APHG Unit 3 Test: Cultural Patterns and Processes

Expansion Diffusion

The innovation, idea or cultural trait spreads out from a particular hearth. The idea or trait itself moves from one place to another. Three types: Hierarchical, Contagious, Stimulus,

Hierarchical Diffusion

The spread of an idea from persons or nodes of authority or power to other persons or places of authority (Expansion)

Contagious Diffusion

A phenomenon spreads to nearby areas, rippling out from the hearth.  Depends on contact, close communication (Internet has really sped up this type of diffusion), and observation. (Expansion)

Example: Bottle Flipping

Stimulus Diffusion

The spread of an underlying principle, even if the characteristics do not accompany it (Expansion)

example: McDonald’s menus are different around the world

Relocation Diffusion

The movement of a particular phenomenon due to the migration of people. People bring the trait with them.

3 Types: Syncretism, Assimilation, Acculturation

Syncretism

An amalgamation/combining/ merging or incorporation of different  cultural traits, so that something completely new is created 

Assimilation

The adoption of a new culture and the abandonment of most aspects of an original culture. (think melting pot)

Example: Native American Boarding Schools

Acculturation

The adoption of, or learning how to operate within a new dominant culture while still holding on to elements of your original culture (think salad bowl)

Cultural Landscapes

The visible imprint of human activity and culture on the landscape; the "built environment" created by a cultural group (e.g., buildings, farms, religious sites).

Cultural Complexes

A unique combination of interrelated cultural traits (like artifacts, beliefs, and social norms) that defines a particular culture (e.g., the combination of traits associated with raising cattle in Maasai culture).

Cultural Artifact

Any object made by humans that provides information about the culture of its creator and users (e.g., tools, clothing, art, architecture).

Cultural Hearth

A center of innovation and origin from which a particular cultural trait or idea diffuses (e.g., the Nile River Valley for early civilization).

Social construction of space

The idea that the meaning, use, and significance of a place are not inherent but are created and defined by the social and cultural beliefs of the people who inhabit it.

Dialect

A regional or social variety of a language distinguished by pronunciation, grammar, or vocabulary.

Vernacular

The everyday language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region (as opposed to a formal or literary language).

Pidgin

A simplified form of speech that blends elements of two or more languages, used for communication between groups that don't share a common language (has no native speakers).

Creole

A language that results from a pidgin language becoming the native language of a community; it is more complex and has fully developed grammar.

Lingua Franca

A language mutually understood and commonly used in trade or communication by people who have different native languages (e.g., English, Swahili).

Language Families

A group of languages related through descent from a common ancestral language (e.g., Indo-European, Sino-Tibetan).

Ethnic Cluster

A geographic concentration of people from a particular ethnic group, often forming distinct neighborhoods ("enclaves") within a larger city or region.

Sex and Gender

• Sex refers to the biological and physiological characteristics (e.g., chromosomes, hormones) that define humans as female, male, or intersex. Gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviors, expressions, and identities of people

Race and Ethnicity

Race is a social construct that groups people based on perceived physical characteristics (like skin color). Ethnicity refers to a group's shared cultural identity, language, ancestry, or national origin.

Identity

How an individual or group defines themselves, based on factors like ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, or other social and cultural affiliations.

Christianity

Christianity originated in the Eastern Mediterranean (Israel/Palestine) around 30 CE, based on the life and teachings of Jesus. It spread initially through contagious diffusion by apostles and relocation diffusion along Roman trade routes. Its diffusion accelerated hierarchically after Emperor Constantine's conversion and later became global through European colonization. The main branches are Roman Catholic, Protestant (which includes many denominations like Baptist and Lutheran), and Eastern Orthodox.

Its 2.4 billion adherents are roughly split between the Americas (North and Latin), Europe, and Sub-Saharan Africa. The country with the largest Christian population is the United States.

Islam

Islam originated in Mecca and Medina (Saudi Arabia) around 610 CE, based on the revelations to the Prophet Muhammad recorded in the Quran. It diffused rapidly through expansion (conquest) and relocation diffusion across North Africa, the Middle East, and Spain. It later spread via contagious and relocation diffusion along trade routes to Indonesia and Sub-Saharan Africa. The two main branches, which split over succession, are Sunni (the majority) and Shia (the minority, concentrated in Iran and Iraq).

The majority (over 60%) of its 1.9-2.0 billion adherents live in the Asia-Pacific region. Not the Middle East. The country with the single largest Muslim population is Indonesia.

Buddhism

Buddhism originated in Northern India/Nepal around 500 BCE from the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha). It spread hierarchically when Emperor Ashoka sent missionaries throughout his empire and beyond. It later diffused through relocation and contagious diffusion along the Silk Road into East Asia and by sea to Southeast Asia, largely fading from its hearth. The main branches are Mahayana (common in East Asia), Theravada (common in Southeast Asia), and Vajrayana (common in Tibet).

This religion is also highly concentrated. The vast majority of its 500 million adherents live in the Asia-Pacific region. About half of all Buddhists live in China, with other large populations in Southeast Asia (like Thailand and Myanmar) and East Asia (like Japan).

Hinduism

Hinduism is an ancient ethnic religion that originated in the Indus River Valley (modern-day Pakistan/India) over 4,000 years ago. It has no single founder but is a syncretic blend of indigenous Dravidian and Indo-Aryan beliefs. Because it is an ethnic faith, it spread almost exclusively through relocation diffusion (the migration of its followers) and remains highly concentrated in its hearth (India and Nepal). It doesn't have "branches" in the same way as other faiths, but its main traditions (or denominations) are Vaishnavism (focused on Vishnu), Shaivism (Shiva), Shaktism (the divine feminine, Devi), and Smartism (which accepts all major deities as forms of one ultimate reality)

This is the most geographically concentrated major religion. Over 97% of its 1.2 billion adherents live in just three countries: India, Nepal, and Mauritius. The vast majority are in India.

Judaism

Judaism is one of the oldest monotheistic ethnic religions, originating in the Eastern Mediterranean (Canaan/Israel) with foundational figures like Abraham (c. 2000 BCE) and Moses (c. 1300 BCE). As an ethnic faith, it diffused almost entirely through relocation diffusion, most notably during the Jewish Diaspora (the forced dispersal of Jewish people from their homeland by the Romans in 70 CE). This created communities worldwide (e.g., Ashkenazi, Sephardic, Mizrahi). The main, modern branches (or denominations) are based on interpretations of Jewish law: Orthodox (most traditional), Conservative, and Reform (most adapted to modern life)

This is a highly concentrated ethnic religion. Of its ~15 million adherents, over 80% live in just two countries: the United States and Israel.

Globalization

The increasing interconnectedness of the world's economies, cultures, and populations, driven by cross-border trade, technology, and flows of investment, people, and information.

Linguists

Scholars who scientifically study language, including its structure, history, and relationship to culture.

Indo-European Language Family

The world's largest language family, a group of languages (including English, Spanish, Hindi, Russian, and Persian) all descended from a common ancestral language.

Romance languages

A sub-family of Indo-European languages that all evolved from Vulgar Latin (the language of the Roman Empire), such as Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, and Romanian.

Isoglosses

A boundary line on a map that marks the geographic limit of a specific linguistic feature (like the pronunciation of a word or a point of grammar). *

Adages

A short proverb or saying that expresses a general truth or common observation (e.g., "The early bird gets the worm").

Toponyms

A place name, especially one that reveals something about the history, geography, or culture of that location (e.g., "Salt Lake City" is named for the nearby geographic feature).

Homogenization

The process of cultures becoming more alike and uniform, often seen as a result of globalization where dominant (e.g., Western) popular culture spreads.

Glocalization

The practice of adapting a global product or service to fit the culture and preferences of a local market (e.g., McDonald's selling a McSpicy Paneer in India).

Time-space convergence

The idea that technological advancements in transportation and communication have reduced the perceived distance between places, making the world "feel smaller."

Cultural Convergence

The tendency for cultures to become more alike as they increasingly share technology, ideas, and cultural traits through globalization.

Cultural Divergence

The process of cultures becoming less similar, often through isolation or a conscious effort to protect and differentiate a culture.

Cultural appropriation

The unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, or ideas of one cultural group (often a minority or marginalized group) by members of another, typically dominant, culture.

Placelessness

The loss of a place's unique character or identity, resulting in standardized landscapes that could be anywhere (e.g., strip malls, chain hotels).

Imperialism

The policy or ideology of extending a country's power and influence over other territories through diplomacy or military force.

Colonialism

The specific practice of acquiring political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically.

Centripetal Forces

Forces that unify a state or group of people (e.g., a shared religion, a common language, a national identity, a strong economy).

Centrifugal

Forces that divide a state or group of people (e.g., differing religions or languages, ethnic conflicts, political instability).

Social Constructs

Ideas or concepts (like race, gender, or money) that do not have a natural or inherent existence but are created and given meaning by a society.

Ethnocentrism

Evaluating other cultures based on the standards and customs of one's own culture, often with an implication of superiority.

Slang

Very informal, non-standard words and phrases used by a particular group of people, often changing rapidly.

Material Culture

The physical, tangible objects, resources, and spaces that people create and use to define their culture (e.g., clothing, tools, architecture, art).

Nonmaterial Culture

The intangible ideas, beliefs, values, and norms that shape a society (includes Mentifacts and Sociofacts).

Mentifacts

The central, ideological elements of a culture; its ideas, beliefs, and values (e.g., religious beliefs, language, philosophical principles).

Sociofacts

The social structures and institutions of a culture that guide human behavior (e.g., family structure, government, legal systems, education).

Indigenous Culture

The culture of the original inhabitants (Aboriginal, Native) of a specific territory, often distinct from a dominant or colonial culture.

Folk Culture

Culture traditionally practiced by small, homogeneous, rural groups living in relative isolation; it is slow to change and deeply tied to place.

Traditional Culture

Practices, beliefs, and customs of small, homogeneous groups living in relative isolation. A broad term for cultural practices, beliefs, and objects that are passed down through generations and are often synonymous with folk or indigenous culture.

Popular and Global Culture

Popular culture is found in large, heterogeneous societies; it is mass-produced, spreads rapidly (often by hierarchical diffusion), and changes quickly. Global culture is popular culture on a global scale.

Cultural Regions

A geographic area where people share a number of similar cultural traits (like language, religion, or livelihood).

Cultural Realms

A large-scale geographic area that groups together cultural regions sharing a broad cultural identity (e.g., "Latin America" or "Sub-Saharan Africa").

Traditional Architecture

Building styles that use local materials and are based on long-standing local needs and cultural traditions.

Postmodern Architecture

A mid-20th-century style that was a reaction against modernism; it features playfulness, decoration, color, and references to historical styles

Contemporary Architecture

Architecture of the present day (21st century); often features sustainable materials, open forms, and computer-designed, unconventional shapes.

Sequent Occupancy

The theory that successive societies leave their cultural imprints on a place, each contributing to the cumulative cultural landscape over time.

Neolocalism

The conscious effort by an ethnic group to re-establish and celebrate its culture in a new place, often to resist homogenization.

Taboos

A behavior that is strongly prohibited or forbidden by social or religious custom (e.g., dietary restrictions like not eating pork in Islam or Judaism).

Diffuse

To spread out over a large area; the process of diffusion

Reverse Hierarchical Diffusion

The spread of a cultural trend from a lower-status group or small town up to higher-status groups or large cities (e.g., hip-hop music, tattoos, Walmart).

Multiculturalism

The social or political policy that promotes the co-existence of diverse cultures, ethnicities, and religions within a single society.

Nativist

A person or policy that favors the interests of native-born or long-established inhabitants over those of immigrants.

Diaspora

A population of people who are scattered or dispersed from their original homeland (e.g., the Jewish Diaspora, the African Diaspora).

Charter Group

The first ethnic group to arrive and establish a permanent, viable community and cultural landscape in a new territory.

Ethnic Enclave

A geographic area with a high concentration of a particular ethnic group, typically in an urban area (e.g., Chinatown, Little Italy).

Ethnic Island

Small, rural settlements founded by a single ethnic group that maintain a distinct cultural identity in a larger, different cultural region.

The followers or believers in a particular religion, faith, or ideology.

Adherents

Universalizing Religion

A religion that attempts to be global, appealing to all people, and actively seeks new converts (e.g., Christianity, Islam, Buddhism).

Ethnic Religion

A religion that is closely tied to a specific ethnic group or place, often passed down through heredity and not actively seeking converts (e.g., Hinduism, Judaism, Shinto).

Expansion Diffusion of Religion

The spread of a religion in an additive way, such as through contagious diffusion (person-to-person, like a wave) or hierarchical diffusion (from leaders/elites down).

Animism

The belief that non-human entities (like animals, plants, and inanimate objects or natural phenomena) possess a spiritual essence.

Karma

In Hinduism and Buddhism, the sum of a person's actions in this and previous lives, viewed as deciding their fate in future existences.

Caste system

A rigid, hereditary social hierarchy, most famously associated with Hinduism in India, that traditionally dictates a person's social status and occupation.

Sikhism

A monotheistic, universalizing religion founded in the 15th century in the Punjab region (India) by Guru Nanak.

Gurdwara

The place of worship for Sikhs.

Pilgrimage

A journey to a sacred place for religious devotion or ritual.

Sacred place

A location (like a mountain, river, or building) that is considered holy or has special spiritual significance to a religious group.

Sharia

The religious legal system of Islam, based on the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (Hadith).

Blue laws

(Primarily in the U.S.) Laws that restrict or ban certain secular activities (like selling alcohol or shopping) on Sundays for religious reasons.

Fundamentalism

A form of religion that upholds a strict, literal interpretation of its foundational scriptures and often resists modernization.

Theocracies

A system of government in which religious leaders rule in the name of God or a god