Unit 3 AP HUG

Culture

The shared practices

Cultural traits

Individual elements of culture such as food

Cultural complex

A group of interrelated cultural traits.

Culture hearth

The geographic origin or home of a culture or innovation.

Diffuse

To spread ideas

Taboos

Behaviors or practices prohibited by cultural norms.

Traditional culture

Long-established customs passed down within a group.

Folk culture

Localized traditions practiced by small

Indigenous culture

The original culture of native or first peoples in a region.

Globalization

The increasing interconnectedness of people and places worldwide.

Popular culture

Widespread cultural traits found in large

Global culture

Common cultural elements shared across the world due to globalization.

Cultural landscape

Visible imprint of human activity on the physical environment.

Artifact

Physical objects that reflect material culture.

Material culture

Tangible items produced by members of a society.

Mentifacts

Ideas

Non-material culture

Intangible aspects such as language

Sociofacts

Structures and institutions that organize social relationships.

Placelessness

Loss of unique cultural identity in places due to standardization.

Built environment

Human-modified landscapes including buildings and infrastructure.

Traditional architecture

Designs reflecting regional building styles and local materials.

Postmodern architecture

Eclectic

Contemporary architecture

Modern building styles using innovation

Ethnic enclaves

Neighborhoods with high concentration of a particular ethnicity.

Cultural regions

Areas where people share similar cultural traits.

Cultural realms

Largest scale areas sharing related cultural complexes and regions.

Sacred place

Location with religious or spiritual significance.

Diaspora

Scattering of a group of people from their original homeland.

Charter group

First ethnic group to establish cultural norms in an area.

Ethnic islands

Small

Sequent occupancy

Successive societies leaving cultural imprints on a landscape.

Neo-localism

Revival of regional culture in response to globalization.

Cultural patterns

The spatial distribution of cultural traits and features.

Ethnicity

Group identity based on shared ancestry and cultural heritage.

Nationality

Identity based on shared allegiance to a state.

Centripetal forces

Factors that unify and stabilize a country.

Centrifugal forces

Factors that divide and destabilize a country.

Sharia

Islamic system of law based on religious principles.

Blue laws

Laws restricting activities based on religious tradition.

Fundamentalism

Strict adherence to basic religious beliefs.

Democracies

Governments where people elect representatives and leaders.

Ethnocentrism

Judging other cultures based on one’s own cultural standards.

Cultural relativism

Understanding a culture by its own norms and values.

Cultural appropriation

Adoption of cultural elements by another culture

Diffusion

The spread of cultural traits or innovations over space and time.

Relocation diffusion

Spread of culture through movement of people.

Expansion diffusion

Spread of an innovation outward from its hearth.

Contagious diffusion

Rapid

Hierarchical diffusion

Spread from nodes of power or authority to other areas.

Reverse hierarchical diffusion

Spread from lower classes or small places to elites or large centers.

Stimulus diffusion

Spread of an idea after being modified to fit a new culture.

Imperialism

Domination of one state over another politically or economically.

Colonialism

Control and settlement of territory by a foreign power.

Animism

Belief that natural objects possess spiritual essence.

Native speakers

People who learned a language as their first language.

Lingua franca

Common language used for trade or communication between groups.

Slang

Informal language used within specific groups.

Pidgin language

Simplified language formed between groups without a common tongue.

Creole language

Stable language formed from mix of colonizer and indigenous tongues.

Social constructs

Ideas created and accepted by societies as natural or real.

Time-space convergence

Reduction in travel time between places due to technology.

Cultural convergence

When cultures become more similar through interaction.

Cultural divergence

When cultures become more distinct over time.

Linguists

Scholars who study language and its structure.

Language tree

Diagram showing relationships among language families.

Indo-European language family

Major family including most languages of Europe and South Asia.

Romance languages

Languages descended from Latin such as Spanish and French.

Isoglosses

Boundaries marking variations in language use.

Dialects

Regional variations of a language.

Adages

Traditional sayings that express common experiences or truths.

Toponyms

Place names reflecting cultural or physical geography.

Official language

Language designated by government for public use.

Homogenous

Having a uniform cultural composition.

Adherents

Followers or believers of a religion.

Ethnic religions

Faiths tied to a particular ethnic group or location.

Universal religion

Faiths that seek followers globally regardless of ethnicity.

Hinduism

Ethnic religion from South Asia emphasizing karma and reincarnation.

Polytheistic

Belief in many gods.

Monotheistic

Belief in one god.

Karma

Belief that actions influence future outcomes.

Caste system

Social hierarchy in Hindu society based on birth.

Buddhism

Religion emphasizing enlightenment through the Four Noble Truths.

Sikhism

Monotheistic religion combining elements of Hinduism and Islam.

Gurdwara

Place of worship for Sikhs.

Judaism

Monotheistic religion based on the covenant between God and Abraham.

Christianity

Monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus.

Islam

Monotheistic religion following the teachings of Muhammad.

Pilgrimage

Journey to a sacred place for religious reasons.

Homogenization

Process where cultures become similar due to globalization.

Acculturation

Adoption of some cultural traits from another group.

Assimilation

Full integration of one cultural group into another.

Syncretism

Blending of different cultural or religious traditions.

Glocalization

Adapting global ideas to fit local contexts.

Multiculturalism

Coexistence of multiple cultural groups in a society.

Nativist

Person favoring native inhabitants over immigrants.