Cultural Geogrophy Flashcards
(17 cards)
How does one’s identity relate to their location?
One’s identity is shaped by where they locate themselves among many other things. When we meet someone, where they are from shapes our response to them, because we take the connotations of the places they mention into account.
What does cultural geography focus on?
Cultural geography focuses on the context from which connotations to a place and a region arise. Places and spaces shape the beliefs and values of those who inhabit them.
How did Peter Jackson define cultural geography?
“cultural geography focuses on the way cultures are produced and reproduced through actual social practices that take place in historically contingent and geographically specific contexts.”
How can the meaning of a place differ among individuals?
The meaning of a place can differ from person to person and from generation to generation. For example, a church might be a location associated with communal support and carry a meaning about beliefs and values for a Christian, while for an atheist, it may be an architecturally interesting old building.
What approach did Raymond Williams promote in the study of culture?
Raymond Williams promoted an approach that included everyday and ordinary experiences. For him, the study of culture is the study of relationships in a whole way of life, including complexities revealed through patterns and social interactions.
What is Foucault’s view of spaces?
Foucault argued that spaces are not neutral and void; they are shaped by relationships, power dynamics, and cultural meanings, making them distinct, unique, and irreducible to one another.
What are heterotopias according to Foucault?
Heterotopias are specific types of social or cultural places constructed through discourse. Their meaning and function arise from how they are defined or understood within a particular society, and their interpretations can change over time.
What is the distinction between locales and locations?
Locales are the specific, concrete places where life activities occur, focusing on personal and immediate experiences. Locations refer to the broader social, economic, and structural forces that shape the characteristics and opportunities of those locales.
How are cultural values embedded in architecture?
Architectural styles reflect cultural values of their time. For example, 19th-century homes in Boston with Christian crosses reflected family-based capitalism and religious values, while sleek mid-20th-century office buildings signified corporate culture and modern secular society.
What does the supermarket example illustrate about changing cultural geographies?
The shift from local shops to supermarkets illustrates changes in interactions and cultural practices. Local shops foster communication and bonds between customers and sellers, while supermarkets represent different sets of interactions.
How does cultural geography interpret landscapes?
Cultural geography decodes meanings in landscapes to show how humans and the physical world interact. Landscapes are layered narratives full of historical and social meanings, reflecting cultural changes and economic forces over time.
How are cultural differences reflected in landscapes and economic inequalities?
Landscapes reflect social and economic differences, such as the contrast between Black neighborhoods and gated communities like Mason’s Island, highlighting economic inequality.
Cultural Landscape?
The visible imprint of human activity and culture on the physical environment.
Spatial Relationships?
How people, places, and environments are organized and interact across space.
Discourse?
Systems of communication that create and perpetuate meanings associated with spaces and places.
Cultural Diffusion?
The spread of cultural beliefs and practices from one region to another.
Agency and Structure?
The balance between individual actions (agency) and societal systems (structure) in shaping cultural geography.
