AP Human Geo Vocab

Culture

The shared practices, technologies, attitudes, and behaviors passed down by a society over time

Surface Culture

The visible and concrete aspects of a culture

Deep Culture

 A system of values, beliefs, norms, and practices held in common by a group of people that serve to integrate them into a cohesive social entity

Cultural Landscape

Describes how a natural landscape has been modified by humans

Placemaking

The process of creating quality public spaces that foster people's health, happiness and well-being

Sense of Place

The act of filling a geographical location at any scale with meaning and significance

Cultural Hearth

A place of origin for a widespread cultural trend

Diffusion

The spread of an idea or characteristic over time

Relocation Diffusion

The spread of cultural trait by the movement of people

Expansion Diffusion

The spread of cultural trait beyond a cultural hearth apart from the movement of people

Contagious Diffusion

Rapid spread of a cultural trait to adjacent populations without regard for class, race or cultural hierarchies

Hierarchical Diffusion

Describe a top-down spread of a cultural trait

Stimulus Diffusion

The process by which the idea behind a cultural trait stimulates a new but related cultural trait

Imperialism

The process by which a powerful state enacts policies in order to extend power over another state, either by force or diplomacy

Colonialism

The process by which a powerful state establishes settlements in another place for the purposes of economic gain

Globalization

The interweaving and growing dependence of peoples throughout the world on each other, economically, politicly, and socially

Urbanization

Describes the phenomena if the increase size and influence of cities across the world

Centripetal Forces

Factors that unify and strengthen a state region or community cohesion promoting stability and sense of community among its people

Centrifugal Forces

Factors that push people and cultures within a state causing division

Universalizing Religion

A religion that can be planted and grown in any culture throughout the world

Ethnic Religion

Belief systems that are characteristic of particular ethnic groups located in specific regions

Cultural Convergence

The result of different cultures adopting common cultural trait so they become more alike than different.

Cultural Divergence

The result of different cultures interacting with each other and becoming more distinct as a result

Acculturation

The process by which people in one culture adopt some traits of another culture while maintaining their own cultural traits

Assimilation

The process by which people assume all or almost all of the traits of the dominant culture

Voluntary Assimilation

When an individual or group finds it advantageous to assume most of the cultural traits of the culture around them

Involuntary Assimilation

When a group is coerced into abandoning their cultural traits and adopting the traits of the dominant culture.

Syncretism

Describes the blending of two or more cultural traits that result in a new cultural trait

Multiculturalism

Describes a society in which many cultures coexist without pressure to assimilate

Cultural Relativism

The position that cultural values and beliefs should be understood relative to their cultural context, and not judged based on external standards

Ethnocentrism

The evaluation of another culture by a groups own standards