Cultural Change

Culture Regions

• Includes diff. countries that share common traits like…?

– Economic systems – Forms of govn’t.

– Social groups – History – Religion

Cultural Change

• New ideas, lifestyles, and inventions  Δ w/in cultures (internal Δs) • Δ also comes from external influences – Trade, migration, war

This is called cultural/spatial diffusion

Cultural Change

• •

Cultural Divergence

– Occurs when diff. cultural influences cause an area to divide into separate parts • Eastern vs. Western Roman Empires • Ancient India  India & Pakistan

Cultural Convergence

– Occurs when diff. cultures x∆ ideas and become more similar – More common now with globalization

1) Agricultural/Neolithic Revolution

• Earliest humans were nomads= hunters and gatherers (no fixed home) • Then they settled in river valleys and plains  began farming & had permanent home • This shift then spread throughout the world’s regions

2) Civilizations

• By 3500 B.C., the farming villages then shifted into

civilizations…

– Highly organized – City-based – Advanced farming, trade, govn’t, art & science innovations • But how did this way of life spread?...

Culture Hearths

• Early centers of civilization • Ideas & practices spread out from these first as nomads passed thru • Where were the most influential culture hearths?

Culture Hearths

• What did those 5 places have in common?

– Fertile land from river valleys/water sources – Made canals/ditches to irrigate land Allowed ppl to grow

surplus

crops…

3) Specialization

• Surplus food allowed fewer ppl to farm  develop new jobs – Metalworking & shipbuilding  more trade • More trade led to more cities • Now need complex govn’t – Coordinate harvests, plan projects, manage army • Able to create writing systems  share info.

Cultural Contacts

• Civilizations affect each other when permanent migration occurs – Why do ppl migrate?

• By CHOICE- for better education, jobs, more $ • By RELUCTANCE- harsh govn’t, wars, persecution, famines • By FORCE- slavery, exiled – Practices & ideas then blend with one another

4) Industrial Revolution

• In 1700s, after centuries of cultural diffusion, countries began to industrialize – Used power-driven machines & factories  economy boost • Faster and cheaper production • Less labor (cost) – Ppl moved from farms to cities (term?)

5) Information Revolution

• At the end of 1900s: computers brought a turning point – Able to store huge amts. of info and share it all over world instantly  this links the cultures even more closely & quickly