aphug unit 3

Culture

The body of customary beliefs, material traits, and social forms that together make up the traditions of a group; symbolized by an iceberg because only some aspects are visible while many are hidden.

Immaterial Culture

The non-physical ideas of a culture such as language, ethnicity, and religion; also called sociofacts and mentifacts.

Material Culture

The physical objects created by a culture including food, clothing, shelter, arts, and recreation.

Sociofacts

Structures and organizations that influence social behavior within a culture such as families, governments, and education systems.

Mentifacts

The ideas, values, and beliefs that make up a culture such as religion, morals, and language.

Artifacts

The material, physical objects created and used by a culture.

Daily Necessities

Elements of material culture required for survival such as food, clothing, and shelter.

Leisure Activities

Material culture items not needed for survival such as art, sports, music, and recreation.

Folk Culture

Culture traditionally practiced by small, homogeneous, isolated rural groups; usually slow-changing and passed down through relocation diffusion.

Pop Culture

Culture found in large, heterogeneous societies that share certain habits despite differences; spreads quickly, changes frequently, and is driven by globalization.

Origin of Folk Culture

Typically unknown origin points (hearths) because it develops anonymously and long ago.

Origin of Pop Culture

Usually traceable to specific individuals, corporations, or places.

Diffusion of Folk Culture

Primarily through relocation diffusion as people physically move.

Diffusion of Pop Culture

Primarily through hierarchical diffusion from influential people, media, or authority.

Distribution of Folk Culture

Limited to specific regions due to isolation and environmental factors.

Distribution of Pop Culture

Widespread across many countries due to modern communication and technology.

Cultural Norms

Shared standards or rules that guide behavior within a culture.

Cultural Relativism

The belief that no culture is superior and outsiders should avoid judging other cultures.

Ethnocentrism

The belief that one's own culture is superior and others are considered wrong or inferior.

Folk Culture Oddities Trend

Many folk customs emphasize family honor, collectivism, gender roles, and tradition; often arise from historical survival needs.

Collectivist Culture

Cultures that prioritize family and group needs over individual desires.

Honor/Shame System

Cultural framework where maintaining family honor is essential and shame is a powerful social control.

Human Rights vs Folk Culture Issue

Some traditional practices conflict with universal human rights, raising questions about when cultural relativism should be limited.

Flaws of Pop Culture

Can spread harmful beauty standards, materialism, consumerism, or misinformation.

Benefits of Pop Culture

Encourages creativity, innovation, connection between people globally, and widespread access to information.

Cultural Landscape

The visible imprint of humans on the landscape including buildings, agriculture, roads, and signs.

Sequent Occupance

The idea that different groups leave imprints on a place over time, resulting in layered cultural landscapes.

Place Identity

How cultural landscapes shape personal and group identity.

Placemaking

How cultural groups create meaning and identity in spaces through traditions, design, and memories.

Ethnicity

Identity with a group of people who share cultural traditions from a homeland or hearth.

Sense of Place

The emotional attachment and meaning people give to a location, often based on cultural or ethnic experiences.

Toponyms

Place names that reflect the culture, history, or ethnicity of the group who named them.

Centripetal Force

A factor that unifies people and strengthens a state such as shared language, culture, or nationalism.

Centrifugal Force

A factor that divides people and weakens a state such as ethnic conflict or discrimination.

Ethnicity vs Race

Ethnicity is tied to cultural traditions; race is tied to biological or physical traits such as skin color.

Ethnicity vs Nationality

Ethnicity is cultural identity; nationality is legal/civic identity as a citizen of a country.

Race

Identity associated with physical characteristics such as skin color; socially constructed and less flexible.

Nationality

Legal attachment to a country, usually through birth or naturalization.

White (Census Definition)

Anyone from Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa.

Asian American

People with heritage from East, South, or Southeast Asia.

African American

People with heritage from Sub-Saharan Africa.

Hispanic/Latino

Considered an ethnicity, not a race; includes people with cultural ties to Latin America or Spain.

Ethnic Neighborhood

A small geographic area where a specific ethnicity is concentrated.

Diffusion

The process by which a cultural trait spreads from one place to another over time.

Cultural Hearth

The place where a cultural trait originates.

Relocation Diffusion

The spread of cultural traits through the physical movement or migration of people.

Expansion Diffusion

The spread of cultural traits without people moving; the number of people adopting the trait increases.

Contagious Diffusion

Form of expansion diffusion in which a trait spreads rapidly and adjacently across people.

Hierarchical Diffusion

Form of expansion diffusion in which a trait spreads from people or places of power or authority to others.

Stimulus Diffusion

Form of expansion diffusion in which the underlying idea spreads but is adapted or changed in the process.

Historical Causes of Diffusion

Processes that spread culture across regions through conquest, trade, and imperialism.

Lingua Franca

A common language used among speakers of different native languages to communicate.

Creolization

The process in which elements of different cultures blend during sustained contact.

Cultural Convergence

The process in which cultures become more similar because of interaction.

Cultural Divergence

The process in which cultures become less similar due to conflicting beliefs, barriers, or separation.

Acculturation

A cultural process in which one group adopts some traits of another culture while still retaining its own distinct culture.

Assimilation

A process in which a culture absorbs almost all traits of another culture, losing its original cultural identity.

Multiculturalism

A condition in which diverse cultures coexist within the same society while maintaining some of their cultural traits.

Syncretism

The blending of traits from two or more cultures to form a new cultural practice, idea, or value.

Cultural Appropriation

The act of adopting elements of another culture, often without understanding or respecting their original meaning.

Collectivist Cultures

Cultures that emphasize group responsibility, family unity, and conformity to group norms.

Individualistic Cultures

Cultures that emphasize personal rights, self-expression, and individual autonomy.

Gratitude

The habit of recognizing blessings, being thankful, and appreciating what one has.

Food Waste

The discarding or loss of food that could have been consumed, contributing to environmental and economic problems.

Language

A system of communication through speech, movement, sounds, or symbols that a group of people understands to have the same meaning.

Language Family

A collection of languages related through a common prehistoric ancestral language.

Language Branch

A collection of languages within a family related through an ancestral language that existed several thousand years ago.

Language Group

A collection of languages within a branch that share a recent common origin and demonstrate similarities in grammar and vocabulary.

Centripetal Force (Language)

A cultural force that unifies people through shared language.

Centrifugal Force (Language)

A cultural force that divides people due to linguistic differences.

Dialect

A regional or social variation of a language distinguished by vocabulary, spelling, and pronunciation.

Mutual Intelligibility

The ability of speakers of different dialects or variations to understand each other.

Isogloss

A geographic boundary showing where a particular linguistic feature occurs.

Accent

A way of pronouncing words that indicates a person’s place of origin or social background.

Lingua Franca

A common language used for communication among people with different native languages.

Creole Language

A fully formed language created by blending a colonizer’s language with the language of a dominated group.

Pidgin Language

A simplified, non-native language formed for communication between groups who do not share a common language.

Language Convergence

The process by which languages become more similar due to sustained interaction.

Language Divergence

The process by which languages split and grow apart due to reduced interaction.

Endangered Language

A language at risk of disappearing because it has few surviving speakers.

Religion

A system of beliefs and values that attempts to explain existence, purpose, and the nature of the universe.

Universalizing Religion

A religion that seeks to appeal to all people and actively attempts to convert others; spreads primarily through expansion diffusion.

Ethnic Religion

A religion tied to a particular place and culture; spreads primarily through relocation diffusion and is not actively seeking converts.

Animistic Religion

A belief system that attributes spiritual essence to natural elements and objects.

Atheism

The belief that there is no deity or divine being.

Agnosticism

The belief that the existence of a deity is unknown or unknowable.

Sacred Text

A written document considered holy and authoritative within a religion.

Monotheism

The belief in one God.

Polytheism

The belief in many Gods.

Karma

The belief that actions influence future outcomes and rebirth.

Caste System

A rigid social structure historically linked with religious ideas about purity and hierarchy.

Diaspora

The dispersion of a religious or ethnic group from its homeland to other regions.

Diffusion of Religion

The spread of religious beliefs and practices through relocation or expansion processes.

Denomination

A distinct branch within a religion that shares core beliefs but may differ in organization or practice.

Shariah Law

A system of religious legal principles based on interpretations of Islamic texts.

Sectarian Split

A division within a religion caused by disagreements over leadership or beliefs.

Guru

A spiritual teacher or leader within a religious tradition.

Holy Text

A document considered sacred and authoritative in a religion.

Christianity

Hearth – Eastern Mediterranean (Israel/Palestine). Founder – Jesus. Type – Monotheistic.

Islam

Hearth – Arabian Peninsula (Mecca). Founder – Muhammad. Type – Monotheistic.