Global Spectrum of Culture & Diversity (DP IB Geography)

Revision Note

Defining Culture

  • Culture describes a system of shared meaning

  • The culture of a place or a person is made up of lots of different parts, including traditions, language, foods, symbols, values, religion and leisure activities

  • Some cultures can be similar, while others can be very different

  • Culture is important to all human populations; it is what makes people who they are

Forms of Culture

  • Cultural traits are distinctive features shared within specific groups and include:

  • Cultural activities such as

    • Festivals: celebrations mark significant events or beliefs in a community

    • Rituals: births, marriages and deaths have particular customs linked with them across different cultures

    • Behaviours such as greeting other people, dining etiquette, etc.

    • Symbols and objects such as totem poles for Indigenous communities

    • Patterns and designs: Arabic calligraphy in Islamic art or Māori moko tattoos in New Zealand

  • Ethnicity involves cultural practices, views and distinctions

    • Major groups, such as African, Asian or European, have sub-groups

    • These sub-groups are further separated by language, regional practices, or even a shared history

  • Identity is complex and can include:

    • National identity involves shared symbols such as flags, anthems and history

    • Religious identity is a shared belief system that can shape lifestyles, moral values and worldviews

    • Ethnic identity reflects pride in being connected with a particular ethnic group

    • Subcultural identity has roots in larger cultures, based on shared interests or lifestyles such as hip-hop culture or the vegan community, etc.

Emerging Global Culture

  • The world is changing faster than ever before

  • Technologies such as the internet and satellite communications make the world more global and more interconnected

  • This has increased interactions between economies and cultures, changing everyday lives through cultural diversity or the hybridisation of cultures

  • This can occur through adoption

    • The host culture fully adopts the ‘foreign’ culture without modifying it

  • Or through adaptation

    • The host culture borrows parts of the 'foreign' culture and modifies it to fit the host society

  • Adoption and adaptation of cultures have led to the development of a 'global culture'

    • Apple products have become part of people's lives around the world

    • This cultural product is designed in the US, manufactured in China and sold across the globe

    • This globalising of American products is termed Americanisation

    • Westernisation, on the other hand, is the adoption of British, European and Canadian culture, etc.

  • Western culture still plays a significant role in shaping the global cultural landscape

  • However, other non-western cultures are also impacting the cultural landscape

    • For example, China's flagship phone, Huawei, and South Korea's Samsung are influencing the technological landscape

    • Japan's car manufacturer, Toyota, can be found in almost every country in the world

  • The world is becoming more of a single or global culture

    Examples of Global Culture

Characteristic

Example

Language

English has become a common language in almost every country in the world

Dressing/clothing

Many forms of clothing are becoming global, such as jeans being worn by all genders, etc.

Music

Music genres and individual songs are listened to in different parts of the world

Movies/television

Bollywood movies are making greater impacts on the movies industry worldwide

Sport

The English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, NBA, NFL in America, all have a global appeal and watched by millions world wide

Tourism

A form of cultural exchange that allows people to experience different cultures

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