HGAP Unit 3 study guide (only vocab)

long-lot settlement pattern

linear settlement pattern; farmstead at end of a rectangular lot w/ access to a major linear resource (river, road)

material culture

physical objects made and used by a culture; buildings, furniture, clothing, food, artwork, and musical instruments

nonmaterial culture

Intangible elements: beliefs, values, myths, and symbolic meanings passed down in a society

cultural trait

a single aspect of a given culture or society

local cultures

rural, ethnically homogeneous culture deeply connected to the local land; opposite of popular culture

indigenous cultures

local culture; no longer dominant ethnic group of its homeland bc of migration, colonization, or political marginalization

popular cultures

heterogeneous culture influenced by key urban areas and quick to adopt new technologies; the opposite of a local culture

cultural attitudes

concepts and ideas in a society that are shaped by cultural opinions, beliefs, and perspectives

language

a mutually agreed-upon system of symbolic communication

religion

set of structured beliefs and practices through which people seek mental and physical harmony with the powers of the universe

ethnic group

people of common ancestry and cultural tradition; strong feeling of group identity usually born into

race

historically defines by the physical characteristics of a group, especially skin color

ethnic geography

the study of spatial aspects of ethnicity

multiculturalism

policies that promote participation and inclusion of minority groups in national histories, politics, and cultural institutions to embrace societal differences

ethnocentric approach

an approach to understanding other cultures that evaluates them from the perspective of the observer’s culture

cultural relativism

approach to understanding other cultures and individuals from a wider perspective of cultural logic

physical landscape

all the natural surroundings that create and shape the places we are living in or examining

placelessness

feeling from standardization of the built environment; where local distinctiveness is erased, many places w/ similar cultural landscapes

modernist architecture

a functional, rational, and orderly style for building designs

postmodern architecture

design style = reaction against modernist architecture; dramatic flair, spectacular but functional

sequent occupance

many places have been controlled or affected by many groups over time that reshaped the functions or meanings of those places, leaving behind layers of meaning

sacred spaces

natural or human-made sites with religious meaning and recognized as worthy of devotion, loyalty, fear, or esteem

secular

less influenced or controlled by religion

subculture

group of people with distinct norms, values, and material practices that make them unique from surrounding dominant cultures

sense of place

how a person feels about a particular place and why it is important to them, shaped by the elements of a cultural landscape and regional cultural patterns

placemaking

efforts to use and design public places to better serve the needs of residents and to foster a stronger community

centripetal forces

a force that brings people together and unifies a neighborhood, society, or country

centrifugal forces

force that threatens the cohesion of a neighborhood, society, or country

secularization

the process whereby religion becomes a less dominant force in everyday life than it was in the past

absorbing barriers

barriers that completely halt diffusion of a cultural trait

permeable barriers

barriers that slow diffusion but still allow some partial or weakened diffusion

pidgin language

a trade language w/ a very small vocabulary derived from the languages of at least two or more groups in contact

creole language

a combined language that has a fuller vocabulary than a pidgin language and becomes a native language

creolization

linguistic process where languages converge and create new languages and communication forms

lingua franca

a language of communication and commerce spoken across a wide area where it is not a mother tongue

empires

a sovereign political entity that seeks to expand beyond its origin territory to control more territory politically/economically

imperialism

the motivating impulse to control greater amounts of territory, the IDEA

colonialism

the act of forcefully controlling a foreign country, which becomes known as a colony, the PRACTICE

genocide

the systematic killing of members of a racial, ethnic, or linguistic group

time-space convergence

the introduction of new transportation technologies progressively reduces the time and cost it takes to travel between spaces

endangered language

a language that is not taught to children by their parents and is not used actively in everyday manners

extinct language

a language that has only a few elderly speakers still living or no living speakers

convergence hypothesis

the idea that cultures are converging or becoming more alike

glocalization

adapting global practices to fit local cultural practices and preferences

cultural hearth

a focused geographic area where important innovations are emerge and diffuse from, usually the place most strongly associated with a certain trait

language families

a group of related languages that share a common ancestry

dialect

a regional variation of a language that is understood by people who speak other variations of that language, marked by local vocabulary and a distinct accent

accent

a way of pronouncing words

monotheistic

relating to the belief in only one God

universalizing religions

actively seeks new members and believes its message has universal importance and application, more likely to diffuse, i.e. Islam and Christianity

ethnic religions

a religion identified with a particular ethnic or tribal group that does not seek converts, i.e. Judaism

proselytic

describing a religion that spreads its message to others through missionary work

toponyms

the names given to places, intersecting language and culture

generic toponyms

the generic part of a place-name, often a suffix or a prefix, tells what kind of place is being described

polytheistic

• belief in many gods

animistic religions

a faith that believes souls or spirits exist not only in humans but also in animals, plants, rocks, thunder, mountains or rivers, and other entities of the natural environment

• NOT always primitive, can be complex

acculturation

an ethnic or immigrant group adopts some ways of the host society to be able to function economically and socially

assimilation

an ethnic or immigrant group blends in with the host culture and loses many culturally distinctive traits

transculturation

people adopt elements of other cultures as well as contribute elements of their own culture, so transforming both cultures

syncretism

the blending of beliefs, ideas, practices, and traits, especially in a religious context

syncretic religions

religion that combines elements of two or more different belief systems

orthodox religions

religion that emphasizes purity of faith and is generally not open to blending with elements of other belief systems