Religiously Diverse Regions - Essay Example

Section/# Religious Affiliation as a Cultural and Geographical Construct Whereas land and water barriers have longdifferentiated people groups and led to the formation of different languages, customs, and racial identities, there are other geographic means whereby individuals can differentiate themselves where no other natural barriers would seem to separate them. A primal example of such a means of “unnatural” differentiation, as this essay will dub it, comes from the differentiation that religion brings. As a means of understanding this dynamic to a fuller and greater degree, the following analysis will attempt to discuss the ways in which religious differentiation of individuals can have a lasting and powerful impact upon the way in which development of these groups as well as the definition and key hallmarks of the lands that they occupy. Seeking to bring the analysis into a relevant current day application, the essay will seek to understand the means by which religious landscapes continue to define life, politics, and culture within the counties that comprise central Wisconsin. As a function of seeking to understand such a reality, it will be the hope of this author that such a level of research will help to shed a level of understanding on how and why certain regions have developed and exhibit some of the key indicators of both culture, religion, and politics that they do. Returning to the way in which religious barriers can differentiate a region or define a culture in a different way, one need look no further than the way in which many of the cultural and religious boundaries that exist within Europe have differentiated the entire continent in a way that it would not likely have been differentiated had religious differences not existed in the first place. Whereas the study of geography, anthropology, and sociology leads one to the understanding of how natural barriers and language barriers help to define and distinguish one group from another, religion serves no lesser nor more important purpose in achieving the same level of differentiation among individuals. To see a prime example of how geography can be decided upon religious terms alone, one need look no further than the way in which the British or French colonialists divided much of the world both in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia based upon religious lines. Evidence of this can of course be seen with regards to the creation of Lebanon, the creation of Papua New Guinea as compared to Indonesia, or the way in which African nations had their borders drawn specifically as a means of differentiating between animist, Muslim and/or Christian. However, geography and the means by which it is defined is not always chosen by an outside force. Oftentimes, the means by which geographic representations are determined are more often than not the result of domestic decisions and choices made at the lowest levels. This low-level decision making about what defines “the other” is oftentimes a result of the way in which religion and the practice thereof helps to differentiate one culture with regards to its neighbors. Due to the inherent truth that religion by its very nature seeks to instill a certain personal and group dynamic within the individuals that practice it, it is necessarily a formulary of the way in which culture is defined and comes to shape a given geography. However, it should not be understood that religious differences necessarily leads to the splitting of a nation or a state of war and/or conflict with another group of individuals. Rather, there are many religiously diverse regions within the world that live in more or less social cohesion and harmony. An obvious example of this would be with regards to the United States and many regions within Africa, Western Europe, and elsewhere around the globe. However, merely because a level of conflict does not exist should not be seen as an indication that the existence and adherence to different religions within diverse geographies does not have a profound impact upon shaping the way in which individuals within these regions reflect a certain level of cultural norms and values. These values cannot and should not be simplified by a level of stereotyping due to the fact that any such level of understanding would necessarily diminish the truth of the way in which so many different forms of religious observance differentiate from one another. However, what the reader can and should assume is that the practice of religion, regardless of the level to which it is implemented, and somewhat regardless to the particular beliefs associated with it, are formulary constructs that help to define the way in which another boundary of distinction is developed within the culture. As such, not only are the individuals within the religious community keenly aware of what sets them apart from those that are outside of their borders, those outside the borders are also keenly aware of the differential that exists between them and those that practice a different world view and have a different cultural identity and background. One of the more unique dynamics of the reality which has been described in the analysis above is that it is able to be evidenced anywhere throughout the globe. Whereas the reader might wish to assume that this cultural and historical interpretation of “the other” is somehow specifically related to the developing world, the reality of the matter is that it can easily be witnessed within the developed world as well. Though one might wish to believe the oft repeated saying that the United States is a melting pot of different races, creeds, and religions, the reality of the matter is that if any dynamic of assimilation exists at all, the United States represents something more of a tossed salad. Ultimately, the many different groups that have come to the United States over the nearly 250 years since it has existed have hailed from all parts of the world and represent a variety of different worldviews and religious affiliations. As such, these different religious communities; rather than melting into the mainstream of the United States have come to define the mainstream and their own geographic understandings and boundaries have risen up accordingly. For purposes of taking such an understanding down to the micro level of analysis, the individual should consider the case of the counties that comprise Central Wisconsin: Adams County, Clark County, Florence County, Forest County, Langlade County, Lincoln County, Marathon County, Oneida County, Portage County, Price County, Taylor County, Vilas County, Waupaca County, and Wood County. Whereas many regions within Wisconsin have become major metropolitan concentrations over the past several decades, the counties that comprise Central Wisconsin remain more or less rural and have a definitive historical relationship to the settlers that first came to these “western” lands and colonized them as a means of starting a new life. Even a cursory level of historic research yields the understanding that the largest waves of mass immigration that took place in Wisconsin started in the 1850s and did not abate until nearly the turn of the century. Within this fifty year period, a very large number of Western European immigrants sought to make the counties of Central Wisconsin their new home. Almost invariably, these immigrants hailed from the following Western European nations: Germany, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Ireland, Poland, and Italy. As the reader can quickly note, there was not often a common denominator between these new immigrants other than religion; and oftentimes this factor in and of itself helped to differentiate the Poles, Italians, and Irish from the broad remainder of the list which has thus far been elaborated upon. Ultimately, the Italians, Poles, and Irish settled in the cities and sought out jobs that these cities could offer; continuing the traditions of their Catholic faith that they had been raised with in their own native countries. Conversely, and broadly speaking, the Norwegians, Germans, Fins, Swedes, Swiss, Belgians, Dutch, and others sought out a more agrarian lifestyle within the new world and settled more within the periphery and interior of Wisconsin; necessarily bringing with them their own distinct forms of Protestantism (Timmons 17). Naturally, even a cursory review between Protestantism and Catholicism leads the reader to quickly understand that the differential that exists between these two is quite small; however, the differential that exists between different denominations of Protestants is even smaller. Accordingly, these groups necessarily felt more at ease with one another and Central Wisconsin’s cultural and religious geography was determined in the way that it currently exhibits up until this very day. Whereas the more metropolitan areas of Milwaukee , Madison, and Green Bay maintain a strong majority of Catholic adherents, Central Wisconsin maintains a solid majority of Protestants; namely of Lutheran background. By very definition, the Catholic population of Central Wisconsin is more homogeneous than that the Protestant communities; however, the means by which the central regions of Wisconsin demonstrate a level of homogeneity is based partly upon their understanding of the association that they had with one another. Whereas there are many extraordinarily important dynamics that help to create and define culture and geography, it cannot and should not be understated that the role in which religion plays is a most powerful one. As was seen in the example which was provided for this brief analysis, the reader can come to an appreciation for how even in a developed society, remnants of centuries old differentiation can help to create a new dynamic that has a powerful effect upon shaping the way in which certain regions develop. As such, without such a causal and motivating factor, it is hard to imagine that the state of Wisconsin, with so few natural land or water barriers, would have developed in a distinct or different way, the existence of religious differences, which served to segregate an entire state in a way that even national origin did not, has had a profound impact not only within Wisconsin, but within the United States in general. Naturally, although Wisconsin has been used as a case study to prove this point, there exists many instances of such a dynamic throughout the nation. In this way, the primal and extraordinary level of emphasis that peoples of different races and national origin place upon religious distinction plays a dominant and powerful role in affecting culture and the means by which a region identifies itself creates something of a differentiated culture and regional understanding as compared to its nearby neighbors. Work Cited Timmons, Jennifer. "Fox Valley Lutheran High School, Appleton, Wisconsin." Design Cost Data 47.1 (2002): 16-18. ERIC. Web. 16 May 2013. Read More