The World of Cultural Diversity

6GEO4 Unit 4 The World of Cultural Diversity

CONTENTS
1. Defining culture and identifying its value
2. How and why does culture vary spatially?
3. The impact of globalisation on cultural diversity
4. Cultural attitudes to the environment

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 1. Defining culture and identifying its value
• Culture means a set of
values, traditions and
beliefs that are shared
by a group of people
• People from the same
culture are likely to
share a set of ‘norms’ or
ways of behaving
• These norms may seem
different, strange,
amusing or even alien to
people from other
cultures.
 The meaning of ‘culture’
• The word culture has Latin roots,
meaning to cultivate (cultura)
• In the past, ‘culture’ was often
used in the sense of improvement
and progress.
• The word can also be used to
mean ‘high art’ such as ballet,
opera or sculpture (implying that
there is ‘low art’).
• In geography the word is used to The Guggenheim art gallery in New
refer to groups of people who York. A visit here might define you
share similar values as ‘cultured’. The gallery itself
displays works from many different
• These groups often have cultures around the world
interesting and distinct
geographies.
Cultural landscapes
• Much of culture is in the
mind i.e. beliefs
• Cultural beliefs also
produce symbols which
posses meaning, as well as
objects (artefacts)
• Entire landscapes are the
product of cultures – both
urban and rural.
• People from a culture can
‘read’ symbols, objects
and landscapes in ways in
which others cannot.
 Contrasting cultural landscapes

A traditional rural landscape in the UK. It has An modern urban technoscape of skyscrapers
evolved over 1000s of years, and is now and money in New York; almost a machine for
protected as a National Park. conducting business.

An ethnoscape. Is this Asia or New York? An iconic natural landscape (The Grand
Immigrant groups have produced a hybrid Canyon), with meaning to both modern and
urban landscape mixing Asia and North native Americans.
America (plus many tourists)
 Vulnerable cultures and
landscapes
• A range of threats, some
subtle others more
immediate, affect cultures
and their landscapes
• Tourism has been blamed
for gradually undermining
cultures
• Technological change,
especially in farming, has
radically altered
traditional rural landscapes
• Conflict and warfare
frequently destroy cultural
sites and may even
deliberately seek to
destroy cultures
Tourism Socio-economic Political
change pressures
Cultural dilution and Loss of traditional Forced ‘conversion’
westernisation; loss on farming skills as of indigenous peoples
own language machines take over to colonists way of
life
Loss of traditional ‘Industrialisation’ of the Destruction of key
skills, crafts and landscape for modern cultural monuments
traditions farming methods are part of
colonisation
Putting on ‘shows’ for Rural urban migration to Imposition of ‘alien’
visitors dilutes towns undermines the language and
traditional music and demographic stability of education e.g. in
dance rural areas Tibet
Landscape damage Invasion of areas by Genocide of one
(erosion, damage to counter-urbanisers cultural or ethnic
heritage sites) and leading to social changes group as part of
landuse changes (new conquest
hotels, villas, roads).
 Valuing culture and cultures

Wupatki Pueblo in Arizona To the Hopi Indians, Wupatki Pueblo is

a spiritual place, still home to the spirits
of their ancestors.
To the tourist, the Peublo is an
interesting self-guided tour around an
historic site.
To scientists and archaeologists the
Peublo’s remains are a window on the
past.

• This example shows how different players have different concepts of value
in relation to a cultural site.
• At a broader scale, cultural diversity is valued by some but not by others.
• Cultural mixing and diversity might be perceived as a threat to ones own
culture, or an opportunity to learn from and experience other cultures.
 2. How and why does culture vary spatially?
• Some countries and regions
are culturally homogenous,
such as Japan (see pie chart)
• Others are much more mixed
• Physical isolation may help
explain this, but policies and
traditions are important
• Culturally mixed places often
have a history of trade
(Netherlands, Singapore) and
contact with other groups.
• Migration explains Canada’s
cultural mixing; many
European countries
(Netherlands) have received
people from former colonies
in recent decades.
 The Irish diaspora
• People of Irish descent are spread worldwide.
• Mass emigration to escape poverty and conflict began in the 19th
Century
• By some definitions there are over 80 million people with Irish
ancestry outside Ireland (population 7 million in 2009).
• Most of the world’s major cities have an ‘Irish Pub’ including
Bangkok, Shanghai and Rio.
 Cities: cultural mixing pots
• The most culturally diverse
places tend to be cities http://www.londonprofiler.org/
• Cities have numerous pull factors For some interesting maps of
multicultural London.
which attract migrants such as
variety of jobs, low cost housing
and good transport links.
• Migrants are most likely to meet
people from their own culture in
big cities
• Often they form cultural
enclaves (or ghettoes) with a
concentration of a particular
ethnic, religious or national
group.
• Cities may be very diverse, but
often different cultural groups Ellis Island was the arrival point for
1000s of migrants to the USA.
live and work in distinct locations
within cities
 Attitudes to diversity
• Diversity, and other cultures, are not universally valued
• Often cultures different to one’s own are viewed as a threat, especially when linked to
immigration and the arrival of ‘new’ people.

Positive aspects of diversity Negative aspects of diversity

The host society gains access to new types of Immigration of other cultures may increase
food, art and entertainment population and pressure on services
Immigrant cultural groups are often young, which Cultural enclaves may be viewed with suspicion,
may boost population and entrepreneurship as they seem separate and unknown

Global links may increase, which may increase New cultures might be seen as eroding or
trade and exchange changing traditional cultural values
The host society is viewed as tolerant and open to Certain cultures become linked to cultural
new ideas and change stereotypes e.g. Islamic extremism, even when
there is no evidence to support this
Greater understanding of a range of cultures There may be real barriers to mutual
reduces tension and the potential for conflict understanding such as language and ways of
behaving
 Attitudes to diversity
• Globally, the UN has adopted
the Universal Declaration of
Cultural Diversity
• UNESCO World Heritage Sites
recognise the importance of
cultural landscapes
• In the UK, cultural diversity is
part of the National Curriculum
• The rights of cultures are not
respected everywhere however
• In Tibet, Tibetan’s claim their culture
is subject to Chinese ‘colonisation’
• Even today, many conflicts have a
cultural side, with people of difficult
religions, traditions and ethnicities at
war.
• This peaceful Buddha in
Viharamahadevi Park, Colombo, Sri
Lanka is in sharp contrast to the civil
war which raged there between the
Hindu Tamils and the majority
Buddist Sinhalese between 1976 and
2009
 Cultural groups
• There are often complex relationships
between cultural groups
• Some cultural groups remain
deliberately separate from wider
society e.g. the Amish in the USA
• Other groups gradually merge and
mingle with the dominant culture; this
may produce hybrid cultures
• Cultural groups who are recent
migrants may, initially, make
tentative links with the host society as
they strive to overcome language and
other barriers
• Counter-cultures emerge due to
dissatisfaction with the dominant
culture e.g. Punk culture in the 70s
• In some cases the dominant culture may
force another culture to conform by
assimilation, sometimes forced
(cultural imperialism).
 3. Impact of globalisation on cultural diversity
• Globalisation is the process creating
increasing connectedness and ‘shrinking’
the world through trade, travel and
communication.
• Some people identify a trend towards
‘cultural globalisation’ i.e. an increasingly
homogenous global culture.
• Concern has been expressed over the rise
of a ‘global’ culture at the expense of local
cultures, but there are differing views:

Taking over the world, 24 hours a day?

Hyperglobalisers Transformationalists Sceptics

Globalisation is unstoppable, Globalisation is a powerful, but Globalisation is over-rated;
nations and cultures are much changing, force which creates regional identify more
less powerful than it is, and multiculturalism rather than important than global.
cannot resist it. destroying cultures.
 Cultural imperialism?

• Is the spread of global trade,

its brands (Nike, Coke,
Disney, Ford) and western
Westernisation
culture simply a side-effect McDonaldisation
of globalisation or is it more Cocacolonisation
sinister?
• Anti-globalisation Cultural imperialism
movements often portray the
spread of ‘western’ culture
Americanisation
as a deliberate attempt to
impose this culture on the
Disneyfication
rest of the world. Cultural hegemony
• It is important to consider to
what extent cultural
imperialism exists and is a
threat.
 The global media
• Global media corporations occupy a uniquely powerful position
• They can spread their message globally, instantly, to millions of
people.
• Only in the last 60 years have the technologies shown (right)
become commonplace.
• There are concerns that the global media is dominated by
‘western’ companies:
Disney News Viacom Time Warner Bertelsmann
Corporation (USA)
(USA) (USA) (USA) (Germany)
$47 billion $32 billion $14 billion $47 billion $16 billion
revenue 2008 revenue 2009 revenue 2008 revenue 2008 revenue 2009
ABC HarperCollins Paramount AOL RTL Group
ESPN The Sun MTV Warner Bros Random House
Disney Resorts The Times Nickelodeon CNN Gruner+Jahr
Pixar Fox Comedy Central Cartoon
BSkyB Network
 Globalised cultures
• Cultural globalisation might be expected to affect a range of different
aspect of local cultures such as:
• Diet – a higher fat, higher protein, higher sugar i.e. a more ‘western’
die
• Language – erosion of highly localised languages in favour of national
or even global ones i.e. English (see map)
• Religion and community – traditions being replaced by globalised
media as a source of news, information and entertainment
• Costume – traditional forms replaced by ‘jeans, trainers and t-shirt’
 Cultural hybridisation
• On a more positive note,
there is evidence that
cultural globalisation is not
‘one way traffic’
• Bollywood films, made in
Mumbai (Bombay), have
transferred into ‘western’
cultural consciousness.
• Even McDonalds, one of the
princes of corporate global
capitalism, adapts its
products to local markets
(often referred to as
‘glocalisation’).
• Asian and Chinese
immigrants do not loose
their identity, they blend it
with their new surroundings Chinatown in San Francisco, a
to produce new hybrid hybrid culture
cultures.
 Changing cultural landscapes
• There are question marks over how far cultural change will
damage traditional ways of life and landscapes:

• In Dubai, traditional
buildings have been
swept away in favour
of westernised, modern
alternatives.
• Religion remains
relatively untouched,
but for how long?
 4. Cultural attitudes to the environment
Culture Most people Attitudes to environment:
• Concern for the
and live:
natural environment,
society:
and the landscapes it
contains, varies
Pre-industrial On the land, as Resource use for personal
around the world farmers and consumption close relationship
• Traditional cultures – hunter gatherers with living things; natural world
ascribed a religious significance.
hunter gatherers,
farmers – tend to
Industrial In cities, Resources used to make profits;
have a close and working in exploitative relationship with
sometimes reverential factories and environment ; may be viewed as a
relationship to the offices pollution sink.
environment
Post-industrial In cities, but Wealth and leisure time, and a
• Modernisation and counter- tertiary economy, lead to
industrialisation tend urbanisation increased conservation to aid use
increase rural of environment for pleasure,
to ‘divorce’ cultures
population leisure and recreation.
from direct contact
with the environment
 Exploiting or protecting?
• There is a complex relationship between human exploitation and
conservation, and the question of whether humans are acting sustainability
can be difficult to answer.

In Pompeii, tourists are in awe of

the ancient Roman ruins, but may
be contributing to their long-term
degradation

Quarrying is a scar on the

landscape of Majorca, but stone
could be viewed as much more
ecologically sound than concrete.

Yosemite is a protected National

Park, but it is open to visitors –
Some 3.5 million visit every year.
In Kielder Forest, felled trees are
replanted and therefore sustainable,
but most trees in this man-made forest
are not native to the UK and the forest
has low biodiversity.
 What do we mean by
‘sustainable’?
• People’s understanding of sustainability varies.
• Originally the term was linked closely to the
idea of development (see quote)
• Today the term tends to be more linked with
the idea of ‘environmental sustainability’ –
often focussing on the green agenda.
• Different players may have quite different
understandings of ‘sustainability’.
 Our consumer culture
• Many environmentalists and
scientists argue that ‘western’
levels of consumption cannot be
sustained.

• Modern humans see themselves

as ‘at the top of the food
chain’ due to their ability to
exploit the environment for
products and pleasure.

• This ‘humans first’ or

anthropocentric view of the
planet is what has led to global
environmental problems such as
global warming, deforestation,
soil degradation and water
shortages.
 Squaring the circle
• There is a conflict between the
desire to develop and the desire
to respect and protect cultures,
their landscapes and the wider
environment.
• Can this be resolved?
• Beginning in the 1970s the Green
Movement (initially a counter-
culture, but now ‘mainstream’)
formulated an alternative model
(see diagram) for politics and
economics
• Green movement ideas have
gradually been adopted
worldwide, but many green
politicians argue much more
needs to be done.