Culture Regions

Cultural geographers tend to use regions as..

-As a way to classify data (means to establish "order" on diverse cultural phenomena) -As a tool (Structures the study areas, and borders are needed to do research)

Examples of functional Culture Regions

-City or State -Police precinct -Church Parish -Trade Area -Family Farm -School District -Newspaper Circulation zone

Functional Culture Region

-Differentiated by what occurs within the region NOT by homogeneity of a physical or cultural characteristic -Arranged around a node or focal point -Can range in scale form a single home to the entire world -They may or may not show similarities of natural features

Subculture

-A cultural subgroup differentiated by status, ethnic background, resident, religion, or other factors that functionally unify the group and act collectively on each member -A set of people with behaviors and or beliefs that set them apart from the larger culture to which they belong

Formal Culture Region

-An area inhabited by people who have one or more cultural traits in common -Characterized by uniformity in cultural traits that unite a group, but also separate this group from another group

Common formal regions are based on

-Language -Religion -Ethnicity -Or a combination of these culture traits

Vernacular Culture Regions

-May have a "nickname" based on people's sense of belonging or regional self consciousness -Has an element of popular folk culture -Represented by the "mental or cognitive maps" of people in the region -May overlap with formal regions

Cultural Regions are formed when groups of people...

-Share some cultural traits in common -Live in close proximity to each other -Form a landscape that reflects their culture

Functional Culture Region Boundaries

-These boundaries are often political (state) borders -They don't always coincide with formal culture regions

Why are cultural geographers interested in vernacular regions?

-These regions are based on the spatial perceptions of the average person -Usually have a regional identity by bother those on the inside and those on the outside of the region and usually have meaning attached to them -Much of the data is collected from individuals because the regions are based on what people think about their regions

Main traditional culture hearths

1. Nile River Valley 2. Indus Valley 3. Wei-Huang Valley 4. Ganges Valley 5. Mesopotamia 6. Mesoamerica 7. West Africa 8. Andean Americas

2 ways to categorize culture regions

1. What it is (characteristics such as culture trait) 2. How it works (functions)

Cultural Hearth

A site of innovation from which basic ideas, materials, and technology diffuse to many cultures

Cognitive (Mental) Maps

Are subjective environments, based on everyday perceptions of the relative locations and attributes experienced by a person in his/her everyday spatial life

Nodes Definition

Areas where functions are coordinated and directed

Why are vernacular regions powerful

Because these regions are based on perception, vernacular regions are often the most powerful of the three types of regions

Cultural Region

Culture region is a grouping of like places or the functional union of places to forma a spatial unit

Vernacular vs. Formal Region

Differs from formal regions because it frequently doesn't display the cultural homogeneity that characterizes formal region

Vernacular vs. Functional Region

Differs from functional regions because it often lacks the organization and interaction necessary for functional regions

3 Types of Culture Regions

Formal, Functional, and Vernacular/Perceptual

Counterculture

If the subculture displays a systematic opposition to the dominant culture, and then it may be described as counterculture (i.e. the Amish, hippies, and gypsies)

Cultural Realms

Regions on a larger, more global scale

Difference between culture regions and culture realms

Scale

Where does Norton say Vernacular regions are strong and weaker

Stronger in the southeast than in the northeast

Culture regions are the outcome of....

human and natural relationships

A functional region is organized to function

politically, socially, and economically

Norton Definition of Functional Region

resulting from "Human connectedness rather than human relatedness"