Culture
the shared set of beliefs values and customs of a group of people
Beliefs
a person’s religious, academic and philosophical thought processes (how you think about things)
Values
core understanding that influence how people act. (how you act towards others)
Customs
the shared activities, celebrations and traditions of a group of people.
Cultural Relativism
the idea that cultures should be examined by themselves rather than by comparing them to another culture.
Cultural traits
distinctive and patterned ways of thinking and acting that can help define cultures (language, religion, music, food, etc)
Cultural Landscape
the human and physical characteristics of a place
Popular Culture
culture that has spread to many areas of the world through diffusion (common in many places at the same time).
Folk Culture
culture practiced by a small group of people that are relatively isolated from other groups. (specific to a particular group of people).
Isogloss
the border between language families
Cultural Hearth
the place where a cultural trait begins
Contagious Diffusion
cultural traits that are spread by means of personal interaction (person to person)
Hierarchical Diffusion
cultural traits that are spread from places or by people of power and influence
Stimulus diffusion
as a cultural trait spreads it changes to adapt to local conditions
Relocation Diffusion
cultural traits are spread by the migration of people
Globalization
the increasing cultural, economic and political connectedness of the planet
Ethnocentrism
the belief that one’s own culture and ethnicity is superior to another
Racism
power combined with prejudice, designed to maintain a system of social and economic advantage for the group that holds power
Xenophobia
the fear or dislike of foreigners
Culture Shock
the experience of encountering something that is so different that it is difficult to understand
Political Geography
the study of the interactions between states and division of space on the planet
State/country
has recognized sovereignty, an established set of borders and a permanent population tied together by a common government.
Unitary State
A country in which one central government has most of the power over smaller local governments.
Federal State/Confederation
A country in which Power is shared between the national government and smaller regional governments.
Sovereignty
the power a government has to control its own affairs without interference from anyone else
Nation
a group of people with a shared identity, culture, and history
Antecedent Border
put into place before large numbers of people lived in an area
Superimposed Borders
boundaries that are established by more powerful countries in areas that already have human landscapes
Subsequent Borders
created once people are settled in order to keep ethnic and cultural groups together
Relict Border
borders that once existed but do not any longer
Patriotism
the combined love of feelings of pride one feels for their country
Nationalism
loyalty and devotion to one’s nation (group of people/ethnicity)
Multinational States
states composed of more than one nation (group of people/ethnicity)
Stateless Nations
a national group that does not have a country of their own or place to call home
Ethnic Cleansing
the act of removing (either by deportation or killing) all the people from a particular cultural group from existence in an area
Genocide
an attempt to destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, in whole or in part
Failed State
a country where the central government no longer has control of the country
Supranational organizations
Different groups that work with three or more countries to promote economic, political or cultural unity
Economic union
Promote increased economic cooperation between member states by limiting trade barriers like tariffs (taxes), quotas, and laws that limit the movement of people and goods or the operation of businesses across national borders.
Collective security unions
member countries join together for collective defense