1. Session 14: Understanding cultural regions
October 22, 2013
1) Feedback on the guest speakers & discussion
about purpose; talk about the strike
2) What are cultural regions;
3) Forming cultural regions;
4) UNESCO Cultural World Heritage – Knowledge
sharing for next class
5) TPAC Elder protocol for field trip next week
Readings: Chapter 6 of Norton – What Are Cultural Regions;
Forming Cultural Regions
Norton, W. (2005). Cultural Geography: Environments, Landscapes, Identities, and
Inequalities. Oxford University Press, Don Mills.
Fishing village
festival, Japan

2. What are cultural regions
Delimiting of cultural regions – not primary goal of cultural
geography, but an outcome related to interest in landscape
In Anthropology – used to establish ‘order’ over cultural
phenomena
Cultural area – a part of the world where inhabitants tend to
share most of the elements of culture, such as related
languages, similar ecological conditions, economic systems, etc.

3. What are cultural regions
Cultural regions described as:
- Landscape
- Region
- Area
- Place
Classification – 2 main approaches:
1) Classify according to a set of criteria, draw boundaries
around regions
2) Treat all possible locations as a single set  then draw
boundaries between smaller groups by means of
some
kind of criteria
*most common

4. What are cultural regions
4 Difficulties:
1) Regions are continuously evolving (makes it hard to
delimit)
2) The question of scale
3) The precision of locations and boundaries
4) On what basis are regions delimited?
**Spaces are under constant negotiation: lined drawn can be
very problematic and a source of conflict

5. What are cultural regions
3 Types of regions:
1) Formal region: uniformity of traits
2) Functional region: ranges in scale, is based on human
connectedness
3) Vernacular region: locally perceived regional identity
and name
- more about perceived sense of identity than visible
sense of identity

6. Forming cultural regions
Core: same as a hearth, origin
Domain: area over which the
culture became dominant
Sphere: area that belongs only
partly to the cultural region (has
other influences from other
regions)
Figure 6.1 (Source: Norton, 2005):
Mormons in the USA.

7. Forming cultural regions
First effective settlement: “Whenever an empty territory
undergoes settlement, or an earlier population is dislodged by
invaders, the specific characteristics or the first group able to
effect a variable, self perpetuating society are of crucial
significance for the later social and cultural geography of the
area, no matter how tiny the initial band of settlers may have
been” (Zelinsky 1973:13)
Terra nulius: - the notion that a land is devoid of human
existence upon contact/settlement
- legally declared by nations over other lands
e.g. Australia

8. Conflict and the transformation of borders on the map
Abkebab's Map of Europe 1000 AD to present with timeline
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=14d_1348362692

9. Forming cultural regions
3 processes responsible for creation of regions spreading from
colonial hearths (US and other regions apply):
1) duplication of traits
2) deviation from the traits evident in the hearths
3) fusion of traits from two or more hearths

10. Ojibway Jingle Dress
Healing dances and at
powwows
Jingles historically made with
snuff can lids
www.captureminnesota.com

11. Inuit carving
Existed pre-contact with
Europeans, but changed
significantly with trading &
the demand for different
kinds of goods
www.trussel.com

12. Forming cultural regions
Cultural islands: ‘areas that are occupied by ethnic groups and
that exhibit some landscape features that reflect these
occupying ethnic groups’ (Norton 2005, p. 217)
e.g. townships in South Africa (and other ghettos)

13. UNESCO – Cultural World Heritage
UNESCO: United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural
Organization
World Heritage: Will read along with UNESCO handout
“What does it mean for a site to be inscribed on the List?
Once a country signs the Convention, and has sites inscribed on the World
Heritage List, the resulting prestige often helps raise awareness among citizens
and governments for heritage preservation. Greater awareness leads to a general
rise in the level of the protection and conservation given to heritage properties. A
country may also receive financial assistance and expert advice from the World
Heritage Committee to support activities for the preservation of its sites.”
(Source: UNESCO, 2013, http://whc.unesco.org/en/faq/)
Pimachiowin Aki – bid for World Heritage

14. http://pimachiowinaki.org/

15. For next class:
Do some basic research on the cultural World Heritage Site, which
you will be given. This should only take about 15 minutes.
Answer 2 questions:
1) When was the site given the status of World Heritage
under the UNESCO Convention
2) What was the universal value of this place? / What made
this place ‘worthy’ of world heritage?

16. Offering tobacco
Go over UofM TPAC Elder Protocol together