WHAP Vocab

Urbanization

Urbanization

Movement of people from rural areas to cities, growth of cities

Tribute

Money paid by one country to another in return for protection

Theocracy

A government controlled by religious leaders

Syncretism

The unification or blending of opposing people, ideas, or practices, frequently religion.

Stratification

A structured ranking of entire groups of people that perpetuates unequal economic rewards and power in a society

Sphere of influence

A foreign region in which a nation has control over trade and other economic activities.

Sovereignty

Ability of a state to govern its territory free from control of its internal affairs by other states.

Socialism

A system in which society, usually in the form of the government, owns and controls the means of production.

Sedentary

inhabiting the same locality throughout life; not migratory or nomadic

Secular

Concerned with worldly rather than spiritual matters

Sect

a subgroup of a major religious group

Subjective

based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions

Regime

a government, usually an authoritarian goverment

Radical

Favoring drastic political, economic, or social reforms.

Propaganda

information that is spread for the purpose of promoting some cause

Power Vacuum

when someone or a government has lost control of power and no one has replaced them

Periphery

the outermost part or boundary

Patriarchy

A form of social organization in which males dominate females

Pastoralism

the domestication of animals

Objective

factual, unbiased; not subjective

Orthodox

adhering to the traditional and established, especially in religion

Oligarchy

A government ruled by a few powerful people

Nationalization

Changing something from private to state ownership or control

Nationalism

Loyalty and total devotion to a political idea or cause; different than patriotism

Liberal

open to new behavior or opinions and willing to discard traditional values.

Legitimacy

the hereditary right of a monarch to rule

Isolationism

A national policy of avoiding involvement in world affairs

Infrastructure

the basic framework of a building or a system

Inflation

a general increase in prices and fall in the purchasing value of money.

Ideology

a system of ideas and ideals, especially one that forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy.

Humanism

An intellectual movement that focused on human potential and achievements

Hierarchy

A group organized by rank

Heresy

the crime of holding a belief that goes against established doctrine

Hegemony

leadership or dominance, especially by one country or social group over others.

Gentry

Wealthy landowning class

Fundamentalism

a form of a religion, especially Islam or Protestant Christianity, that upholds belief in the strict, literal interpretation of scripture.

Figurehead

A person who appears to rule even though real power rests with someone else; Queen Elizabeth

Extrapolate

to infer or estimate by extending or projecting known information

Evangelical

Focusing on emotionally powerful preaching, rather than formal ceremonies, and on the teachings of the Bible.

Ethnocentrism

evaluation of other cultures according to standards in ones own culture

Ethnicity

the fact or state of belonging to a social group that has a common national or cultural tradition.

Entrepreneur

a person who organizes and operates a business or businesses

Dynasty

a powerful family or group of rulers that maintains its position or power for some time

Duality

an instance of opposition or contrast between two concepts or two aspects of something

Domestication

the taming of animals for human use, such as work or as food

Diaspora

A dispersion of people from their homeland

Demographic

having certain characteristics in common, such as age, race, or gender

Decentralized

when the allocation of power and resources shifts to different regions, people, and groups

Cultural diffusion

The spread of ideas, customs, and technologies from one people to another

Cultural construct

the idea that the characteristics people attribute to such social categories as gender, illness, death, status of women, and status of men is culturally defined

Coup d'etat

the forceful overthrow of a ruling party

Continuity

the property of a continuous and connected period of time

Context

Words, events, or circumstances that help determine meaning.

Conservative

holding to traditional attitudes and values and cautious about change or innovation; typically religion or politics.

Coerce

to force by using pressure, enticement, intimidation, or threats

Centralized

Concentrated in one place

Causality

the relationship between cause and effect

Capitalism

An economic system based on private ownership

Bureaucracy

A large, complex organization composed of appointed officials

Bias

favoring one point of view

Autonomy

self-government

Autocracy

a system of government by one person with absolute power.

Assimilate

to adopt as one's own, to adapt fully

Aristocracy

the highest class in a society; generally those holding hereditary titles or offices

Anti-semitism

prejudice against Jewish people

Anachronism

something out of place in time

Agrarian

concerning farms, farmers, or the use of land

Absolutism

A political system in which a ruler holds total power

Xenophobia

a fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers