3.9 Cultural Ecology

What is Cultural Ecology?

Cultural ecology is the study of the relationship between culture and the natural environment. It examines how human societies adapt to, modify, and are shaped by their physical surroundings. Culture influences how people perceive and use their environment, while the environment also shapes cultural practices, technology, and beliefs.

Environmental Determinism vs. Possibilism

Environmental determinism argues that the physical environment controls human behavior and cultural development, often used historically to justify colonialism. Possibilism counters this, arguing humans can adapt to and modify their environment using technology and ingenuity, so the environment offers limits but culture determines the response.

Human-Environment Interactions

The built environment reflects how humans adapt to physical geography, like terraced farming in mountains or stilt houses in flood zones. Concepts like the Netherlands' polders and dryland irrigation show human modification. However, overuse of resources can lead to environmental degradation, showing the interdependence of culture and ecology.

Key terms

Cultural Ecology

The study of the relationship and interaction between human culture and the natural environment.

Environmental Determinism

The belief that the physical environment controls and shapes human culture and behavior; historically used to justify colonialism.

Possibilism

The view that the environment sets limits, but humans use technology and culture to adapt and overcome those limits.

Built Environment

Human-modified landscapes, such as terraces, irrigation systems, or stilt houses, that reflect adaptation to physical geography.

Dutch Polders

Land reclaimed from the sea in the Netherlands through dikes and drainage, illustrating possibilism and human modification of environment.

Try an AP-style question

Cultural ecology studies…

1. relationships between cultures and environments
2. population statistics and nothing else
3. physical landforms and nothing else
4. the street layouts of large cities