Global Cultures

Culture• The way of life of a

group of people who

share similar beliefs

and customs

• What languages people speak,

what religions they follow, etc.

• The history people have shared, art forms they created, how they govern their society

1) Language• how people communicate, and pass

on values & traditions

• is one of the strongest unifying forces for a culture

• language families - groups of languages with similar roots

1) Language• There may be different dialects within

the main language.– (dialects - the form of a language

spoken by people in a particular region or group. Pronunciation, vocabulary, and sentence structure are affected by dialect)

2) Religion• provides a sense of identity• influences daily life - morals, values,

holidays, festivals• shapes cultural expressions such as painting,

sculpture, architecture, music and dance• can be a source of conflict• 5 Major World Religions: Judaism,

Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism

3) Social Groups

3) Social Groups

Family Structures - In all cultures, the family is the most important group

3) Social Groups

• Social Classes - wealth, education, etc.

• Most cultures also group social classes - groups of people ranked according to ancestry, wealth, education, or other criteria

3) Social Groups

• Ethnic Groups

- a human population that shares a common culture or ancestry

- made up of people who share a common language, history, place of origin, or a combination of these elements

4) Government• is organized according to levels of

power• a type of authority• maintains the order within the

country• provides protection from outside

dangers• supplies other services to its

people

Culture Regions• an area in which people have many

shared culture traits.– Example: groups of countries with similar

characteristics - Mexico, Central & South America

• may include economic systems, type of government, social groups

• could also include religion, history, food, clothing, etc.

Cultural Change• No culture remains the same over

time new ideas and inventions create change (ex. clothing styles).

• History can expose culture groups to new ways of life – including new languages, resources, and technologies.

• New culture traits are added as older ones fade away.

• Acculturation - when an individual or group adopts some of the traits of another culture.

• Assimilation - when immigrant groups adopt all of the features of the main culture.

Cultural Change

• Change occurs through outside and inside influences such as:

1. trade2. war3. movement of people4. inventions5. new ideas6. lifestyles

Cultural Change

Cultural Diffusion

• when an idea or innovation (knowledge, skills, etc.) that spreads from one person or group and is adopted by another person or group

Partition to separate the Single Men side from the Family Side

Agricultural Revolution- the shift from gathering food (nomadic

herding) to producing food

• About 10,000 yrs ago, people were nomads who moved from place to place in search for food and grazing land

• Eventually the earth’s climate warmed and they settled in river valleys (permanent villages) and began farming

Agricultural Revolution

this shift from wondering to farming causes people to settle down in permanent homes/villages

this evolved into early civilizations (civilizations lead to Culture Hearths)

Culture Hearths

Culture HearthsEarly centers of civilization whose ideas and

practices spread to surrounding areas- all located in mild climates, with fertile land near a water source for irrigation

• Middle America• Mesopotamia – modern Iraq and Syria• Nile Valley - Egypt• Indus Valley – Pakistan, most of Afghanistan,

SE Iran, NW India• Yellow River Valley – N. China along the

Yellow River

5) Economics• use of natural resources to meet human needs

• how to produce, obtain, use, and sell goods & services

• Because the Agricultural Revolution created a surplus of food, people were forced to change what they did for a living

– new technology & economic activities (metalworking, shipbuilding, etc.) led to trade

– increased wealth led to rise of cities leads to migration urbanization

MigrationThe movement of people from place to place

1. Push-pull factors–Push Factors - cause people to leave a

location (Centrifugal)–Pull Factors - attract people to a new

location (Centripetal) –Most migrate for economic reasons:

• no job = push• higher pay = pull

2. political - escaping a Communist country

3. social - education, family in another country

4. economical - better jobs, better life

5. environmental/physical geography - climate, environmental hazards

Migration

6. refugees - people who are forced to leave their country because of war, – food shortages, or other problems

(ex. Darfur)

7. forced migration – ex. African slave trade

Migration

8.Urbanization - growth of city populations brought about by migration and the changes that come with the increase in population.

- leaving the farm for better life or job in a city

- ½ of the world’s people live in cities

Migration

Industrial Revolution

• 1700s & 1800s: new production methods change the way goods can be produced

changes a

country’s economyleads to social

change

Industrial Revolution

• People left farms to work in the cities in factories

• Cities grew larger urbanization

Information Revolution• End of 1900s: computers make it

possible to store information and send it all over the world in an instant

The Information Revolution - links (connects) the cultures of the world more closely than ever before. Leads to Social Change