The effects of global trade on

people and culture

Geographers use the word ‘culture’ to describe the
characteristics of a particular group of people. Culture can
The negative effects of global trade
be a difficult topic to study because it is an abstract concept on people and culture
and is not something tangible like, say, a mountain or
The term cultural erosion has been developed to describe
a tree – it is not ‘real’ in the sense that we cannot touch
the loss of cultural diversity that is occurring in many
it. Geographers, therefore, tend to study the products of
places. This is due in part to new ideas, new products and
culture. These include objects such as buildings, statues and
new ways of doing things entering a culture. Examples
clothing, as well as expressions of culture such as language,
include the spread of food, drink, clothing, music, movies
religion, art, food, music and dance.
and language from dominant cultures, particularly the
Another thing that makes culture difficult to study is
United States.
that it is constantly changing. Cultures grow and decline or
One impact of cultural erosion is a loss of languages.
adapt to new influences all the time. With the rapid increase
More than 40 per cent of the world’s 7000 languages are
in the movement of goods, services, people and ideas that
considered to be endangered and more than 200 have
has occurred in the last few decades many cultures have
become extinct in the last few decades. Languages become
changed.
endangered and then extinct when people stop using them.
Here, we will examine the ways that global trade affects
This can happen for a variety of reasons including the
people and culture. Sometimes these changes have positive
dominance of only a few languages in education, politics
outcomes for the culture of a certain country. At other
and trade. Those who do not speak the dominant language
times, the results can be unplanned, more serious than
are at a disadvantage and so their use becomes less desirable.
forecast, or have serious and negative impacts.
Places where language families (groups of languages
that have descended from the same ‘ancestor’ language) are
endangered are shown in Source 4.23.

The positive effects of global trade

Source 4.22  The imbalance in distribution of available food is one
negative impact that globalisation has had on people in different
places around the world. Here, Chinese children attend a weight-
loss camp.
on people and culture
Increased links between people and places have the
potential to erode cultures but can also bring cultural
benefits. Modern information and communication
technologies (ICT) have brought people closer together.
They help people to better understand cultures different to
their own and to share ideas and knowledge.
These interconnections can create a greater awareness
of people and cultures in other places. This often leads
to a greater respect of cultural diversity and a better
understanding of the ways in which various cultural
identities are formed, changed and threatened. ICT also
allows individuals to tell their own stories rather than rely
on governments and the traditional media to tell them.

190 oxford big ideas geography 9: australian curriculum

This publication is licensed to Emily Criddle until 01-01-2019 and cannot be resold, reproduced or transmitted in any form.
WORLD: ENDANGERED LANGUAGE HOTSPOTS

Eastern Siberia
23 languages
9 language families

North-West Pacific Plateau

54 languages Oklahoma/South-West
12 language families 43 languages
16 language families

Central South America

113 languages
45 language families
North Central Australia
153 languages
62 language families
LEGEND
Area where languages
are most endangered
Country border
0 2500 5000 km

Source 4.23   Source: Oxford University Press

For example, deep in the heart of one of the world’s

great wilderness areas, the Amazon rainforest, Indigenous
tribes are fighting back against illegal logging that threatens
their culture with modern tools: GPS, the Internet, mobile
phones and Google Earth. They photograph loggers
entering the forest, plot their location using GPS and
inform authorities who can then send out a team to arrest
the loggers. The Indigenous tribes are also linked through
email, Skype and Facebook to thousands of supporters
around the world.
Check your learning 4.8
Remember and understand
1 How has ICT lead to a greater understanding of cultural
differences?
2 What is cultural erosion?
Apply and analyse
3 Examine Source 4.23.
a Of the language hotspots identified, which has the
greatest number of threatened languages?
b What are the likely threats to language in this region?
4 How is the Surui tribe in Brazil using ICT to protect
their culture? In a small group discuss other ways in
which ICT can lead to a greater understanding of other
cultures. Report back to your classmates.

Evaluate and create

5 Brainstorm the ways in which cultures can be
strengthened by increased contact with other cultures
around the world.
6 Do you think it matters if a language becomes extinct?
Source 4.24  The chief of the Surui tribe in Brazil with his laptop
computer. He uses his laptop for communication, in order to protest Give some reasons for your answer.
and protect his culture and his rainforest home.

chapter 4 the effects of global connections 191

This publication is licensed to Emily Criddle until 01-01-2019 and cannot be resold, reproduced or transmitted in any form.
The effects of globalisation on
Indigenous peoples
The original inhabitants of a region or country are known
as its Indigenous people. These communities often
developed a way of life suited to the natural environment in
which they lived without influence and interference from
the outside world.
With increased links between people and places,
Indigenous peoples and their cultures have been threatened
by the expansion of dominant cultures, or from the arrival
of new people and cultural groups.
As people from different cultures have moved around
the world and settled in new places, they have often come
into contact with the Indigenous peoples. In some cases
this first contact has been friendly, while in other cases
conflict has broken out. Whatever the nature of the first
contact, the long-term effects are largely negative for
Indigenous peoples. They often become a minority in
their own country and suffer from widespread prejudice
and discrimination. As a result, their unique culture is
threatened and may become extinct.
The United Nations estimates that there are almost
5000 Indigenous groups in the world today. In total, this
accounts for about 370 million Indigenous peoples living in
70 countries. Australia is home to two groups of Indigenous
peoples – Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders.
The world map (see Source 4.25) and the information
provided in Sources 4.26–4.31 give examples of some
of the Indigenous cultures currently threatened by new
global links, and explains how they have been affected.

WORLD: INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

ARCTIC OCEAN

Inupiat Kalaallit
1 Saami Nenet
Arctic Circle Saami Nenet Inuit Inuit Kalaallit
Yakut Chukchi Inuit
Evenk
Inuit
Cree Cree
EUROPE Cree Cree
Gypsy ASIA Nez Perces Sioux
Mongol Chippewa
Basque Northern Cheyenne Mohawk
Uigur Mongol Ainu
Navajo NORTH
Kurd Hopi AT L A N T I C
Berber Apache AMERICA
Tibetan
Tropic of Cancer Santal Miao Zhuang Huichol OCEAN
Tuareg Bhil Chakma 3 Mazatec Maya
Bedouin PA C I F I C
Karen Bontoc Zapotec
Fulani AFRICA Lenca Arhuaco
Dinka Vedda
4 6 Mentawi Bribri
Pygmy Iban OCEAN Yanomami
Tutsi 2
Equator Acehnese Penan Secoya
Masai Dayak Dayak Amungme Kayapo
ATL ANTIC Pygmy Hutu I N D I A N East Timorese SOUTH
Torres Strait Islander Quechua
Yolngu 5
OC EA N OCEAN Fijian AMERICA
Tropic of Capricorn Bushmen Quechua
Aborigine Kanak
Rapa Nui Wichi
AUSTRALIA
Mapuche
Maori

LEGEND Qawaskar
Nomadic herding Subsistence farming Gypsy
Shifting cultivation Indigenous group 0 2000 4000 km

Source 4.25   Source: Oxford Atlas

192 oxford big ideas geography 9: australian curriculum

This publication is licensed to Emily Criddle until 01-01-2019 and cannot be resold, reproduced or transmitted in any form.
 1 The Saami
The Saami are the Indigenous people of Northern
Europe, living in parts of Norway, Sweden,
Finland and Russia. The Saami are traditionally
semi-nomadic reindeer herders, but globalisation
has brought changes to their way of life. Today,
many Saami have modernised and now use
snowmobiles and helicopters to herd the
reindeer. However, pasture land for the reindeer
Source 4.26  is becoming limited as oil and gas mining are
The Saami, developed on traditional Saami lands. The oil and
Northern Europe gas is refined and shipped around the world. The
Saami are facing other environmental threats
from dam building, logging and the effects of
climate change.
2 The Masai
The Masai are the semi-nomadic people of East
Africa, and live in southern Kenya and northern
Tanzania. The Masai have been subjected to
eviction and to opposition to their semi-nomadic
lifestyle over many years. Masai lands in Kenya
were reduced by 60 per cent at the beginning of
the 20th century, when the British took the lands
to build ranches, then later, wildlife reserves and
Source 4.27  national parks. Today, loss of land to large-scale
The Masai, private farms and game parks for international
East Africa tourists has made nomadic grazing impossible
for the Masai. Many Masai now live in towns or
depend on tourism for survival.
3 The Karen
The Karen is an Indigenous group from Myanmar
(Burma) who have long fought for their own
homeland. Possibly the most recognisable Karen
are the Red Karen, or Kayah, a subgroup whose
females wear a series of brass rings to make
their necks appear longer. Located in a political
hotspot, the culture and lifestyle of the Karen have
long been under threat from political tensions
Source 4.28  and military action in Myanmar (Burma). There
The Karen, are estimated to be 200 000 Karen hiding in the
Myanmar (Burma) jungle from the Burmese army, and many Karen
have fled across the border to Thailand. Here, they
find themselves in refugee camps, or in villages
where they are little more than a tourist attraction.
Check your learning 4.9
Remember and understand
1 Why do Indigenous populations often decline when
settlers from other places arrive?
2 In what type of environment do the Saami live?
Apply and analyse
3 List one forest-dwelling Indigenous group. What threats to
their way of life do forest-dwelling Indigenous groups face?
4 What do the Masai and the Mentawi have in common?
This publication is licensed to Emily Criddle until 01-01-2019 and cannot be resold, reproduced or transmitted in any form.
4 The Vedda
The Vedda people are Indigenous to Eastern Sri
Lanka, and were originally forest-dwellers. The
Vedda people have been exploited for centuries
by outsiders wanting their land. This land has
been turned from forest to housing developments
and government parkland. The Vedda have been
banned from the parkland areas. Those who do
still try to hunt risk being arrested or even shot by
Source 4.29  park guards.
The Vedda,
Sri Lanka
5 The Yolngu
Yolngu is the name the Indigenous people of
East Arnhem Land give themselves. Arnhem
Land, in the Northern Territory of Australia, is
owned solely by the Yolngu people, who are
under threat from mining interests in the region.
They are attempting to balance the needs of
their traditional Aboriginal heritage with the
demands of the mining industry, an industry
Source 4.30  which is a huge business for Australia. Some
The Yolngu, argue that while there are serious problems
Australia within their own communities – health, poverty
and substance abuse – Yolngu manage a way
of life that blends Western technology with traditions that have been
passed through generations.
6 The Mentawi
The Mentawi are the native people of the
Mentawai Islands in Indonesia. The Mentawi
have traditionally relied on the rainforests
of the Mentawai Islands for all their needs.
Today, rapid change has led to the clearance
of forests, replacing the forests with profitable
palm oil plantations. As a result, the Indonesian
government has relocated many Mentawi to
Source 4.31  villages where they are unable to follow their
The Mentawi, traditional ways. They now suffer high rates of
Indonesia poverty and disease.
The Mentawai Islands are popular with
international surf tourists and the Mentawi have found themselves
the unlikely beneficiaries of Internet connections via groups
like Surfaid, that aims to help people in isolated areas Surfaid’s
members are connected to through surfing.
5 Give an example of how technology has changed the
way of life of one Indigenous group.
Evaluate and create
6 Make a list of the ways in which Indigenous cultures are
changing. Construct a flow diagram showing how some
or all of these changes are connected to each other.
7 Select one of the Indigenous groups described on these
pages. Research the issue described and report back to
your class on the ways in which this group is changing.
chapter 4 the effects of global connections 193