Cultural Geography

Definition of Cultural Geography

  • Cultural geography involves the study of the spatial variations among cultural groups and the spatial functioning of society.
  • It closely examines the impacts of culture, such as religion, language, art, traditions, and societal norms, on geographical attributes, including landscape, human behaviour and economic activities.

Themes in Cultural Geography

  • Cultural Landscapes: Cultural geography closely examines the human impact on natural landscapes and how these landscapes are shaped by the societal norms, traditions and economic activities of the residing cultural groups.
  • Cultural Diffusion: This theme explains how cultural practices or traits spread from one region to another over time. It’s an important concept in understanding how cultural change occurs.
  • Cultural Interaction: Cultural geography analyses interactions among different cultures and how these influences shape societies and their landscapes.
  • Cultural Identity: The importance of culture in the formation of identity and how cultural identities influence behaviour, societal norms and geography.
  • Cultural Conflict and Cooperation: The study of how different cultures conflict or collaborate and the subsequent effects on geographical attributes.

Key Concepts in Cultural Geography

  • Place and Space: Within the realm of cultural geography, ‘place’ refers to an area to which people have added cultural meaning or value, whereas ‘space’ is an area that is undefined or without human attachments.
  • Region: A basic unit in geography characterised by certain uniform cultural or physical characteristics.
  • Scale: A fundamental concept in geography that helps understand different interactions and processes at different levels – from local to global.

Tools and Techniques in Cultural Geography

  • Field Studies: Cultural geographers use field studies to observe, analyse, and interpret cultural landscapes.
  • Cartography and GIS: These tools are used for mapping cultural landscape and spatial analysis, understanding the patterns and trends of cultural phenomena.
  • Statistical Analysis: Used for understanding trends, patterns and relationships among various cultural traits.
  • Qualitative and Quantitative Research: Both are critical in the study of cultural geography – the former deals with subjective data based on observations, interviews etc., while the latter focuses on objective, measurable data.

Cultural Geography Case Studies

  • Globalization and Culture: Examples of how globalization has impacted cultures and transformed geographical landscapes.
  • Migration and Cultural Change: Case studies about how migration influences cultural change, reshapes cultural identity, and modifies the geography.
  • Cultural Politics and Geopolitics: Understanding how cultural differences can lead to conflicts or cooperation, influencing political geography.

Impact of Cultural Geography

  • Cultural geography helps understand cultural diversity and the importance of coexistence in a globalised world.
  • It offers insights into economic development, planning strategies and policy making based on cultural understanding.
  • It provides understanding of contemporary issues like migration, ethnic/conflict, cultural imperialism and indigenous rights.

Remember, asking critical questions, drawing on different geographical theories and models, and being creative with case studies can greatly help in the understanding of cultural geography.