APHG Unit 3 vocab

Acculturation

(n.) the modification of the social patterns, traits, or structures of one group or society by contact with those of another; the resultant blend

Assimilation

the social process of absorbing one cultural group into harmony with another

Colonialism

Attempt by one country to establish settlements and to impose its political, economic, and cultural principles in another territory.

Culture

Beliefs, customs, and traditions of a specific group of people.

Convergence

contact and interaction of one culture and another

Cultural Hearth

Heartland, source area, innovation center; place of origin of a major culture.

Cultural Landscape

tangible result of a human group's interaction with its environment

Expansion Diffusion

The spread of a feature or trend among people from one area to another in a snowballing process.

Relocation Diffusion

The spread of a feature or trend through bodily movement of people from one place to another.

Contagious Diffusion

The rapid, widespread diffusion of a feature or trend throughout a population.

Hierarchical Diffusion

diffusion spreading top-down (reverse is bottom-up); big hubs are affected first and then smaller and smaller places; can skip over space

Stimulus Diffusion

The spread of an underlying principle, even though a specific characteristic is rejected.

Ethnic Religions

Religions found among people of one ethnic group and that generally have not spread into other cultures

Ethnicity

Identity with a group of people that share distinct cultural traditions of a specific homeland

Ethnocentrism

Belief in the superiority of one's nation or ethnic group.

Folk Culture

Culture traditionally practiced by a small, homogeneous, rural group living in relative isolation from other groups.

Genocide

Deliberate extermination of a racial or cultural group

Imperialism

a state policy of extending a nation's power and dominion over other regions, typically through direct territorial acquisition, military force, or indirect political and economic control

Indigenous

native to a certain area

Lingua Franca

A language mutually understood and commonly used in trade by people who have different native languages

Monotheistic

Belief in one God, as opposed to many

Nationalism

A strong feeling of pride in and devotion to one's country

Multiculturalism

belief that different cultures in a nation should be respected and preserved

Race

A group of human beings distinguished by physical traits, blood types, genetic code patterns or genetically inherited characteristics.

Racism

Belief that one race is superior to another

Polytheistic

Belief in many gods, as opposed to just one.

Taboo

A restriction on behavior imposed by social custom.

Universalizing Religion

A religion that attempts to appeal to all people, not just those living in a particular location.

Relativism

the doctrine that knowledge, truth, and morality exist in relation to culture, society, or historical context, and are not absolute.

Sequent Occupance

the notion that successive societies leave their cultural imprints on a place, each contributing to the cumulative cultural landscape

Centripetal Force

An attitude that tends to unify people and enhance support for a state

Centrifugal Force

a force that divides people and countries

Creolization

linguistic elements from different societies blend and transform to form a new identity or language

Time-space convergence

The idea that distance between some places is actually shrinking as technology enables more rapid communication and increased interaction among those places

Divergence

the act of splitting off into different directions

Dialect

A regional variety of a language distinguished by vocabulary, spelling, and pronunciation.

Syncretism

a blending of cultures who are in contact, creating a whole new culture/element