Cultural relationships2009

The Middle East & North Africa

Review: What are Culture Regions? Areas on the earth

which are grouped by common characteristics Language Religion Government Ethnicity History

Regions are often separated by physical features but may also be subject to different perspectives

Rivers sometimes flow into each other. This is called a confluence.

Cultures do the same thing. Many cultures co-exist in all regions of the world.

Because of this, cultures must depend upon each other but also may come in conflict with each other.

Think of world cultures as many rivers.

Conflict & Cooperation What might be some reasons that would

cause different cultures to come in conflict with each other?

Conflict & Cooperation Cultures do not exist in isolation. Share common characteristics:

History CultureNatural Resources

Why do cultures have to learn to cooperate with each other?

The Middle East is one example of a culture region because...

• Spans 3 continents – Europe, Africa, Asia

•Christianity, Islam, and Judaism all have their roots in the Middle East

• Major ethnic groups in common – Arab, Jewish, Turkish, Persian, Kurds

Unfortunately, the cultures in the Middle East come into conflict quite often.

There are several main reasons for conflict in the Middle East.

• Religion

• Availability of Natural Resources

• Political Differences

• Ownership of Land

• Cultural Perspectives

Conflict #1: Religion Birthplace of three

religions Christianity Judaism Islam

All consider Jerusalem to be holy therefore claim ownership of land

Wars have been fought over holy sites – Crusades, Jewish Diaspora

Conflict #2: Natural Resources Two scarce

resources: Oil & Fresh Water

Oil – Large deposits of oil

that are unevenly distributed

Fresh Water – Scarce because

large areas of Middle East are desert

Conflict #3: Political Differences The region contains

several different government types: Democratic Monarchies Theocracies Dictatorships

Some countries are in transition or have unstable governments

Conflict #4: Ownership of Land

Israel vs. Palestine: Jews vs. Arabs Historically both

claim Israel as a homeland

European Control Region once

controlled by European countries

Conflict #5: Cultural Perspectives

Ethnic Groups: Arabs vs. Jews Arabs/Turks vs.

Kurds Arabs vs. Persians

Role of Women “Westernization” vs.

Traditional Customs

Bringing stability and peace to the Middle East is a great challenge that

affects cultures throughout the world.