Cultural Geography
Landscape is among the main aspects of cultural geography. This is attributed to the fact that different people use their landscape to showcase their cultural identity. Therefore, landscapes vary from one geographical region to another, and this is one of the ways of differentiating groups of people. According to the ‘’Peoples, Landscapes, and Time,’’ there are different aspects whereby landscape is considered a cultural concept. Price is also another factor that is connected to the issue of landscaping in another article titled, ‘’Inscribing the border: Schizophrenia and the aesthetics of Aztlan.’’
This paper will critically analyze the perceptions of these two articles, and relate the concepts of cultural diffusion in contemporary life.
The article, ‘’People, Landscapes, and Time’’ tries to prove the fact that various groups of people create different landscapes that is specifically inclined to their culture. In this regard, landscape is referred to as the collective shaping of the earth over a period of time. The article defines this formation of landscapes as chorography. It derives its sentiments from the studies of the Annales and Barkley School on the factors that prompted the formation of landscapes. The proof that landscape is shaped by culture is clearly brought out in the disparities between the temperate and the tropic regions. These two regions are different because people from the tropics are not involved in cultivation while those from the temperate regions are. Therefore, as people try to change their lifestyles, they also shape their landscape to give that reflection over time. These changes can potentially lead to cultural diffusion over a period of time, and this will essentially result into diffusion of the landscape.
The issue of cultural diffusion sets off the article by Price in his effort to analyze the old and new borders. Globalization campaigns for the diffusion of borders in order to make the world a global village. However, this is seen as a threat to cultural identity since borders are an enclosure of specific identities. According to Price, borders are defined as ‘’any place where differences come together.’’ He provides a different way of understanding borders so as to avoid implications of debordering and rebordering physically. He goes ahead to give the example of the Chicano’s portable borders since they carry around their tattoos, and are therefore not affected by the process of restructuring physical boundaries. Price advocates for the change of focus from the physical borders for identity. The reason for this is because physical borders are power zones, thus, experience constant shifting.
These articles are both related to various concepts of geographic culture. I concur with the first article that people of a similar culture shape the landscape of their country to showcase their identity. However, this is dependent on the existing culture, thus, not ingenious per se. Over time, as people become adaptive to the same way of life, the landscape is expected to appear the same regardless of the geographical position. This aspect of cultural diffusion is quite evident in urbanization. Globalization can therefore potentially diffuse the culture of an individual if that culture is based on these physical borders. Hence, even as the geographic borders shift, people may retain their identity through their commodities. Even though this will nullify the concept of geographic culture, it is necessary that Price’s ideology is adopted. This is important since the world is embracing globalization at a higher rate that will significantly impact cultural diffusion within the set geographic boundaries. There is need for the creation of portable borders like the Chicanos so that cultural boundaries are safeguarded.
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