Chapter 2: Many Worlds: Geographies of Cultural Difference

Agroforestry

Farming systems that combine the growing of trees with the cultivation of agricultural crops.

Colonialism

Forceful appropriation of a territory by a distant state, often involving the displacement of indigenous populations to make way for colonial settlers.

Subcultures

Groups of people with norms, values and material practices that differentiate them from the dominant culture to which they belong.

Folk Architecture

Traditional, conservative and functional structures.

Nonmaterial Culture

Wide range of beliefs, values, myths and symbolic meanings that are transmitted across generations of a give society.

Indigenous Culture

"Native" or "of native origin".

Material Culture

All object or "things" made and used by members of a cultural group.

Local Consumption Culture

Consumption practices and preferences in food, clothing, music and so on formed in specific places and historical movements.

Convergence Hypothesis

Cultures are converging or becoming more alike.

Indigenous Technical Knowledge

Describes detailed local knowledge about the environment and land use that is part of many indigenous cultures.

Leisure Landscapes

Designed to entertain people on weekends and vacations.

Popular Culture

Dynamic culture based in large, heterogeneous societies permitting considerable individualism, innovation and change; having a money-based economy, division of labor into professions, secular institutions of control and weak interpersonal ties; producing and consuming machine made goods.

Consumer Nationalism

Local customers avoid imported products and favor locally produced alternatives.

Subsistence Economies

Oriented primarily toward production for local consumption, rather than the production of commodities for sale on the market.

Vernacular Culture Region

Region perceived to exist by its inhabitants; based in the collective spatial perception of the population at large; bearing a generally accepted nickname or name.

Amenity Landscapes

Regions with attractive natural features such as forests, scenic mountains or lakes and rivers that have become locations for retirement or vacation homes.

Folk

Rural people who live in an old fashioned way.

Folk Culture

Small, cohesive, stable, isolated, nearly self-sufficient group that is homogeneous in custom and race; characterized by a strong family of clan structure, order maintained through sanctions based in the religion or family, little division of labor other than that between the sexes, frequent and strong interpersonal relationships, and a material culture consisting mainly of handmade goods.

Placelessness

Spatial standardization that diminishes regional variety and demeans the human spirit.

Folk Geography

Study of the spatial patterns and ecology of these traditional groups.