World Cultures and Regional Studies

What this unit covers

This unit sits in the strand World Cultures and Indigenous Peoples, within Anthropology. Almost everything here is a mind map, and each one takes a people or a place and breaks its culture into branches. The resources were made by GoConqr users, so styles vary and you can compare different takes on the same topic.

Where to start

Begin with a broad map, then narrow down. Culture and INDIA CULTURE ICEBERG are good ways in to the idea of visible and hidden parts of a culture. Then pick a region.

• Pakistan: the map on the culture of the provinces of Pakistan covers Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan and KP, with physical environment, material things and non material things.
• Ecuador: the customs and traditions map looks at greetings, dress codes and why physical contact matters.
• Canada: several Canadian Identity maps cover symbols, values, religion, music and popular sports.

China, the Amish and beyond

China has the deepest set. Street Life of China explores great and popular traditions and the idea of yuan, or predestined relationships. Chinese Society Operates within their Conceptual Structure looks at lineage, family, naming and gender, and local self-rule. A note on Confucianism explains how it guides social roles.

For a contrasting community, try Amish Culture, which traces descent from the Anabaptists in sixteenth-century Europe, and Amish Practices, Festivals, and Rituals, which covers schooling, language and the use of horse and buggy. The Riddle of Amish culture chapter maps follow the same topic.

Using maps with other formats

Read a map, then cover it and try to rebuild the branches from memory. Flashcard decks such as Vietnam and Japanese Culture Events help fix terms and names. Notes like the one on the cultural context of Nigeria turn a map into running text, which is handy for writing up.

Choose one region, work through its maps, and then build a map of your own to compare with the ones here.