Abstract In this paper, 3 countries in Southeast Asia (Laos, Myanmar and Thailand) are described from the perspective of culturalgeography. The role of Buddhism and ethnicity are evaluated in relation to these countries and the value of a culturalgeography is discussed as a tool for enabling an understanding of cultural differences and the relevance of geography to culture.
Abstract This paper selects two musical styles and explores their culturalgeography, while considering the extent to which they demonstrate diffusion, place creation/environment and resistance/expression. The styles discussed are American Rhythm-Blues of the 1950s (i.e. McKinley Morganfield "Muddy Waters" and Chester Burnett "The Wolf") and British Rocking-Blues of the 1960/70s (i.e. Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones). The geography of music is a fairly new phase of geography and music study, it has only been fully developed in the last 30 to 40 years. Much study has been done into culturalgeography's effect of global music and this paper concentrates on American music, which relies heavily on place creation, diffusion, environment and expression to create memorable music that remains viable and fresh for decades.
From the Paper "Developed from jazz, blues, and countless other forces, the first rock and roll songs are attributed to bands like Bill Haley and the Comets and Elvis Presley. Historian Barlow continues, "Hence, blues diffusions can be traced to African-American rhythm and blues, soul, and even rap musical styles. Moreover, they can be traced to the flowering of rock and roll, and then rock music, among white youth" (Barlow 61). As rock and roll music grew in popularity, it was simply natural that different cultures would develop their own forms of the music, and this is true with rock, which led to offshoots around the world, including British rockin' blues by bands such as Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones. Rock too is a form of social protest, and so, it defines a time and a place in culture and society, just as the blues defined an earlier era, and then helped create other defining musical styles."
Abstract This paper consists of six different essays on culturalgeography. Each essay deals with a different article with in the course book. This paper provides a summary, highlights the important quotes and assesses each article. The paper then reviews and discusses various questions relating to each article.
From the Paper "In this article the author argues that maps are much more than tools in geography and that they can be studied and viewed as socially constructed forms of knowledge. Maps of the past often reflect the balance of power in history and are always value-laden. The context of maps is to a great extend dictated by political, religious and social power and they have acted as weapons of imperialism and the nation state."
Abstract Geography, as a science, has two main branches--physical geography and human geography. This paper examines how, while physical geography deals with all aspects related to the environment, human geography handles much more sensitive issues, such as how the human being, as an individual and in a group, blends into the environment he lives in and how certain processes develop within such a group. It also looks at how more specifically, human geography is concerned with such aspects as political, economical, social or demographic geography, anything related to human activity and evolvement in a geographic context.
From the Paper "In terms of social geography as part of human geography, perhaps no other book exemplifies the traditional human relations and traditions still existing in Gabon, part of Western Africa, nowadays. If we consider Africa and Gabon, as an integrant part of the African continent, we may point out towards three separate historical periods that determine local cultural geography. These are pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial .
One of the characteristics of African culture, including Gabonese traditions, is the fact that while historically and temporarily, the countries of Africa belong to the 21st century, in many cases, the tribal traditions have persisted in many regions and these clearly belong to pre-colonial times."
Abstract This paper discusses the two major waves of economic geography, that is the epistemological wave and the hermeneutic of cultural wave. It also discusses incorporating artisanal production in theory forming in geography and why this is so important to research in geography.
From the Paper "Artisanal Production and Geography The relationship between art and science has always been a contentious one. In many causes art and artisanal production have been ignored by disciplines wishing to be more scientific. This situation is discussed by Trevor J. Barnes in Retheorizing Economic Geography. Barnes argues that there have been two major waves of economic geography. These are the epistemological and the hermeneutic or cultural wave. The epistemological wave was characterized by a strong reliance on science (Barnes 546). For this reason the social, cultural and artistic were usually not dealt with in economic geography during the first wave."
Abstract Japan is an island-chain nation located in Eastern Asia, between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula. The climate is varied from tropical in the south to cool temperate in the north and resembles that of Eastern North America. This paper discusses the physical and culturalgeography of this nation through four of the nine regions (or districts) that Japan is divided into: Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto, Chubu, Kinki, Chugoku, Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa. The paper also discusses the supply and demand factors (such as major attractions, transportation, infrastructure), and other attributes to the tourism world (issues and impacts, such as natural disasters).
From the Paper "These attractions are obviously not targeted to mass tourist activity. I would call them a combination of nature-based tourism, alternative and special interest tourism attractions, except for the Winter Olympics of course. The Olympics definitely had a positive impact on the region's market share - providing special interest activities to a mass of tourists will increase profit and open up new possibilities for the deferred demand without negatively impacting the region's character in the long run."
Abstract The book and the two articles chosen for review were selected as they represent critical "bookends" in the field of Canadian urban geography during the formative period in which immigration transformed physical and social landscapes of Canada's cities. As this review demonstrates, while Donald Kerr's and Jacob Spelt's "The Changing Face of Toronto: A Study in Urban Geography" explores the geography of Toronto as both a "natural" and a human construct, articles by Carlos Teixeira and Gilles Lavigne on how Portuguese immigration has shaped residential neighbourhoods in Montreal and Toronto focus on the human element in the shaping of space.
Abstract The focus of this paper is Carl Sauer's view of what constitutes the proper philosophy or perspective on education in geography, and also the main components it ought to have. The paper will also discuss the fact that Sauer was writing about fifty years ago and some of what he recommended (and experienced in his own education), has changed; some has remained the same.
Abstract This paper explores various issues in political geography: the world systems theory and the Vietnam War, the centripetal and centrifugal forces in Pakistan, Argentina's core areas, the Antarctic Treaty System, and Bamako, Mali.
Abstract This paper analyzes the city of Detroit, using Census Data from 2002. The writer notes that the social geography of Detroit shows a city that has experienced major shifts in employment and a city that was long tied to one major industry, an industry which has either moved elsewhere or that does not offer the same stability it once did. The writer points out that such changes have affected the way the city has developed physically and the balance between urban and suburban regions.
From the Paper "The social geography of Detroit shows a city that has experienced major shifts in employment and a city that was long tied to one major industry, an industry which has either moved elsewhere or that does not offer the same stability it once did. Such changes have affected the way the city has developed physically and the balance between urban and suburban regions. Theorists note that what is often called the Heartland shows a "nested hierarchy" of levels from metropolis to village, and the different transportation systems bind these levels together. The presence of the Great Lakes provides a gateway to overseas regions."
Abstract This paper is a book report on the book "Sacred Geography of the Ancient Greeks" by Jean Richer. The paper notes the way that the author examines astrological symbolism as found in art architecture and landscapes and presents what he finds in terms of the astrological theory accepted by the ancients and then in terms of the way they represented these ideas in their art and architecture. The paper discusses the many photographs and maps of the ancient world that the author makes use of.
From the Paper "Jean Richer is an academic with a firm grasp of aspects of the ancient world. He has written numerous books aspects of ancient art and the society that produced that art. In the book Sacred Geography of the Ancient Greeks, Richer examines astrological symbolism as found in art, architecture, and landscapes, presenting what he finds in terms of the astrological theory accepted by the ancients and then in terms of the way they represented these ideas in their art and architecture. He provides a detailed examination of the topic, many photographs of the works of art he discusses, maps of the ancient world showing alignments with various celestial and astrological features, and tables and charts that help the reader picture some of the relationships discussed. The book offers an interesting discussion of the topic in a well-written narrative."
Abstract The writer of this paper details the manner in which various values and cultural traditions can impact an individual's or group's beliefs, attitudes and actions with respect to their day-to-day existence. The writer contends and explains how cultural differences affect communication, interaction and actions amongst different people. In an environment where little cultural diversity exists, it is likely that cultural differences will have little or no impact on human relations. This paper also discusses the issue of cultural differences in the workplace. Cultural diversity can lead to conflict as well as collaboration within the workplace, depending on whether or not people are willing to embrace people that are culturally different. This paper examines the impact of cultural diversity in the classroom, where teachers are being asked to become more culturally literate so that they can better address the needs of all their students, rather than the few who fall into one or two categories. This paper also explores the issue of students with varying cultural backgrounds that have different perceptions of learning and communicating and the manner in which their needs are met.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Analysis of Cultural Traditions and Human Relations
Conclusions
References
From the Paper "Cultural differences even impact students in the classroom. More and more teachers are being asked to become more culturally literate so that they can better address the needs of all their students, rather than the few who fall into one or two categories. Students with varying cultural backgrounds have different perceptions of learning and communicating, thus may have a difficult time achieving in a classroom that does not recognize their cultural differences and methods of learning. For students to be successful in a culturally diverse environment, teachers must work to improve communications and the methods they use to teach, to ensure that they are addressing the needs of a diverse population. To understand how cultural differences impact human relations one must also understand what culture is."
A review of the articles "Theories of Culture" by Roger M. Keesing and "Marking Boundaries - Culture as Category Work" - Qualitative Inquiry by Anne Ryen and David Silverman.
Abstract This paper discusses articles by Roger M. Keesing and Anne Ryen and David Silverman on what culture is, and how we study it, and see what is different in one culture, as opposed to a different culture, or in a small aspect of culture. The paper explains that Keesing seems to be more inclined to see culture in dynamic ways, as always changing or developing, or that has to do with thinking processes, where Ryen and Silverman discuss culture in more material terms that can affect how people of different cultures understand each other. The paper also discusses how Keesing looks at cultures as structural systems so that the scholar will look at how a culture or a structure began and how it continues to influence human life. The writer believes that Ryen and Silverman seem more tied up in how an outsider looks at a culture, the dynamics of importance of what go on between human beings, as individuals, as opposed to the cultural system that Keesing tried to understand. The writer concludes that both articles manage to get across the care that must be taken when researching cultures that are not one's own, but the writer feels that Keesing's work is still not out-dated.
Outline:
Introduction
Theories of Culture The Human Factor
Last Remarks
From the Paper "A culture may adapt because new technology or kinds of organization have come along, or it may change so that a people survive, as in cultures that begin to conserve something so that they can survive in their environment. A desert people, for instance, may show a culture that is protective of water, does not waste water, or whose art shows themes of happiness as the coming of the rain, or safely getting to a place where water is available. Keesing then begins to look at ideational theories of culture that have to do with cognitive systems and how people decide what is special, appealing or what must be done, as all can influence culture. (1974:77f)."
Abstract The question, What is popular culture and how does it relate to Eastern and Western societies? is an apparently simple query that conceals a complex range of social cultural and economic aspects. This essay examines this question, beginning with a provisional definition of popular culture and an attempt to distinguish it from other cultural forms such as high culture and mass culture. The thesis is argued that popular culture is, in its fundamental elements, a commercial culture that is dependent to an extraordinary degree upon the mass media as a technological vehicle for its messages and products.
Abstract The paper states that it is not complicated to find some globalized places such as airline terminals, international hotels or CNN business news revealing the effects of globalization and its repercussions on our understanding of culture in the modern world. The paper relates that through the growing of global interconnections and the processes of ideas and global goods crossing national borders, cultures fuse across the globe. The paper also discusses the presence of English as an international language, and a homogenization of culture. The paper confirms that, culture is a set of values and practices characterized by its particularity, which nevertheless needs universal criteria as a reference to justify this particularity. It is also crucial to define culture as an "encompassing" concept and to keep in mind that it is difficult to know what is cultural.
From the Paper "In addition, a shared global culture is also relevant as a global dissemination of an American or Western culture. Indeed the processes of globalization are providing fuel for a cultural imperialism, that is to say a global culture liable to be a hegemonic culture. Thus the assertion of a shared global culture seems to be linked to what Friedman describes as "the increasing hegemony of particular central cultures, the diffusion of American values, consumers goods and lifestyles" (Friedman, 1994: 195). The diffusion of dominant standard icons and references such as MacDonald's, Coca-Cola leads to think about an obvious Americanization. In a word, cultures are both confronted by a global dominance of the western culture and by the practices of global capitalism. The result is probably a decrease of cultural differences: a process which undeniably worked to the advantage of the USA and others Western nations. A striking example of this tendency of cultural imperialism is the United Nations Educations Scientific and Cultural Organization's call for a "new world information and communication order" and its politics on global culture."
