AP Human Geography Unit 3

Physical objects that are significant to individuals or a society

Material culture

Intangible elements of culture (beliefs, religions, languages etc.)

Non-material culture

A group of people within a larger society/culture who share a distinct set of beliefs, values and traditions that aren’t the main culture.

Subculture

• Originates in economically developed countries

• Spreads through hierarchical diffusion

• Individualism and Personal achievements prioritized

• Always evolving

Modern (Pop) Culture

• More homogenous

• Spreads through relocation diffusion

• Religion heavy

• Emphasizes communities, families, and shared experiences

• Influences daily life

• Preservation of traditional practices and resist modern trends

Folk Culture

• Community and traditional values

• Languages, art forms, and spiritual beliefs that are unique

• Passed down through generations

• At risk of being erased

Indigenous Cultures

Being open-minded and accepting of all cultures without viewing it through the bias of your own culture.

Cultural relativism

Judging/criticizing a culture by looking at it though your own culture’s lense and not understanding the values

Ethnocentrism

Human influences visible on natural landscape

• Religious

• Linguistic

• Architecture

• Agricultural

• Infrastructure

Cultural Landscape

How different cultures have left a mark on an area throughout history

Sequent occupancy

• Strong emotional connection/perception people have about a specific place

• Opposite is placelessness

Sense of Place

Community comes together to give their area a sense of place

Placemaking

Aspects of society that divide a community

• Cultural, linguistic, or religious differences

Centrifugal forces

Aspects of culture that unite a society

• Shared history, languages, cultural values and/or beliefs

Centripetal forces

The physical movement of a culture from one place to another

Relocation diffusion

The spread of a cultural trait through a personal contact

• Spread through colonialism

Expansion Diffusion

Virulent spread of a culture without regard to social standing

Contagious diffusion

Spread of culture from top to lower social classes

Hierarchical diffusion

When a certain trait of an idea is rejected but the idea itself is modified to fit the culture in the area.

Stimulus Diffusion

The process of two cultures/languages converging to create a new culture/language

• Influenced by colonization

Creolization

When individuals become separated from certain aspects of their culture (reject cultural traits)

Cultural Divergence

When different cultures emerge to create a modern/global culture

Cultural convergence

• Seek to appeal to everyone and to spread the belief to as many as possible

• Expansion and relocation diffusion

• Ex. Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism

Universalizing religions

• Religions that are centered around a certain cultural/ethnic group in one location

• Do not seek to convert anyone

• Hinduism and Judaism

• Stimulus and relocation diffusion

Ethnic religions

A group of language that share a common ancestor

Language family

A subdivision of a language family that share certain characteristics

Language branch

A group of languages that are form the same branch and share similar sentence structures, vocabulary and grammar

Language group

When people adopt the cultural norms and traits of a dominant society (often forced)

Assimilation

When someone adopts certain traits of another culture

Acculturation

When two or more cultures evolve over time similarly but remain culturally separate

Syncretism

When a society has a diversity of cultures that co-exist peacefully

Multiculturalism