HUGO U3

Artifacts

Visible, physical objects created by a culture.

Sociofacts

The ways in which a society behaves and organizes institutions. How people act

Mentifacts

The ideas, beliefs, values and knowledge of a culture. Why people act

folk/Local/Traditional Culture

small, homogenous (similar) groups of people, often living in rural areas that are isolated and unlikely to change.

Global/Popular Culture

large, heterogeneous groups of people, often living in urban areas that are interconnected through globalization and the internet/social media. Quick to change, time-space compression.

Cultural Norms

Agreed upon cultural practices or standards that guide the behavior of a culture.

Cultural Taboos

Behaviors heavily discouraged by a culture.

Ethnocentrism

Judging other cultures in terms of one's own standards and often includes the belief that one’s own culture/ethnic group is better than others.

Cultural Relativism

An unbiased way of viewing another culture, the goal of this is to promote understanding of cultural practices that are not typically part of one’s own culture. Leads to the view that no one culture is superior to another culture when compared.

Cultural Landscape

A natural landscape that has been modified by humans, reflecting their cultural beliefs and values. Basically everything has been modified by humans.

Sequent Occupancy

the idea that societies or cultural groups leave their cultural imprints when they live in a place, each contributing to the overall cultural landscape over time. Most cultural landscapes are a mixture of historic and modern structures.

Ethnicity

is a sense of belonging or identity within a group of people bound by common ancestry and culture. This is different from race which is based on physical characteristics.

Ethnic Neighborhoods/Enclaves

People of the same ethnicity that cluster together in a specific location, typically within a major city.

Ethnic Patterns

There is oftentimes a predictable distribution of ethnicities that can be examined at multiple scales.

Gendered Spaces

Places in the cultural landscape utilized to reinforce or accommodate gender roles for men and women.

Traditional Architecture

Influenced by the environment and built with available local materials. Reflective of history, culture and CLIMATE.

Postmodern Architecture

Diverse designs, representative of popular culture, business and economic success. Example

Sense of Place

Unique attributes of a specific location - cultural influences and feelings evoked by people in a place. Distinctiveness.

Cultural Realm

Areas of the world that share cultural traits such as language families, religious traditions, food preferences, architecture, and/or a shared history. These cultural traits comprise a similar cultural landscape (although not the exact same) in each cultural realm.

CENTRIPETAL FORCES

Characteristics that unify a country and provide stability.

CENTRIFUGAL FORCES

Characteristics that divide a country and create instability, conflict and violence.

A cultural hearth

is the geographic origin of a culture or cultural trait. Traits first diffuse from the cultural hearth.

Relocation diffusion

The spread of a cultural trait through the migration of people.

Expansion diffusion

The spread of an idea, cultural trait, or innovation through the interaction between people. There are three subtypes of expansion diffusion

Contagious Diffusion

A cultural trait spreads rapidly, widely, equally, and continuously from its hearth through close contact between people.

Hierarchical Diffusion

The spread of cultural traits from the most interconnected, powerful, wealthy people/organizations down to others.

Reverse hierarchical diffusion

The spread of cultural traits from the least interconnected, wealthy, or powerful people/organizations outwards.

Stimulus diffusion

As cultural traits spread they are altered/modified due to a cultural barrier, taboo, or difference. Can also be the spread of an underlying principle even though the characteristic itself does not spread.

Imperialism

The dominance of one country over another country through diplomacy or force.

Colonialism

When a powerful country establishes settlements in a less powerful country for economic and/or political gain.

Neocolonialism

“New” colonialism - term to describe how in more modern times, imperialism can be pursued through the assertion of political, economic and cultural influence rather than occupation.

Pidgin Language

An extremely simplified, limited non-native language used by two people that speak two different languages.

Creole Language

A pidgin language that develops into a new combined language with native speakers. Frequently developed through settings of colonization or slavery.

Lingua Franca is a common language used by speakers of two different languages for communication. Usually for business, trade, commerce or in popular culture.

Dialects are variations in accent, grammar, usage and spelling and develop out of geographic distance or isolation.

Official Language is used by the government of a country for laws, reports, signs, public objects, money, stamps.

Friction of distance

As a cultural trait diffuses, the people who adopt it might alter it - think of the game telephone. Things change over distance and time.

Globalization

is the trend toward increased cultural and economic connectedness between people, businesses, and organizations throughout the world without regard to borders or barriers.

Time-space compression/convergence

The shrinking of the world due to improvements in communication and transportation technologies.

Cultural Convergence

The process of two or more cultures coming into contact with each other and adopting each other’s traits to become more alike.

Cultural Divergence

Cultures become LESS alike due to both cultural and physical barriers. The process of a culture restricting contact with other cultures in an attempt to retain its originality. Separating/distinguishing from mainstream.

Language Family

Largest group of related languages which are connected through a common, ancient ancestry and trace back to a common hearth.

Language Branch

Collection of languages that share a common origin from thousands of years ago. They were separated from other languages in their family and now are distinctive although related.

Language Group

Collection of languages that share a more recent past with similar vocabularies and some overlap.

Dialects

Variation of a standard language distinguished by differences in vocabulary and word choice, pronunciation, speed, and spelling. Smallest amount of speakers - develop due to migrations and isolation from original language.

Isogloss

A geographic boundary within which a particular linguistic feature occurs. Lines that divide dialects.

Hindu

vedas

muslim

quran

Tanakh

jewish

Tripiktah

buddhist

Universilizing

Widely diffused from the hearth through both expansion and relocation diffusion. (universal in appeal- so more people)

Ethnic

Smaller diffusion and overall distribution from hearth. Restricted to relocation diffusion.

Christianity

Originated in the Middle East; diffused through Europe and the Americas by colonialism and missionary work; founded by Jesus; holy book is the Bible; sacred sites include Jerusalem; symbolized by the cross and steeple.

Islam

Originated in Mecca and Medina (Saudi Arabia); spread across North Africa and into Southeast Asia through trade and conquest; founded by Muhammad; holy book is the Quran; sacred site is Mecca; symbol is the crescent and minaret.

Buddhism

Originated in northern India/Nepal; spread across South and Southeast Asia; founded by Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha); no single holy book; symbols include the lotus, dharma wheel, and pagoda.

Sikhism

Originated in the Punjab region of India; founded by Guru Nanak; holy book is the Guru Granth Sahib; sacred site is the Golden Temple; monotheistic; symbol is the Khanda.

Hinduism

Originated in the Indus River Valley (Pakistan/India); no single founder; texts include the Vedas; divisions include Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism, Smartism; symbol is Aum; hearth tied to the Ganges River.

Judaism

Originated in Jerusalem/Israel; founded by Abraham; holy text is the Old Testament; divisions include Reform, Orthodox, and Conservative; diffused through the Jewish Diaspora; symbol is the Star of David.

Assimilation

Subtype of acculturation in which one culture abandons their original culture and adopts another culture.

Acculturation

Prolonged contact between two or more cultures may result in acculturation which is when people within one culture adopt some traits from the other culture.

Multiculturalism

The acceptance and tolerance of many different cultures which exist in close proximity to one another. Openness, acceptance, diversity.

Syncretism

When two culture’s traits blend together and form a new cultural trait. This can happen through contact between peoples such as imperialism, military conquest, immigration or intermarriage.