Unit 3 / Culture / Modules 18-20

built environment

The human-made space in which people live, work, and engage in leisure activities on a daily basis

centrifugal force

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

centripetal force

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

cultural attitudes

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

cultural relativism

An approach to understanding other cultures that seeks to understand individuals and cultures from a wider perspective of cultural logic

cultural trait

A single aspect of a given culture or society

ethnic enclave

A geographical area where a particular ethnic group is spatially clustered and socially and economically distinct from the majority group

ethnic group

A people of common ancestry and cultural tradition; characterized by a strong feeling of group identity

ethnoburb

A suburban area with a cluster of a particular ethnic population

ethnocentric approach

An approach to understanding other cultures that evaluates them from the perspective of the observer's culture

indigenous culture

A local culture that is no longer the dominant ethnic group within its traditional homeland because of migration, colonization, or political marginalization; native to an area

language

A mutually agreed-upon system of symbolic communication

local culture (folk / traditional)

Rural, ethnically homogenous culture that is deeply connected to the local land; the opposite of a popular culture

long-lot settlement pattern

A linear settlement pattern in which each farmstead is situated at one end of a long, narrow rectangular lot; each lot has access to a major linear resource, usually a river or a major road

material culture

The physical, visible objects made and used by members of a cultural group; includes buildings, furniture, clothing, food, artwork, and musical instruments

mentifacts

The shared ideas, values, and beliefs of a culture; examples include religion, language, viewpoints, and ideas about right or wrong behaviour

modernist architecture

A functional, rational, and orderly style for building designs

multiculturalism

A set of policies that promote the active participation and inclusion of minority groups in national histories, national politics, and cultural institutions with the goal of embracing difference within society

nonmaterial culture

Intangible elements of culture including a wide range of beliefs, values, myths, and symbolic meanings passed from generation to generation within a given society

physical landscape

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

placelessness

The feeling resulting from the standardization of the built environment; occurs where local distinctiveness is erased and many places end up with similar cultural landscapes

placemaking

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

popular culture (global culture)

Heterogeneous culture that is more influenced by key urban areas and quick to adopt new technologies; the opposite of a local culture

postmodern architecture

A design style that is a reaction against modernist architecture; it has a flair for the dramatic, creating a spectacle while serving a variety of functions

race

Historically defined by the physical characteristics of a group, especially skin color

religion

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

sacred spaces

Natural or human-made sites that possess religious meaning and are recognized as worthy of devotion, loyalty, fear, or esteem

secular

Less influenced or controlled by religion

sense of place

How a person feels about a particular place and why it is important to them

sequent occupance

Refers to the fact that many places have been controlled or affected by a variety of groups over a period of time; those groups have reshaped the functions or meanings of those places and left behind layers of meaning

sociofacts

The structures and organizations of a culture which influence social behaviour. Sociofacts include families, governments, education systems, sports organizations, religious groups

subculture

A group of people with distinct norms, values, and material practices that differentiate them from the dominant culture surrounding them

taboo

A restriction on behavior imposed by social custom