Culture
compiled knowledge of beliefs, technologies, traditions, and customs
Cultural landscape
area with multiple layers of history including crests, symbols, and flags
Syncretic culture
a culture containing aspects of many other cultures
Non-rhotic
describing the accent New Englanders have where they drop the Rs
Built environment
structures built for the purpose of residence, business, politics, recreation, or worship
Relocation diffusion
spread of ideas or beliefs through relocation and migration
Cape Cods
architectural style common in New England and middle Atlantic states
Tudors
architectural style based on medieval British and French designs
Georgian
architectural style featuring rectangles and symmetrical shapes
Painted Ladies (of San Francisco)
freestanding homes with large windows, raised stairways, and multiple colors
Basilicas
central places of worship
Onion domes
featured on many Russian Orthodox churches
Pagoda
Buddhist temples with splayed roofs and supporting columns
Stupa
type of Buddhist architecture featuring simple domes
Art deco
European cubist designs
Frank Lloyd Wright
popular architect who used geometric exterior design patterns
Dialect
an accent, key terms/phrases, and style of pronunciation within a language
Pidgin
simplified form of a language without consistent grammar or syntax
Patois
syncretic languages made up of a dominant language and the original one
Anatolian theory
Indo-Europeans migrated from India to Anatolia and then Europe
Kurgan theory
Indo-Europeans migrated from India to Central Asia and the Caucuses and then Europe
Haute cuisine
French term for “high cooking," meaning high-end and elevated meals
Fusion cuisine
cuisine combining elements of many cuisines and methods of preparation
Columbian Exchange
the widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, technology, diseases, and ideas
Folk music
music particular to a certain group
Musical acculturation
the process where a society’s music undergoes changes due to internal or external cultural influences
Sericulture
raising silkworms to produce silk
Religion
system of beliefs regarding morality, human nature, and the existence of divine powers
Universal religion
religion is applicable to all at any time
Ethnic religion
belief systems attributed to a group not encouraging to join
Organized religion
a structured system of faith or worship
Fundamentalists
those with stricter adherence to religious rules
Monotheistic
believing in one god
Polytheistic
believing in multiple gods
Scriptures
religious texts important to the structure of the belief system
Animism
belief in divine forces present in natural elements/life
Voodoo
syncretic practice combining Catholicism and traditional African beliefs
Vedic tradition
religious traditions based on the Vedas (ancient Hindu scriptures)
Abrahamic tradition
religious traditions based on the importance of Abraham
Zoroastrianism
monotheistic religion emphasizing divine judgement and duality
Reincarnation
belief in the cycle of rebirth after death
Caste system
Hindu social hierarchy
Jainism
religion emphasizing right belief, right knowledge, and right conduct
Tirthankaras
spiritual prophets
Siddhartha Gautama
founder of Buddhism
Four Noble Truths
important ideas in the Buddha’s teachings
Eightfold Path
steps to achieving enlightenment
Nirvana
divine oneness with all creation
Hebrew
Semitic language most spoken in Israel
Aramaic
style of script used by ancient Middle Eastern Jews
Torah
Jewish religious scriptures
Jesus of Nazareth
founder/main figure in Christianity
Gospels
teaching and revelations of Christ in the Bible
St. Paul
Roman Jewish tax collector who spread Christianity
Emperor Constantine
converted to Christianity and unified the Roman Empire
Council of Nicaea
the first council intended to address all believers
Dionysius Exiguus
monk who developed the BC/AD system of dating
1054 Schism
split into the Roman Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox Church
Protestant Reformation
split of Protestant Church from the Roman Catholic Church
Muhammad
founder of Islam
“Golden Age” of Islam
period of flourishing in the Muslim world from the 8th to 13th century
Parsis
Zoroastrians that fled to India
Christendom
traditionally Christian areas of the world
Secularism
lack of religion
Laicite
French term for the separation of church and state
Sant Jordi
Spanish holiday celebrated on April 23rd in Catalonia
Slava
celebration of a family patron saint
Confessionalism
religious control of government/politics
Sharia
Islamic law
Sectarian violence
violence between different religious groups
Folklore
collection of spoken or written stories containing ideas about morality, identity, and culture
Archetypes
common character category/description
Mythology
narratives that surround the origin of societies
Homer
ancient Greek poet and author
Sagas
epic poems from the viking era of Scandinavian history
Beowulf
Old English epic poem
Ramayana
story of Lord Ram, important epic in Hinduism
Fairytales
stories with supernatural elements
Hans Christian Anderson
Danish writer who published traditional fairytales
Feudalism
nobles owned land including farmland, forests, and water sources
Serfdom
serfs are tied to a noble’s land and give them a share of profit
Encomienda
Spanish crown granted conquistadors land and indigenous slaves
Sharecropping
former enslaved people living and working on plantations
Suburban
residential areas located on the edges of a larger town or city
Appellations
brand names protected by trade rules
Nation
a group of people with a common culture, language, and history
nationality
one’s citizenship by country
ethnicity
a cultural group with common historical ties, potentially unrelated to political borders
homogeneous
being from/sharing the same background
heterogeneous
being from diverse backgrounds
Stateless nations
nations or ethnic groups who lack an independent country
Genocide
violence intended to exterminate a group of people
Ethnic cleansing
the attempt to remove an ethnic group from a particular region
Race
characteristics of people who share common genetic origins
Indigenous people
those who originally settled in an area
Mestizo
mixed Amerindian and European
Mulatto
mixed European and African
Garifuna
those of African and European descent in Central America
Creoles
those of European, Amerindian, and African descent from Louisiana, the Antilles, and the Caribbean
Segregation
deliberate or physical separation between races