AP Hug Unit 3 Vocab Terms Cultral Patterns + Processes

Part 1 & Part 2

Folk Culture

Cultural traditions used at local level which are derived from long-standing cultural practices and SMALL groups (traditional-passed down through generations)

ex: housing styles adapted from local materials

Popular Culture

widely adopted practices being spread quickly over a large area, and are adopted by various groups

ex: K-pop

Indigenous Culture

Unique languages, traditions, beliefs of a regions originals inhabitants. Practice connection to ancestral lands and highly localized. Often face threats of globalization and colonialism.

Material Culture

Physical aspects of a society, the objects made/modified by a human.

Non-material Culture

anything on the landscape that comprised culture that cannot be physically touched

Cultural trait

identify element of a culture

ex: language, food, clothing

Acculturation

ADOPTION of certain cultural and social characteristics of one less dominant culture from a more dominant. (just adopting some traits, creating a BLEND)

Assimilation

process where people loose original traits when they come in contact with another culture. (loss of original cultural identity)

Cultural Syncretism

The process of 2 or more cultural traditions blending together to create new, often from interactions via migration and trade (cultural identity is not fixed but evolve through interactions)

Cultural Appropriation

When a dominant culture adopts customs from other cultures and uses them for their own benefit, while the source culture faces discrimination.

Neocolonialism

The use of economic, political, or cultural control or influence of core countries over peripheral countries.

Ethinc Enclave

area with high concentration of a ethnic group, that is distant from the surrounding population.

ex: little italy

Commodification

Process of transforming a cultural activity that wasn’t originally meant for sale into a sell-able product. Often stripping it from its original meaning.

Placelessness

the loss of a place's unique character

Placemaking

The way elements of a culture are expressed in the physical world

Built environment

All the human-made surroundings that help provide the setting for all human activities (parks, houses, cites, roads)

Sacred Places

A place considered holy to a certain group of people

Gender

Social differences between men and women (identities)

Segregation

the enforced separation of different social, racial, or ethnic groups

Ethnicty

Identification through language, religion, history, origin and characteristics.

Gendered

Areas in which a particular gender of people are considered welcomed or unwelcomed

Ethnocentrism

the belief that one's own culture is superior. “normal” or “best”

Multiculturalism

A country or region that has a coexistence of diverse cultures groups living in close proximity.

Cultural Convergence

Two or more cultures influences each other and become similar with increased contact

Cultural Divergence

Cultures become more difference from other cultures as they become more isolated or spread out from others

Lanuage

A method of human communication

Dialect

a regional or social variation of a language that differs in vocab and pronunciation

Language Familes

a large group of languages sharing a common ancestral tongue (proto-language) from long before recorded history

Subfamiles

Smaller grouping within a language family

Lingua Franca

Common language used for communication between people, mainly TRADE

Pidgin Language

A simplified language that develops as a mean of communication between two or more groups that don’t have a language in common, initially for communication

Monolingual

Someone who can speak or understand only one language

Multilingual

The ability to speak multiple languages

Toponym

the name given to a place on Earth

Indo-European Language

One of the worlds largest language families, which includes all of the languages in Europe, Iran, and the India Subcontinent. (widely spoken)

Secularism

worldwide or political principle that separates religion from other realms of human existence

Universal religons

a faith that seeks to appeal to all people, regardless of culture or location, actively spreading its beliefs through conversion missionary work

ex: Christianity

Ethnic Religion

A faith that is tied to a specific group of ethnicty

Animist Religion

belief in spiritual beings capable of helping or harming human beings and her interests, viewed as interconnected to the world and imunded to life

Hinduism

a major ethnic religion (not universalizing), originating in the Indian subcontinent with no single founder, known for diverse beliefs (Brahman, deities), core concepts (dharma, karma, reincarnation), ancient texts (Vedas, Upanishads), and its connection to India's cultural landscape, particularly its influence on the caste system and diffusion through relocation (migration) and trade, unlike universalizing religions spread by missionaries

Buddhism

a major universalizing religion founded by Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha) in India, spreading globally (especially in Asia) through missionaries, focusing on achieving Nirvana by ending suffering through enlightenment, and having branches like Mahayana and Theravada

Sikhism

belief that all people are equal, there are no priests and do not have clergy.

Christanity

the largest universalizing religion, originating with Jesus Christ (c. 2,000 years ago in Judea) and spreading globally through expansion (hierarchical/contagious) and relocation diffusion, influencing culture, politics, and landscapes with its Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox branches, and serving as a key example of how religions shape human geography

Judaism

an ethnic religion with its hearth in the Middle East (Israel), notable for being the first monotheistic faith, influencing Christianity and Islam, and spreading globally primarily through relocation diffusion (diaspora), not expansion, leading to significant populations in Israel, the U.S., and Europe, with key concepts like the Torah, Zionism, and sacred sites like the Western Wall. 

Islam

a major universalizing religion with roots in the Arabian Peninsula, characterized by monotheism (belief in Allah), key figures like Muhammad, its holy book Quran, diffusion through migration and conquest, distinct branches (Sunni/Shia), and significant cultural impacts on landscapes (mosques, Kaaba) and daily life (Five Pillars)

Taoism

Chinese philosophy in which people live a simple life in harmony with natute

Protestant

A part of the Christian church that broke away from the Roman Catholic Church during the counter reformation.

Catholic

the largest branch of Christianity, a major universalizing religion defined by its global reach, hierarchical structure (Pope), and significant cultural impact, particularly its strong presence in Latin America, Southern Europe, and French Canada, influencing settlement patterns, cultural diffusion, art, and education worldwide, contrasting with Protestantism (North America/NW Europe) and Orthodoxy (Eastern Europe). 

Eastern Orthodox

a major branch of Christianity, separate from Catholicism and Protestantism, rooted in the Byzantine Empire, known for its distinct liturgy, traditions (like icons), decentralized structure (autonomous national churches), and significant cultural influence in Eastern Europe, Russia, and the Balkans

Sunni

Belief that the Islam leader can be anyone

Shia

Belief that the Islam leader should be a direct descant of the prophant of Muhammad.

Shamanism

religion practiced by indigenous people, characterized by belief in unseen world of Gods

Pilgrimage

an indiviulas’s journey through life

Interfaith Boundaries

the lines or zones that separate different major religions, often creating cultural tension or conflict

ex: Russia and Ukraine

Intrafaith Boundaries

divisions or conflicts within a single major religion, separating groups with differing beliefs or practices

ex: Sunni and Shia Islam