Unit 1: Developments in East Asia, Dar al-Islam, South & Southeast Asia, Americas, and Africa — Key Terms (Vocabulary)

Vocabulary flashcards covering major people, places, institutions, and ideas from the lecture notes across East Asia, Dar al-Islam, South and Southeast Asia, the Americas, and Africa.

Neo-Confucianism

A syncretic philosophy that blended Confucian ethics with Buddhist and Daoist ideas, emphasizing morality, social harmony, and ethical governance.

Imperial bureaucracy

A vast, centralized system of appointed officials carrying out government policies; a long-standing feature of Chinese rule that expanded under the Song.

Meritocracy

A system in which government positions are awarded based on merit, often demonstrated through exams and knowledge of Confucian texts.

Civil service exam

Exams used to assess candidates’ knowledge of Confucian classics; the basis for selecting officials in imperial China.

Grand Canal

A major internal waterway linking northern and southern China, enabling inexpensive transport and economic integration.

Champa rice

A fast-ripening, drought-resistant rice from Champa that boosted agricultural output and supported population growth.

Gunpowder

Explosive powder invented in China; first used to make guns during the Song era and later spread across Eurasia.

Proto-industrialization

A phase of economic development in which rural producers manufacture goods for distant markets, prior to factory-based industrialization.

Cast iron to steel

China’s early production techniques that removed carbon from iron, enabling steel production used in infrastructure and tools.

Porcelain

A lightweight, durable ceramic highly valued in trade; a key export and marker of Chinese manufacturing prowess.

Woodblock printing

A printing method that allowed multiple copies of texts and images, expanding literacy and scholarly access.

Buddhism (Chan/Zen)

A form of Buddhism (Chan in China, Zen in Japan) emphasizing meditation and direct experience, often blending with Daoist and Confucian ideas.

Foot binding

A practice affecting elite women in Song China, symbolizing status and aesthetic ideals while restricting mobility.

Scholar-gentry

Educated social class educated in Confucian philosophy who became influential in governance and culture.

Tributary system

A network of foreign states paying tribute to the Chinese emperor in exchange for trade rights and political legitimacy.

Kowtow

A ritual bow and deep reverence performed by tributary states when meeting the Chinese emperor.

Zheng He

Maritime explorer whose voyages (early 15th century) demonstrated Chinese power and extended tribute networks.

Sinification

The process by which non-Chinese societies adopt Chinese culture, institutions, and practices.

Shogun

Military ruler who held actual political power in Japan, while the emperor remained a figurehead for much of the period.

Bushido

The samurai code emphasizing loyalty, martial prowess, and honor unto death in Japan.

Daimyo

Regional landowning magnates in Japan who held significant military and political power during the feudal era.

Heian period

A Japanese era notable for the emulation of Chinese political culture and the flowering of art and literature.

Chan (Zen) Buddhism

A form of Buddhism emphasizing meditation and experiential insight, influential in East Asia.

Delhi Sultanate

Muslim-ruled sultanate in northern India (13th–16th c.) that centralized power and imposed jizya on non-Muslims.

Vijayanagara Empire

A major Hindu kingdom in southern India (14th–16th c.) that resisted northern Muslim powers and fostered trade.

Chola Dynasty

A powerful Tamil Hindu dynasty in southern India known for naval power, trade, and administration.

Qutub Minar

A monumental minaret built in Delhi by Islamic rulers as a symbol of imperial and religious influence.

Urdu

A language that emerged in South Asia from the fusion of Hindi with Arabic and Persian elements.

Bhakti Movement

Hindu devotional reform movement emphasizing personal devotion to a deity and social inclusion; appealed to marginalized groups.

Sinhala dynasties

Buddhist kingdoms in Sri Lanka (island of Bandi) that contributed to regional religious and cultural exchange.

Majapahit

A major Buddhist kingdom in Java (Java Empire) that controlled sea routes and influenced Southeast Asia.

Srivijaya

A Hindu-Buddhist maritime empire based in Sumatra that dominated trade through the Strait of Malacca.

Angkor Empire (Khmer Empire)

A powerful Southeast Asian kingdom known for elaborate irrigation systems and temple complexes like Angkor Wat.

Sukhothai Kingdom

Early Thai kingdom that expanded influence in Southeast Asia and contributed to regional state formation.

Islamic trade networks (dhows)

Maritime trade routes across the Indian Ocean reinforced by dhows, linking Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

Arabic numerals

A numeral system of Indian origin transmitted via Islamic scholars to the West, enabling algebra and advanced arithmetic.

Dhow

A traditional sailing vessel used in Indian Ocean trade, enabling long-distance maritime commerce.

Swahili

Bantu language with Arabic influence spoken along East Africa’s coast, reflecting cross-cultural exchange.

Trans-Saharan trade

Trade across the Sahara that linked West African empires with North Africa and the Mediterranean.

Great Zimbabwe

Stone-walled city and state in southern Africa (12th–15th c.) symbolizing wealth from trade and gold.

Griots/Griottes

Oral historians and storytellers who preserved history, genealogies, and cultural memory in West Africa.

Hausa Kingdoms

A cluster of city-states in West Africa benefiting from trans-Saharan trade and later Islamization.

Islamic Golden Age (Baghdad House of Wisdom)

A center of learning in Baghdad where scholars translated and advanced science, math, medicine.

Mali Empire

West African empire (13th–16th c.) known for gold trade, wealth, Timbuktu, and Mansa Musa.

Timbuktu

Ancient city in Mali that became a center of learning, scholarship, and manuscript culture.

Mansa Musa

Mali emperor famed for wealth and a famous pilgrimage to Mecca that boosted African-Islamic connections.

Zanj Rebellion

Major slave uprising in Basra (9th century) highlighting East African enslaved labor in the Islamic world.

House of Wisdom

Islamic center of learning in Baghdad that fostered translation, science, and philosophy.

Mamluk Sultanate

Islamic regime in Egypt (1250–1517) formed by slave-soldier elites who ruled a thriving trade network.

Seljuk Turks

Turkish Muslim group that controlled parts of the Middle East, reshaping Abbasid authority.

Crusades

Series of Christian military campaigns (11th–13th c.) to reclaim the Holy Land and expand cultural contact.

Marco Polo

Venetian traveler whose writings popularized East-West exchange but often contained biases and limits.

Feudalism (Europe)

A decentralized political system based on land grants in exchange for loyalty and military service.

Manorial system

Economic and social system of medieval Europe where peasants worked lands owned by lords.

Three-field system

Agricultural rotation system increasing land productivity by rotating crops across three fields.

Estates-General/Parliament/Magna Carta

Structures limiting royal power and representing different social estates in medieval Europe.

Renaissance

Cultural revival in Europe (14th–17th c.) reviving classical antiquity and promoting literacy, science, and humanism.

Little Ice Age

Period of cooler climate (roughly 14th–19th c.) impacting agriculture, populations, and socio-political stability.

Black Death

Devastating 14th-century plague reducing populations and reshaping economic and social structures.

Gutenberg printing press

Movable-type printing device (mid-15th c.) enabling mass literacy and rapid dissemination of ideas.

Crusades (Europe to the Middle East)

Religious wars shaping European-Christian-Muslim interactions and cultural exchanges.

Mongols

Central Asian nomads whose empire connected vast parts of Eurasia and facilitated cross-cultural contact.

Orthodox/Schism/Great Schism

Religious division between Western Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches (1054).

Kiev Rus

Early East Slavic state centered around Kyiv; adopted Orthodox Christianity, interacted with Byzantium.

Estates-General

Representative assembly in France including clergy, nobility, and commoners; limited royal power.

Three-field system

Agricultural rotation method enhancing soil fertility and yields in medieval Europe.

Chivalry

Code of conduct for knights emphasizing loyalty, honor, and protection of the weak.

Feudal Europe vs. Feudal Japan

Two systems of decentralized rule with lords and vassals; differences in centralization and power of rulers.

Jizya

Tax on non-Muslims within Islamic states, used to fund governance and administration.

Griots/Griottes

Oral historians and storytellers significant in West African cultural memory and governance.

Quipu

Inca system of knotted cords used for accounting and record-keeping across the empire.

Mit’a system

Incan labor tax requiring subject communities to provide public work and labor.

Carpa Nan

Incan road system linking provinces for administration and military mobility.

Waru Waru

Incan/Andean agricultural technique of raised fields with drainage channels to prevent erosion.

Temple of the Sun (Inca)

Central religious site in Cuzco dedicated to the sun god, Inti, reflecting Inca imperial ideology.

Aclimatic/Continuitiy concept: continuity

Historical concept referring to endurance and persistence of certain practices or ideas across time.

Swahili Coast

East African coast trading culture blending Bantu and Arabic influences through Indian Ocean commerce.

Angkor Wat/Angkor Thom

Iconic temple complexes of the Khmer Empire illustrating Hindu-Buddhist syncretism and imperial power.

Hausa Kingdoms (West Africa)

A set of city-states in West Africa that leveraged trans-Saharan trade and Islamization for wealth.

Bat(l)ed: Timbuktu and Mali’s manuscript culture

Centers of scholarship and storage of texts; symbolizing Mali’s intellectual and economic prosperity.

House of Wisdom

Islamic center in Baghdad for translation, science, philosophy, and learning; emblematic of the Islamic Golden Age.

Averroes (Ibn Rushd)

Islamic philosopher whose commentaries on Aristotle influenced medieval Europe and Islamic thought.

Avicenna (Ibn Sina)

Influential Persian philosopher-physician whose works shaped medicine and philosophy in the Islamic world.

Sufi Islam

Islamic mysticism emphasizing personal devotion and inward search; often spread by missionaries and mystics.

Delhi Sultanate jizya policy

Tax policy targeting non-Muslims used to fund state activities and administration.

Mughal Empire

Note: A later development (not detailed in the provided notes); term included for completeness of the broader South Asia state-building context.

Household/court rituals (kowtow, ritual imitation)

Ceremonial practices reflecting political authority and cultural exchange within empires.

Marco Polo's Travels

Medieval European travel writing that shaped Europe’s understanding of Asia, though with biases and limitations.