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Cultural Geography
Culture
– Culture: shared set of meanings that are lived through the material and symbolic practices of everyday life
• 3 elements: that we have invented and passed on to subsequent generations
– Ideas:» Language, music, belief systems, and moral and gender codes
– Materials» Living and inert items that humans use: clothing, houses, office buildings,
factories, domesticated plants and animals etc.
– Institutions– Formal and informal associations that help us get along together
» Formal: religious organizations, governments, corporations, NGO’s» Informal: family, community and society
Culture
• Cultural traits:– A single aspect of the routine
practices of a particular cultural group
• e.g., Sikhs can be identified by their
– turbans, beards, or steel bracelets on their right wrists
– May not be unique to one group• Prohibition on eating pork is
shared by Muslims and Jews
– Combination of traits is a cultural complex
Culture and cultural groups
• Culture – easily defined broadly but
difficult to tie down
• Cultural Group– People with shared
• identity, beliefs, a way of life, and often same territory
– Still difficult e.g.,• Sikh farmer in the Punjab• Sikh lawyer in London• How much truly in common?
Cultural Regions/Landscape
– The direct and indirect expression of culture on the landscape forms the CULTURAL LANDSCAPE
• Seen in agricultural patterns, settlement patterns, architectural form and various other changes that we have made to the natural environment
Religion
4 major religions
Islam
• Islam– Emerges 7th century
• Rapidly spreads (and unifies the Arabian Pensinula)• Continues to spread beyond Saudi Arabia • Iran (Persia)• North Africa• Spain• Eastern Europe• Pakistan• South East Asia
– ~One billion (1/6 of world population) adherents
Islam
Islam
– Islam=“Submission” to the will of Allah
» Allah is the Arabic word for God.
– Muslim=“one who submits”
– Archangel Gabriel reveals the principles of the religion to the Prophet Muhammad
Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Islam
• Muslim belief– Allah begins to reveal himself
• To Adam, Abraham, Moses & others (Old Testament) • Jesus, John the Baptist (New Testament)• Muhammad (ultimate revelation)
– Muslims see a direct linkage between the peoples of the holy book (Bible) and Islam
– But Islam is the correct religion because• Ultimate revelation
Islam
• 3 theological “foundations”
– Qur’an: revelations from Archangel Gabriel to Muhammad i.e., words of God
– Hadith: Muhammad’s words– 9th century: Scholars codify into six recognized collections of tradition
– Accounts of Muhammad’s deeds
• Sunna: ‘the beaten path’ or custom of Islam
Islam
• 5 central principles
– Belief in Allah• As the only God and
Muhammad as his prophet
– Daily prayer• Dawn, noon, mid-afternoon,
sunset, evening– Public calls to prayer from
the Mosque
Islam
– Fasting (Ramadan)• Fast from sunrise to sunset
for one month each year– No food or water
• Purpose: Purification and family/community
• Iftar: Breaking the fast
• Exceptions: for sick, traveling –may substitute days
North Africa and Southwest Asia
– Charity (Zakat)• At least 2.5% of wealth to be
given to the ppor– Progressive –higher % if
wealthy– Based on the recognition of
the injustice of economic inequity
– Pilgrimage (Hajj) • Mecca -- birth place of
Muhammad• Medina – site of Muhammad’s
Mosque and burial place
– Note: Jerusalem also holy to Muslims
• Where Muhammad ascended into Heaven
North Africa and Southwest Asia
• Shar’ia– Islamic religious law
• Guides life according to the Qur’an– Some Muslims believe no other law is necessary
• Islam does not recognize a separation of religion and the state– Some Islamic countries are Theocratic (Government controlled by religious
authority) States» e.g., Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Iran
– Other Islamic countries are secular» e.g., Egypt, Morocco, Iraq, Turkey, Tunisia
• Great diversity of practices and observation in Islamic Countries
North Africa and Southwest Asia
• Two major groups of Muslims• Division goes back to death of Muhammad in 632 and who should be the
successor
– Sunni (~90%)– Clerics choose who succeeds Muhammad
– Shia (Shi’ite) (10%)– Blood relative to succeed – Ali, Muhammad’s son in law
– Geography of: see next slide.
– Conflict and cooperation, • Intermarriage, mixed tribal groups, mixed regions
Shia: Iran, southern Iraq and southern Lebanon. Smaller Shiite communities in Saudi Arabia and Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India as well.
Geography of Shia and Sunni
Islam
• Islamic Fundamentalism– Object to Western Culture:
– Liberalization of women’s roles– Globalization of western culture– Open sexuality, consumerism, hedonism, economic inequality
– undermining important Islamic values • Family, community
– Seek reaffirmation of traditional values
Islam
• Most Muslims share this view: (3 groups)– Moderates:
• Some contradictions here also– Elements of western culture also “consumed” in Islamic countries—especially
by moderate Muslims
– Fundamentalists: • strict interpretation of Qur’an
– Simple, prayerful life– Focus on family, community – Traditional gender roles and respect for elderly
• Insolate themselves from the West
Islam
• Islamists:– Violent revolution against
• All powerful and insensitive West
– Islamists • Greatest threat to the stability of the Middle East?
– Only country overthrown by Islamists was (arguably) Iran– But significant presence in a number of countries (e.g., Egypt, Algeria, Iraq,
Afghanistan– Were traditionally “nationally focused”
• Metastized into global movement with Al-Qaida and arguably Iraq.
Islamism and conflict
• Complex issues– Not all Islamic “terrorists” are Islamists
– Terrorist versus Freedom Fighter• Who chooses the label?
– State sponsored terrorism?• Terror as tactic
Islam
• Attractiveness of Islamist philosophy for violent overthrow
• Economic and Political Injustice in these countries
• Recruits: » young urban men from poor neighborhoods» descendents of displaced farmers and nomads» Refugees from various conflicts
– Living in crowded, polluted, chaotic conditions in largest cities» Don’t believe in their governments» See their governments being helped by the U.S.
Islam
• Attractiveness of Islamist philosophy for violent overthrow• Economic and Political Injustice in these countries• Leaders
» Educated» Disenfranchised politically/economically » unless they go along with the system» Frustrated with inability to fix the system
Islamism --Philosophy
• Poor conditions in Arab world because• Governments have moved away from Islam • Governments have become secular• West hates Islam• You have moved away from Islam
• Return to Islam• Return to the “Glory Days” when Islam was a major influence in Global
Affairs• Corruption will disappear• Life will be good• You will be respected
• Need to destroy the West because the West doesn’t want this to happen
Hinduism
– Hinduism• a way of life• a religious belief• 900m adherents
– 800m in India
– Broad range of beliefs• Little tradition
– Rooted in one region and linked to localized folk traditions
• Great Tradition– Classic central beliefs
Hinduism
• Great Traditions based on combination of:– Harappa people
• Original inhabitants• ~ 4,500bc
– Arya• ~ 1,500 B.C.
– 1st invaders
– Texts written in ancient sanskrit
• Most Hindu’s worship a number of gods and goddesses– But some difference between
– Shiva • Creator and destroyer of
universe
– Vishnu• Preserver of universe
Ganesha
God of Knowledge• Hindu concepts of Divinity– Somewhat flexible
• “all gods are merely illusory manifestations of the ultimate divinity which is formless and infinite”
• Some very devout Hindus don’t worship any gods for this reason
• 4 central tenets– Belief in reincarnation
• If you desire the illusionary pleasures (and pains) of life you will be reborn after you die
– Inevitability of a hierarchical life and afterlife
– Rigid social structure defined through the caste system
Hinduism
– Goodness of holy men and their rejection of material things
– All creatures are ranked with human on the top
– One’s condition in life (plant animal, human) is determined by Karma
• Deeds done in previous lives •Ultimate goal • Liberation from the cycle of rebirth and re-death•achieve salvation and eternal peace through union with the Brahman, the universal soul
Caste
• Humans are divided into Castes:– System for dividing society into hereditary hierarchal classes
• One is born into a given subcaste (jati) and that largely defines one’s experience for life
– Where you will live– Where and with whom you can eat and drink– With whom you will socialize– Who you marry– Type of job
• If one conforms to the prescribed social and ritual duties and observes the rules of conduct for the assigned caste
– Better chance of promotion to a higher caste in the next life
• A caste– Represents a group of Jati’s tied together by a set of associated
characteristics
– Jati’s • Often linked to particular places
– Eg., village, neighborhood (often with a particular language or dialect)– Segregated
» “Higher caste” Jati’s will not be ritually polluted by sharing water or food.
• Castes– Brahmins
• Priestly caste ; most privileged in rituals
• Must conform to “ritually purer practices (e.g., strict vegetarianism)
– Kshatriyas• Warriors and rulers
• Vaishyas– landowning farmers and
merchants
• Sudras– Low status laborers and
artisans
• Harijans (Dalits)– Untouchables (technically
considered so low as to not be a caste)
– Do the “dirty work”; killing animals, tanning hides, sweeping and cleaning
Caste
• Caste is different from class– Ie., class differences within caste groups
• Just because you are lower caste doesn’t mean you are poor– Often is the case, however
– Caste: banned from 1947 constitution• Affirmative action programs
– Increase participation of lower castes in higher education– Places set aside in parliament for lower castes
• Slowing declining as a force in society– Especially in cities were people can separate from their ancestral Jati
• Bustees– Slum (immigrant) neighborhoods in Cities that have strong Jati identity
Buddhism
• Founded in 6th century BC in part as a rejection of Hinduism– Siddhartha Gautama
• the Buddha (enlightened one)
• A moral philosophy – offers an explanation for
evil and human suffering – Rather than a formal
religion
Buddhism
• 4 noble truths– Existence involves suffering
– Suffering is the result of desire
– Pain ceases when desire is destroyed
– The destruction of desire comes through knowledge of correct behavior and thoughts
Borobudur, Indonesia largest Buddhist Monument in the World
Buddhism
– Also maintains the concept of Karma
• Ultimate goal:– Nirvana
• a condition of perfect enlightenment and the cessation of successive rebirths
– Buddhist missionaries instructed to carry his message but open to all castes, creeds, and peoples