AP HUG U3 (Culture)

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)

language

our spoken, written, or signed words and the ways we combine them to communicate meaning

Dialect

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

language families

large groups of languages having similar roots

Subfamilies (language)

divisions within a language family where the commonalities are more definite and the origin is more recent

ligua franca

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

pidgin language

A form of speech that adopts a simplified grammar and limited vocabulary of a lingua franca, used for communications among speakers of two different languages.

Creole language

a language that began as a pidgin language but was later adopted as the mother tongue by a people in a place of the mother tongue

monolingual

Speaking only one language

multilingual

speaking several languages

Toponym

the name given to a place on Earth

Indo-European languages

languages from the indo-european family. Spoken by half of the world's people, and includes, among others, the germanic, romance, and slavic subfamilies.

Isogloss

A boundary that separates regions in which different language usages predominate.

Secularism

An indifference to religion and a belief that religion should be excluded from civic affairs and public education.

Universalizing Religion

Religion that seeks to unite people from all over the globe.

ethnic religion

a religion that is particular to one culturally distinct group of people

animistic religion

The belief that inanimate objects, such as hills, trees, rocks, rivers, and other elements of the natural landscape, possess souls and can help or hinder human efforts on Earth

Hinduism

A religion native to India, featuring belief in many gods, cast system, dharma, karma and reincarnation

Buddhism

Belief system that started in India in the 500s BC. Happiness can be achieved through removal of one's desires. Believers seek enlightenment and the overcoming of suffering.

Sikhism

the doctrines of a monotheistic religion founded in northern India in the 16th century by Guru Nanak and combining elements of Hinduism and Islam

Christianity

A monotheistic system of beliefs and practices based on the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus as embodied in the New Testament and emphasizing the role of Jesus as savior.

Judaism

A religion with a belief in one god. It originated with Abraham and the Hebrew people. Yahweh was responsible for the world and everything within it. They preserved their early history in the Old Testament.

Islam

A religion based on the teachings of the prophet Mohammed which stresses belief in one god (Allah), Paradise and Hell, and a body of law written in the Quran. Followers are called Muslims.

Taoism

A Chinese philosophy in which people live a simple life in harmony with nature.

Protestantism

a form of Christianity that was in opposition to the Catholic Church

Catholic Church

Branch of Christianity established in 1054 and establishes itself in Western Europe. Noted for its separation from the political sphere, celibacy in its clergy, and instance of the bishop of Rome, or pope, as its ultimate authority in Christian belief and practice.

Eastern Orthodox Church

Christian followers in the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire); split from Roman Catholic Church and shaped life in eastern Europe and western Asia

Sunni

A branch of Islam whose members acknowledge the first four caliphs as the rightful successors of Muhammad

Shia

the branch of Islam whose members acknowledge Ali and his descendants as the rightful successors of Muhammad

Shamanism

The practice of identifying special individuals (shamans) who will interact with spirits for the benefit of the community.

Pilgrimage

A journey to a place considered sacred for religious purposes.

intrafaith boundaries

boundaries within a single major faith

interfaith boundaries

boundaries between the world's major faiths

Sacred Places

A place marked for holy or religious purposes.