ap hug unit 3: cultural patterns and processes

culture

shared practices, technologies, attitudes, and behaviors transmitted by the members of a society that are not the result of biological inheritance (socially constructed)

ethnicity

Identity with a group of people that share distinct physical and mental traits as a product of common heredity and cultural traditions.

race

historical classification that is used to categorize human populations with shared physical traits (not culture)

examples of ethnicity

hispanic, german, italian, hmong, japanese

examples of race

white, black, asian, native, pacific islander

culture trait

a single attribute of a culture, such as food preferences, architecture, and land use

material culture trait examples

clothing, food, literature/art, houses/public buildings

nonmaterial culture trait examples

language/religion, education systems, government/law systems, music/holidays

ethnocentrism

judging another culture based on the values of one's own culture (language, religion, customs)

cultural relativism

the idea that a person's beliefs, values, and practices should be understood based on that person's own culture, rather than be judged against the criteria of another

cultural landscape

the combination of physical features, agricultural and industrial practices, religious and linguistic characteristics, sequent occupancy, traditional and postmodern architecture, and land use patterns

sequent occupance

the combined imprint on an area when it has been inhabited by a succession of cultures

examples of sequent occupance

buildings, transportation systems, farms, irrigation, recreation facilities

indigenous communities

the original settlers of an area (pre-invasion/colonialism) who have retained their culture apart from the colonizers

ethnic neighborhood

an area within a city occupied by a distinctive minority culture

gender

social and cultural differences between males and females (not biological differences)

gender role

learned behaviors that are deemed appropriate to gender as determined by cultural norms

role of women in workforce

women engaged in paid work outside the home has increased substantially over the 2nd half of the 20th century

gendered spaces

areas in which gender expression is either welcome or unwelcome

gendered space examples

public restrooms divided by gender, public space and private home belonging to men and women respectively

sense of place

term used to connote attachment to and comfort in a particular place with a strong identity that is deeply felt by inhabitants

strong sense of place

sense of place that is felt by visitors as well as inhabitants

place making

how a culture makes a place fit their identity by shaping the landscape to show what they believe and value (buildings, statues, sacred sites, etc.)

centripetal forces

forces that unite a country

centrifugal forces

forces that divide a country

cultural diffusion

the spread of an idea, innovation, cultural trend, or disease from its source area to other areas

relocation diffusion

type of cultural diffusion when an innovation or idea spreads by the actual movement of individuals who have adopted the idea and carry it to a new place

relocation diffusion examples

the spread of christianity to the new world, the spread of spanish and english to the new world

expansion diffusion

type of cultural diffusion when an innovation or idea develops in a source area and remains strong there while also spreading outward the innovation or idea moves through fixed populations (wave-like)

3 types of expansion diffusion

contagious, hierarchical, stimulus

contagious diffusion

type of expansion diffusion where nearly all individuals are affected as it spreads outward

hierarchial diffusion

type of expansion diffusion when particular groups are affected as it leapfrogs over areas

stimulus diffusion

type of expansion diffusion where a small portion of the population adopts an idea or modifies it

Lingua Franca

a language mutually understood by people who speak different languages, usually for the purpose of trade

creolization

The blending of African, European, and some Amerindian cultural elements into the unique sociocultural systems found in the Caribbean.

examples of creolization

Haitian Creole, Santeria religion

colonialism

the policy of acquiring control over another country, occupying it with settlers and exploiting it economically

cultural imperialism

dominance of one culture over another, historically, often occurred as a result of colonization

trade

people move from place to place around the world as they trade and come into contact with new ideas and cultural practices

culture is socially constructed

the practices and beliefs (culture) that appear to be natural and obvious to people who accept it, but are actually learned behaviors

culture change

occurs through media, technological change, politics, economics, and social relationships

globalization

the process of increased interconnectedness among countries most notably in the areas of economics, politics, and culture

urbanization

refers to the movement of people to towns/cities and the resulting expansion of the rural countryside to absorb increase in people

time-space convergence

increasing connectivity between cultures that occurs as a result of communication technology

cultural convergence

cultures become more alike as their interactions increase

cultural divergence

the tendency for culture groups to disassociate from others in order to protect or preserve their culture from influence or change

local culture (folk culture)

culture traits of usually small, traditional, homogenous, rural communities

loss of indigenous languages

consequence of colonialism and policies of assimilation

culture hearth

the source of civilization: place where a civilization began and their ideas and practices spread to surrounding areas

civilization

a society with an advanced state of social development possessing recordkeeping, advanced cities, technology, specialized workers, complex institutions

language

method of communication (spoken/written)

language family

a group of languages with a shared but fairly distant origin

dialect

a variant of a standard language along regional or ethnic lines

world religions

belief systems that originated in a hearth and diffused

ethnic cultures

members share cultural heritage, ancestry, origin myth, history, homeland, language/dialect, symbolic systems (religion/mythology), rituals, cuisine, dressing styles, art, or physical appearance

Indo-European language family

family of languages believed to all come from a single language (Proto-Indo-European) that spread outward

conquest theory

theorizes that the source of the Indo-European language lay somewhere in the steppes of present-day Ukraine and Russia more than 5000 years ago and spread by conquerors on horseback who moved westward

agriculture theory

theorizes that the source of the Indo-European language lay somewhere in the mountainous terrain of Anatolia in modern Turkey between 7000 and 9000 years ago and spread with the diffusion of agriculture

Hearth of Judaism/Christianity

Southwest Asia (Mediterranean Sea)

Hearth of Islam

Southwest Asia (Middle East)

hearth of Buddhism

South Asia (Nepal)

hearth of Hinduism

South Asia (Indus river valley)

hearth of Sikhism

South Asia (India)

Hinduism geographic distribution

Indian subcontinent

Islam geographic distribution

Southwest Asia, Northern Africa, and parts of Southeast Asia

Christianity geographic distribution

Australia, Europe, North America, Central and South America

Buddhism geographic distribution

Southeast Asia, East Asia, South Asia

Judaism

North America, Southwest Asia, Europe, Russia

universalizing religion

religions that actively seek converts because they view themselves as offering belief systems of universal applicability and appeal

universalizing religion examples

Buddhism, Islam, Christianity (BIC)

Buddhism

Founded in northern india with roots of Hinduism (reincarnation)

Christianity

roots in Judaism, founded in Southwest Asia and based on the Old Testament

Roman Catholicism

branch of Christianity prominent in Europe

Protestantism

branch of Christianity prominent in North America and England

Eastern Orthodox

branch of Christianity prominent in Eastern Europe and Russia

Islam

roots in Judaism, founded in Southwest Asia and based on the belief that there is one god, Allah and that Muhammad was his prophet

Sunni Islam

largest branch prominent throughout Southwest Asia and North Africa

Shiite (Shia) Islam

second largest branch found mostly in Iran and parts of Iraq

Sikhism

roots in both Islam (Muhammad) and Hinduism (reincarnation) founded in Northern India

ethnic religion

religions that do not actively seek converts and are generally found near the hearth or spread through relocation diffusion

Hinduism

oldest major religion founded in India, strongly connected to Hindu culture and is based on the belief in reincarnation

Judaism

religion founded in Southwest Asia, believed to be the first monotheistic religion

animism

likely oldest religion, belief that inanimate objects and trees possess spirits and should be revered

assimilation

process in which some members of one cultural group adopt the beliefs and behaviors of another group, but still retain some original uniqueness; often occurs as a result of colonization or immigration

acculturation

process by which a person or persons acquire the social and psychological characteristics of a group and cannot be distinguished from anyone else

multiculturalism

maintaining a diversity of ethnic cultures within a community that are valued and respected for their unique differences

syncretism

development of a new cultural trait as a result of the blending of two distinct but interacting cultures

placelessness

loss of distinct local features (uniqueness) in favor of standardized landscapes which happens as a result of pervasiveness of pop culture and mass production and availability of a wide variety of consumables

pop culture

culture traits of large, heterogeneous, urban populations (usually rapidly changing)

interfaith boundaries

conflict between the world's major faiths

intrafaith boundaries

conflict within a single major faith, such as the different denominations of Christianity or the two branches of Islam

sacred sites (spaces)

areas/places of religious/spiritual significance, including cathedrals, mosques, temples, and cemeteries