Session 12: Cultural diffusion, contact and transfer October 15, 2013

SushiNorton, W. (2005). Cultural Geography: Environments, Landscapes, Identities, and Inequalities. Oxford University Press, Don Mills.

Readings: Chapter 5 of Norton – Cultural Diffusion; Cultural Contact and Transfer

1) Critical review marking rubric;

2) Cultural diffusion – approaches;

3) Cultural contact and transfer;

4) Start watching: Dadaab, the documentary

5) Key concepts test handed back;

Critical Review Rubric

• 5 points: Explanation of the paper: i) what is the author aiming to communicate – what is the thesis statement?; ii) what are the main arguments?; i) how does this paper relate to the key concepts in the geography of culture and environment?; etc...

• 7 points: Critical component: i) is there a clear rationale to the paper - why or why not; ii) does the author give enough evidence to support the thesis – why or why not?; iii) does the argument(s) agree with one or more theories in geography – explain.

• 3 points: Formatting: i) appropriate title including author name(s) and title of the article that you are reviewing; ii) writing style/presentation/flow; iii) references

• Total 15 points (15% of your grade)

Hearth: a “heartland” where culture originates

Sourse: http://go.hrw.com/ndNSAPI.nd/gohrw_rls1/pKeywordResults?ST9%20Buddhism

1) The Nile River Valley

2) The Indus River Valley

3) The Wei-Huang Valley

4) The Ganges River Valley

5) Mesopotamia

6) Mesoamerica

7) West Africa

7 main hearts for all of humanity

3 Approaches to Understanding Cultural Diffusion

Looks mostly at the diffusion of innovations

1) Spread of Cultural Traits: ‘traditional approach’

Figure 5.3, Source: Norton 2005, pg. 162

e.g. spread of innovation from one neighborhood to another based on proximity

e.g. spread of innovation from one larger [urban] centers to smaller [rural] areas

e.g. gain in popularity of an innovation throughout time

3 Approaches to Understanding Cultural Diffusion

2) Spatial Analytic Approach: ‘uncovers empirical regularities in diffusion process’

3) Political Economy Approach: concerned with links between diffusion, culture and power

*a reaction to the dehumanization in the spatial analytic approach

Cultural contact and transfer (e.g. processes of colonization)

*temporal: happens over time

Source: Norton 2005, pg. 168

Figure 5.6: Human-and-Nature Relationship Through Time

Source: Henderson 1978 in Norton 2005, pg. 171

Figure 5.7: Haida Seasonal Cycle, 1774 and 1915

Source: Tough, 1996 in Norton 2005, pg. 173

Figure 5.8: Changes in the Aboriginal Economy of Northern Manitoba

Video: Dadaab, the documentary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVoaiQfOheY

Key concepts test – Example Ch.1

A ‘social construct’ refers to the fact that individuals are born into a society that already exists, and that the society impacts/shapes the individual’s perception and worldview. It has social, historical, and political aspects. The idea of ‘social constructs’ is critical in the geography of culture and environment because it recognizes that there are factors that shape how people view the world, acknowledging that there are many “truths”. An example of a social construct is the idea of identity, and that our identities area a reflection of our interactions with others and with society and are therefore fluid and ever-changing. ‘Culture’ is a term that has multiple interpretations from various disciplines. It can be described as: the values and abstract ideals held by a group, the norms they follow, and the outcomes/materials they create. Culture is a key component in this area of study, as it seeks to represent different cultures and their interactions with environment/nature. An example of culture is the perception of the healing powers of the buffalo sundance in the video viewed in class. The ‘social construct’ idea is very relevant to how we understand culture as a concept relating to place because it explores that culture is something that is ‘created’ by humans and societies (i.e. socially constructed), that it can therefore change and be expressed at different levels, and that cultures are different (not better or worse).

Key concepts test – Example Ch.2

Landscape school, as explained in the textbook, describes how landscapes are the result of human activities and change over time as human activities change. Environmental determinism however is essentially the opposite and is a concept that emphasizes the effect the environment has on human behaviour. Both concepts acknowledge a change in landscape but differ on the cause of the change.

Landscape school ex) A landscape in the prairies, such as an urban space may have been used for many diverse practices before becoming an urban space. Use of agricultural land may have stopped to become a place where farmers can sell produced goods at a market and continual societal advancement led to a drastic change in landscape.

Environmental determinism ex) Habitants of northern areas have adapted their survival skills over time to reflect the lived environment. Communities depend on nature to survive so as nature changes, societies must also make changes in order to survive.

These concepts relate to the geography of culture and environment by providing explanations on how societies and their environments interact.

Key concepts test – Example Ch.3

Spatial analysis really deals with observing the conditions around you without room for creativity and takes an economic approach to geography. In relation to Humanism, it deals a lot more with the ontology and epistemology of humans. The lived and experiential and symbolic experiences humans have while respecting the freedom and dignity of other people. A clear example of a humanistic approach in geography can be seen through the Black Hills project where the focus was clearly from the perspective of the Lakota on Pine Ridge. The Black Hills project took a phenomenological approach to geography where the descriptions of the Black Hills was from the people who lived there. From this perspective the author takes a humanistic approach of concern with the Lakota people so they can explain their culture from their point of view. In relation to spatial analysis this would be focused on statistics of the Black Hills area. For example, if we looked at the spatial area of the black hills we could see that 90% of the population are in poverty, but this would not be an accurate reflection of the people, their culture, or how they have come to be one of the highest poverty areas in the US. We can see that a lot of the times the outcomes of spatial analysis don’t describe the process of how they got to the conclusion and can create an unhumanistic bias in certain circumstance. This relates because these certain approaches in geography can cause misconceptions in a population and really not cover the whole truth of areas.

Session 13: Landscapes in transition October 17, 2013

Finish watching video: Dadaab, the documentaryhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVoaiQfOheY

Guest: Muuxi Adam or Abdi Ahmed – Refugees, conflict and cultural displacement

Reading: Chapter 5 of Norton – Shaping landscapes