Culture Regions, Homelands, and Ethnic Archipelagos in the United States: Methodological Considerations*

Abstract

The concept of homeland has attracted little attention until now in American cultural geography, but it may offer meanings beyond those associated with culture areas or regions. This article considers homelands in light of other types of ethnic space and the criteria by which geographers recognize homelands in America. Indigenity, exclusivity, cultural vitality, resilience, and scale are major elements that form the foundation of a homeland, and, because they are necessary prerequisites, only a few cultural groups have to date developed recognizable ethnic homelands in the United States.