M. (2008). An introduction to human geography The cultural landscape. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Benewick, Robert, & Donald, Stephanie H. (2005). The State of China Atlas. Berkeley: University of California Press.