AP Human Culture Vocab Part 1

Traditional/Folk Culture (Local)

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

Popular/Globalized culture

Culture found in a large, heterogeneous society that shares certain habits despite differences in other personal characteristics.

Indigenous culture

a culture group that constitutes the original inhabitants of a territory, distinct from the dominant national culture, which is often derived from colonial occupation.

material culture

the art, housing, clothing, sports, dances, foods, and other similar items constructed or created by a group of people

nonmaterial culture

The beliefs, practices, aesthetics, and values of a group of people.

culture trait

A single element of normal practice in a culture, such as the wearing of a turban.

Acculturation

The adoption of cultural traits, such as language, by one group under the influence of another.

Assimilation

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

cultural syncretism

When an aspect of two or more distinct cultures blend together to create a new custom, idea, practice, or philosophy.

cultural appropriation

the process by which cultures adopt customs and knowledge from other cultures and use them for their own benefit

Neolocalism

The seeking out of the regional culture and reinvigoration of it in response to the uncertainty of the modern world.

ethnic neighborhoods/enclaves

People of the same ethnicity that cluster together in a specific location, typically within a major city.

Commodification

the process though which something is given monetary value

Placelessness

the loss of uniqueness of place in the cultural landscape so that one place looks like the next

Placemaking

The deliberate shaping of an environment to facilitate social interaction and improve a community's quality of life.

built environment

The man-made surroundings that provide the setting for human activity, ranging in scale from personal shelter to neighborhoods to the large-scale civic surroundings.

Sacred Places

A place marked for holy or religious purposes.

gender

the socially constructed roles and characteristics by which a culture defines male and female

Segregation

Separation of people based on racial, ethnic, or other differences

Ethnicity

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

gendered

In terms of a place, whether the place is designed for or claimed by men or women (Salons/Barber Shops)

Ethnocentrism

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

Multiculturalism

A perspective recognizing the cultural diversity of the United States and promoting equal standing for all cultural traditions

cultural convergence

The tendency for cultures to become more alike as they increasingly share technology and organizational structures in a modern world united by improved transportation and communication.

cultural divergence

The likelihood or tendency for cultures to become increasingly dissimilar with the passage of time.

language

A system of communication through the use of speech, a collection of sounds understood by a group of people to have the same meaning. (English)

Dialect

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

language families

group of related languages that have all developed from one earlier language (Indo European)

Subfamilies (language)

divisions within a language family where the commonalities are more definite and the origin is more recent (Romance, Germanic)