APHUG Unit 3

Key terms/Concepts/Definitions

Material Culture

The physical, visible objects made and used by members of a cultural group; includes buildings, furniture, clothing, food, artwork, and musical instruments

Nonmaterial Culture

Intangible elements of culture including a wide range of beliefs, values, myths, and symbolic meanings passed from generation to generation within a given society

Cultural Trait

A single aspect of a given culture or society

Local Culture

Rural, ethnically homogenous culture that is deeply connected to the local land; the opposite of a popular culture

Indigenous Culture

A local culture that is no longer the dominant ethnic group within its traditional homeland because of migration, colonization, or political marginalization

Popular Culture

Heterogeneous culture that is more influenced by key urban areas and quick to adopt new technologies; the opposite of a local culture

Cultural Attitudes

Concepts and ideas in a society that are shaped by cultural opinions, beliefs, and perspectives

Language

A mutually agreed-upon system of symbolic communication

Religion

A structured set of beliefs and practices through which people seek mental and physical harmony with the powers of the universe

Ethnic Group

A people of common ancestry and cultural tradition; characterized by a strong feeling of group identity

Race

Historically defined by the physical characteristics of a group, especially skin color

Multiculturalism

A set of policies that promote the active participation and inclusion of minority groups in national histories, national politics, and cultural institutions with the goal of embracing difference within society

Ethnocentric Approach

An approach to understanding other cultures that evaluates them from the perspective of the observer’s culture

Cultural Relativism

An approach to understanding other cultures that seeks to understand individuals and cultures from a wider perspective of cultural logic

Physical Landscape

All the natural physical surroundings that create and shape the places we are living in or examining

Placelessness

The feeling resulting from the standardization of the built environment; occurs where local distinctiveness is erased and many places end up with similar cultural landscapes

Sequent Occupance

Refers to the fact that many places have been controlled or affected by a variety of groups over a period of time; those groups have reshaped the functions or meanings of those places and left behind layers of meaning

Sacred Space

Natural or human-made sites that possess religious meaning and are recognized as worthy of devotion, loyalty, fear, or esteem

Secular

Less influenced or controlled by religion

Subculture

A group of people with distinct norms, values, and material practices that differentiate them from the dominant culture surrounding them