Chapter 1

Section 4: How Culture Changes

Causes of Cultural Change

3 main ways that culture changes 1) Technology – is defined as the skills and tools people use. i.e. invention of wheel , paved roads Inventions lead to demands of certain resources i.e. steel for cars 2) Changing Environment – people are influenced by their

surroundings i.e. the Plains Native Americans heavily relied on hunting Buffalo until

settlers destroyed most of the buffalo population to make farm land 3) New Ideas – People are now conserving resources more than ever

such as recycling. A new sense of the world has finite resources. Culture is adapted or borrowed to fit a different cultures needs

Diffusion

The movement of ideas from one place to another

It can occur peacefully or through war

More than inventions can be exchanged such as ideas and religion

i.e. Buddhism, iron plow, rock and roll

Sometimes civilizations adopt ideas to make themselves stronger like Japan

Tradition and Change

The concept of a “global village”, due to modern technology people are more connected than ever

Ideas are exchanged quickly due to the internet, phones, fax machines, and transportation methods such as planes

People all around the world can learn what happened thousands of miles away instantaneously

Modern technology is changing cultures and sometimes have a negative impact of replacing traditional cultures

A Way of Life Changes

The example of the Travelling People of Ireland

They led a nomadic life – not settling an area permanently

They are a subculture – a group of people within a society who share certain beliefs, values, and customs.

Understanding other Cultures

Ethnocentrism – Judging other cultures by their own standards.

Racism – the belief that one racial group is largely superior to another

The difference between the two is that racism usually deals with controlling resources and political power

The classical Greeks thought of themselves as a superior culture but did not judge outsiders by the color of their skin.

Today, most cultures realize that racism is destructive and realize that culture is the main differences among people