Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Adaptation
refers to cultural adjustments that occur after a people migrate to a region whose
physical environment is different than where they used to live. A reference was made in the
previous section to how a single language became several languages in part because of hu-
man adaptation to new environments. Here are examples of how adaptation has encouraged
diversity in three other cultural universals:
Traditional agricultural know-how may not work or is inefficient in the new setting. Im-
migrants borrow workable techniques from the local populace (if there is any), experiment
with local plants for their food value, and otherwise adapt as best they can.
Traditional modes of dress are either too light or too heavy for the new climatic venue.
Adaptations may occur with respect to style, materials, and color.
Traditional building materials may be absent in the new setting, resulting in adjustment
in architecture. Also, climate may affect modification of housing with respect to thickness of
walls, shapes of roofs, and openness to outside conditions.
In each case, adaptation that adds to the over all richness and variety of culture, increasing the ways
in which people can be different.
Spreading the Word on Culture
Culture creation and modification are not things of the past. Thanks to
cultural diffusion,
which refers to the spread of culture, the geographies of particular traits as well as cultural
complexes that characterize groups of people continue to develop and change.
For example, 50 years ago few Americans had heard of yogurt, tortillas, tofu, tandoori chicken, sushi,
and couscous, let alone actually eaten them. All those foodstuffs existed back then, but their geo-
graphies were pretty much limited to their respective native areas — Asia Minor, Mexico, China,
India, Japan, and North Africa.
Today it's different, of course. Chances are you have heard of most or all of those foodstuffs and
maybe even eaten them — perhaps because you have traveled to their native lands, but more likely
because those foodstuffs have spread here and are widely available in stores and restaurants. As a res-
ult, the geography of these foodstuffs, all of which are culture traits, has changed dramatically thanks
to cultural diffusion.
