Key Trends in Social Geography and Population Dynamics

A collection of flashcards covering key terms and definitions from the lecture notes on globalization, urbanization, social inequality, and more.

Globalization

The increasing connection and interdependence between different parts of the world through common processes that encompass economic, environmental, political, and cultural change, leading to a more integrated global society.

Urbanization

The significant population shift from rural to urban areas, characterized by the growth of cities and their increasing influence on social structures, economies, and infrastructure.

Social Inequality

The unequal distribution of valuable resources, essential opportunities, and societal privileges within a society, leading to disparities in wealth, power, education, and healthcare among different groups.

Cognition Distance

The perceived, subjective distance that exists in a given situation, often relating to an individual's thoughts and feelings about traveling to or interacting with a new or distant place, which can differ significantly from actual physical distance.

Demography

The scientific study of the characteristics of human populations across space, focusing on vital dynamics such as births, deaths, migration, aging, and population structure to analyze population growth or decline.

Dependency Ratio

A demographic measure that indicates the proportion of dependents (typically individuals under 15 years old and over 64 years old) to the working-age population (15-64 years old), reflecting the impact of these non-productive age groups on the economy.

Cultural Hearth

The geographic origins or sources of significant innovations, transformative ideas, or powerful ideologies that subsequently spread and shape distinct cultures across regions.

Ecological Imperialism

The historical process, often linked to European colonization, involving the deliberate or accidental introduction of exotic plants, animals, and diseases into new ecosystems, frequently leading to profound environmental changes and the displacement or extinction of native species.

Hegemony

The domination of the world economy or a specific region by one national state, exercised through a powerful combination of economic, military, financial, and cultural influence, often involving the subtle shaping of norms and rules rather than overt coercion.

Neo-Colonialism

The continuation or extension of power within a society or over another region after the formal end of colonialism, typically achieved through indirect means such as economic development agreements, debt, trade policies, and cultural influence rather than direct political or military control.

World Systems Theory

A macro-sociological theory developed by Immanuel Wallerstein that analyzes the interdependence of countries linked by economic and political competition, classifying them into a hierarchical structure of core (dominant), semi-periphery (intermediate), and periphery (dependent) states within a global capitalist system.

Mercantile Capitalism

An economic system prevalent from the 16th to 18th centuries, primarily focused on maximizing national wealth through the accumulation of precious metals, achieved by utilizing extensive trade and commerce, often involving colonial exploitation to generate profits.

Triangular Trade

A historical system of trade routes established during colonial times, notably across the Atlantic, involving the exchange of goods (e.g., sugar, tobacco, cotton from the Americas to Europe, manufactured goods from Europe to Africa) and, crucially, the forced shipment of enslaved people from Africa to the Americas, establishing and fueling the institution of slavery.

Anthropocene

A proposed current geological era, characterized by the profound and extensive significant impact of human activities on Earth's geology, ecosystems, and climate, irreversibly altering planetary processes.

Gentrification

The transformation of urban neighborhoods through the influx of higher-income residents and businesses, often resulting in increased property values, changes in retail and services, and the subsequent social and economic displacement of lower-income residents.

Forced Migration

Human migration that occurs involuntarily, against the will of the individual or group, often due to severe circumstances such as violent conflict, political persecution, natural disasters, famine, or extreme economic pressures, leading to refugee movements or internal displacement.

Economic Development

Complex processes that involve structural and organizational changes to the economy of a particular region, aimed at improving the overall prosperity, living standards, infrastructure, and human capital of its population.

Urban Ecology

The interdisciplinary study of the social and demographic compositions of city districts and neighborhoods, examining the interactions between human populations and their built and natural environments within urban areas, and how social structures relate to spatial patterns.

Cultural Geography

The study of the intricate ways in which space, place, and landscape not only shape human culture but are also, in turn, shaped by cultural practices, beliefs, and identities.

Intersectionality

A framework for understanding how various social categories, such as race, class, gender, sexuality, and disability, combine and intersect to create unique and often overlapping systems of discrimination, disadvantage, or privilege for individuals or groups.

Social Geography

The study of how social relations, identities, and inequalities are spatially organized and distributed, and how geographical space and place contribute to the formation and perpetuation of these social phenomena.

Life Expectancy

A key demographic indicator representing the average number of years a newborn individual is expected to live if current mortality rates persist throughout their life, reflecting the overall health and development of a population.

Biodiversity

The vast variety and variability of all life forms on Earth, encompassing differences between species, the diversity of ecosystems, and genetic variation within species, crucial for ecosystem resilience and stability.

Fractured Space

A theoretical concept describing geographical spaces that are divided, disrupted, or fragmented based on underlying social inequalities, cultural differences, economic disparities, or political conflicts, often leading to segregation and unequal access to resources.

Diaspora

The dispersion of any people from their original homeland, often maintaining cultural, historical, and emotional connections to their ancestral land and to other communities of the same origin scattered globally.

Cultural Hegemony

The dominance of one cultural group's values, beliefs, and norms over others within a society, often achieved subtly through institutions, media, and education, leading to the acceptance and protection of a particular cultural status quo as 'natural' or 'universal'.

Visible Minority

A term primarily used in Canada to describe individuals who are non-Caucasian or non-white in appearance, typically used in political and statistical contexts to refer to groups designated as visible minorities under government policy, acknowledging their distinct racial or ethnic identity.

Spatial Inequality

The unequal distribution of resources, opportunities, infrastructure, and quality of life across different geographical spaces or regions, often reflecting and exacerbating social and economic disparities within a country or between regions.

Cultural Imperialism

The active practice of promoting and imposing a dominant culture, typically that of a politically, economically, or militarily powerful nation, over a less powerful one, leading to the erosion or suppression of local cultural practices and values.

Demographic Transition Model

A descriptive model illustrating population change over time through historical shifts in birth rates and death rates, typically progressing through four or five stages that reflect changes in economic development and societal structure from high birth/death rates to low birth/death rates.

Push and Pull Factors

The foundational forces that explain migration patterns: 'push' factors compel individuals to leave their existing location (e.g., conflict, poverty, persecution, environmental disaster), while 'pull' factors attract them towards a new destination (e.g., job opportunities, safety, better services, political freedom).

Global North/Global South

A broad socio-economic and political classification of countries that generally distinguishes between more developed, industrialized regions (Global North, largely in North America, Europe, East Asia) and less developed or developing regions (Global South, predominantly in Africa, Latin America, and parts of Asia), reflecting historical power imbalances and economic disparities, rather than strict geographical location.