Final answer:
Regionalism in material culture emerged around 2000 BCE, marking social changes and increased trade, while in literature, it developed post-Civil War focusing on complex characters and local details. It holds significance for understanding cultural identities and contributions to literary and historical development.
Step-by-step explanation:
Regionalism in material culture began to emerge around 2000 BCE when Eastern Woodlands peoples started cultivating native plants and defining their territories, signaling significant social transformations. This era was marked by increased trading of materials such as stone, copper, and shells, and by the construction of burial sites and earthen mounds that reflected social hierarchies. In the context of literature, regionalism developed after the American Civil War and is considered a form of writing preceding and influencing Realism. Significantly, it often provided a more empathetic storytelling perspective through complex characters, while incorporating local color and detailing particular locales, thus contributing to the understanding of cultural differences and similarities across regions.In the late 19th century, regionalism in literature was used by women writers, like Sarah Orne Jewett and Mary Wilkins Freeman, to focus on ordinary women in domestic spaces seeking self-agency. Moreover, regionalism extends to other fields, such as the study of traditional material culture in Indigenous peoples or the evolution of cultural traits in various regions like Europe and within American folk cultures. The significance of regionalism lies in its ability to capture unique identities and cultural philosophies, which continue to influence contemporary life and understanding of historical developments.