culutre unit

What is culture?

Shared products of human groups that depend on location.

What is symbolic culture?

The idea that everything humans create has meaning attached to it.

What is a society?

A group of people who share a location and create culture.

What is ethnicity?

A social group that shares a common culture.

Why is culture considered subjective?

Because meaning exists only when people agree it does (based on perception).

What are the 5 culture universals?

Materials, Values, Language, Gestures, Norms.

What are materials in culture?

Physical objects people create and use.

What are values?

Beliefs about what is important.

What are norms?

Rules about what is normal or acceptable behavior.

What is ethnocentrism?

Judging other cultures based on your own and believing yours is superior.

What is cultural relativism?

Evaluating a culture based on its own beliefs and standards.

What is popular culture?

Widespread, fast-changing, urban culture driven by trends and money.

What is local (folk) culture?

Small, rural, traditional culture tied to a place.

What is indigenous culture?

Native cultures that existed before colonization.

What is diffusion?

The spread of ideas over space and time.

What is relocation diffusion?

Spread through people moving.

What is expansion diffusion?

Spread outward but remains strong at the origin.

What is hierarchical diffusion?

Spread through powerful people or places.

What is contagious diffusion?

Rapid, person-to-person spread.

What is stimulus diffusion?

Idea adapts into a new form.

What is an absorbing barrier?

Stops diffusion completely.

What is a permeable barrier?

Slows diffusion but doesn’t stop it.

What is assimilation?

Losing original culture and adopting dominant one.

What is acculturation?

Adopting some traits but keeping identity.

What is syncretism?

Blending cultures to form something new.

What is glocalization?

Adapting global products to local cultures.

What is reterritorialization?

Reshaping global culture to fit local context.

What is neolocalism?

Reviving local cultural identity.

What is placelessness?

Loss of unique cultural identity in landscapes.

What is modernism in landscapes?

Buildings that look the same anywhere.

What is sequent occupance?

Layers of cultural groups shaping a place over time.

What is a toponym?

A place name that reflects culture/history.

Key features of Catholic landscapes?

Crosses, statues (Mary), ornate interiors.

Key features of Protestant landscapes?

Simpler, no statues or elaborate symbols.

Key features of Eastern Orthodox?

Onion domes, icons.

Key features of Islam?

Mosques, domes, minarets, no human images.

Key features of Judaism?

Star of David, Torah scrolls, gender separation.

Key features of Hinduism?

Many gods, statues with multiple arms.

Key features of Buddhism?

Buddha statues, meditation pose.

What is the purpose of language?

Communication.

What is a language family?

Large group of related languages (ex: Indo-European).

What is a dialect?

Regional variation in language (pronunciation, vocab).

What is a social dialect?

Language variation based on social class.

What is a vernacular dialect?

Language variation based on region.

What is a lingua franca?

A common language used for trade/communication.

What is a pidgin?

Simplified mix of languages for limited use.

What is a creole?

A fully developed language from a pidgin.

What is creolization?

The process of languages blending into a new one.