Unit 3 APHUG

Amish (Cultural Basics/Relgion)

Folk culture group in the U.S. that avoids technology. Also members of a strict Mennonite sect

Animism (Religions)

Belief that non-human entities, such as plants, animals, inanimate objects, and natural phenomena, possess a spiritual and conscious essence.

Architectural Structure (Architecture, Landscape & Place)

A culture’s style of buildings that changes across different places and over time. Example: Pagodas in East Asia.

Artifacts (Cultural Basics)

Physical objects made by a culture that show how people live. Example: Clothing, tools, cars

Assimilation (Culture Change & Spread)

When a cultural group fully adopts the major culture and loses original traits. Example: Immigrants stop speaking their original language.

Buddhism (Religions)

Universalizing religion focused on ending suffering through wisdom and meditation.

Built environment (Cultural Basics)

Human-made surroundings where people live and work. Example: Buildings, roads, park

Cathedral (Religions)

Large, important Christian church.

Charter Group (Cultural Basics)

The first group of settlers to establish a lasting and dominant culture in a new area, often creating the initial political, social, and cultural structures.

Christian demoniations in the US and Region of predominance (Religions)

Different denominations are more common in different regions. Example: Baptists in the South

Christianity (Religions)

Universalizing religion based on Jesus Christ; largest in the world.

Church (Religions)

Christian place of worship.

Colonialism (Conflict & Power)

An effort by one country to establish settlement in a territory and to impose its political, economic, and cultural principles on that territory

Confucianism (Religions)

Belief system from China focused on respect, morals, and family.

Contagious diffussion (Culture Change & Spread)

Fast spread of an idea through direct contact. Example: A viral meme.

Countering language extinction (Language)

Efforts to save languages. Example: Language classes for Hawaiian.

Creole and Pidgin (Language)

"• Pidgin: Simple mix of languages used to communicate.

• Creole: A pidgin that becomes a native language for a group. Example: Haitian Creole.

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Crescent and star (Religions)

Symbol often linked with Islam.

Cross (Religions)

Symbol often linked with Christianity

Cultural appropriation (Culture Change & Spread)

When parts of a culture are taken by another group without respect or permission. Example: Wearing cultural clothing as a costume.

Cultural convergence (Culture Change & Spread)

Cultures becoming more alike because of sharing and technology. Example: Wearing jeans worldwide.

Cultural diffusion (Culture Change & Spread)

When ideas, beliefs, or goods move from one culture to another. Example: Pizza spreading from Italy to the world.

Cultural ecology (Cultural Hearth & Ecology)

How culture shapes and is shaped by the environment. Example: Building homes from local materials.

Cultural hearth (Cultural Hearth & Ecology)

Where a culture or idea begins. Example: Hip-hop started in New York City.

Cultural landscape (Architecture, Landscape & Place)

How humans change the environment to show culture. Example: Churches, farms, street signs.

Cultural relativism (Ethnicity & Identity)

Trying to understand a culture by its own standards.

Cultural Traits (Cultural Basics)

Small parts of a culture that show a way of life. Example: Foods people eat, holidays they celebrate.

Democratization (Globalization)

More countries becoming democracies over time.

Denominations (Religions)

Subgroups within a religion. Example: Catholic, Baptist, Methodist.

Dialects (Language)

Different versions of a language with unique pronunciations or words. Example: “Y’all” in the South vs. “you guys” in the Midwest.

Diaspora (Ethnicity & Identity)

Group of people spread out from their homeland. Example: Jewish diaspora.

Diffusion (Culture Change & Spread)

More general spreading of something from one place to another. Example: A trend spreading across schools.

Divisive (centrifugal) forces (Conflict & Power)

Something that pushes people apart and causes conflict. Example: Ethnic tension.

Endangered languages (Language)

A language at risk of disappearing because few people speak it.

Ethnic cleansing and Genocide (Conflict & Power)

Violence trying to remove or destroy a cultural or ethnic group. Example: The Holocaust.

Ethnic enclaves (Ethnicity & Identity)

Neighborhoods where one ethnic group lives together. Example: Chinatown.

Ethnic Islands (Ethnicity & Identity)

Small ethnic areas in rural regions.

Ethnic neighborhoods (Ethnicity & Identity)

City areas where one ethnic group is concentrated.

Ethnic provinces (Ethnicity & Identity)

Large areas where one ethnic group dominates.

Ethnicity (Ethnicity & Identity)

Identity based on shared culture, history, and sometimes physical traits.

Ethnocentrism (Ethnicity & Identity)

Thinking your culture is better than others.

Expansion Diffusion (Culture Change & Spread)

The spread of an idea through a population in a way that the number of those influenced becomes continuously larger. Includes contagious, hierarchical, and stimulus diffusion.

Folk Culture (Cultural Basics)

Traditional culture practiced by small, rural groups; stays the same over time. Example: Amish traditions.

Fundamentalism vs Extremism (Religions)

Fundamentalism is a belief system, while extremism is a set of actions and behaviors that often stems from a fundamentalist ideology but goes beyond it by seeking to dismantle existing systems, norms, or rights through extreme methods.

Fung-shui (Cultural Basics)

A form of Chinese geomancy that influences urban planning, the design of domestic spaces, and the placement of buildings, cemeteries, and objects to promote well-being, prosperity, and balance.

Gender vs. Sex (Ethnicity & Identity)

"• Sex: Biological traits (male/female).

• Gender: Cultural roles and identities.

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Gendered spaces (Ethnicity & Identity)

Places designed for or used mainly by one gender. Example: Men-only spaces in some cultures.

Global vs. Ethnic Religions (Globalization)

"• Global/Universalizing: Try to spread everywhere (Christianity).

• Ethnic: Stay in one culture or place (Hinduism).

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Globalization (Globalization)

Increased worldwide connections in culture, economy, and communication.

Glocalization (Globalization)

Changing global products to fit local culture. Example: McDonald’s menu changes by country.

Hierarchical diffusion (Culture Change & Spread)

Spread from big or important places/people to others. Example: Celebrities influencing fashion.

Hinduism (Religions)

Ethnic religion from India; belief in multiple forms of God and reincarnation.

Hutterites (Cultural Basics/Religions)

Similar to Amish but accept some technology; live in farming communities in Canada/U.S.

Imperialism (Conflict & Power)

One country taking control over another area’s people and land.

Indigenous Sacred Space (Religions)

Places important to native religions. Example: Uluru in Australia.

Indigenous views of place (Architecture, Landscape & Place)

How native groups see places as deeply spiritual or culturally important. Example: Sacred mountains to Native tribes.

Indo-European Language family (Language)

The most widespread language family in the world; spoken in the Americas and Europe. Example: English, French, Hindi.

Interfaith boundaries (Boundary & Interaction)

Borders between major religions. Example: India (Hindu) vs. Pakistan (Muslim).

Islam (Religions)

Universalizing religion based on the teachings of Muhammad; followers are called Muslims.

Isoglosses (Language)

A boundary showing where dialects change.

Judaism (Religions)

Ethnic religion from the Middle East; Jews follow the Torah.

Kinship (Boundary & Interaction)

Family relationships that connect people.

Language dominance (Language)

One language becomes more powerful due to speakers, politics, or economy. Example: English dominating the internet.

Language families (Language)

Large groups of related languages. Example: Indo-European includes English and Spanish.

Language loss/extinction (Language)

When no one speaks a language anymore.

Language tree (Language)

A diagram showing how languages are related and change over time.

Lingua Franca (Language)

A common language used by people who speak different native languages to communicate. Example: English in international business.

Material Culture (Cultural Basics)

The material manifestation of culture, including tools, housing, systems of land use, clothing, etc.

Mentifacts (Cultural Basics)

Ideas and beliefs a culture has that shape how people think. Example: Religion, values, traditions.

Minaret (Religions)

Tower next to a mosque where a call to prayer is announced.

Monotheistic vs. Polytheistic religions (Religions)

Monotheistic: Belief in one God (Judaism). Polytheistic: Belief in many gods (Hinduism).

Mosque/masjid (Religions)

Islamic place of worship.

Multiculturalism (Ethnicity & Identity)

Many cultures living together while keeping their identities.

Nomadic Warrior Theory (Languages)

Language diffused through nomadic movement/conquest (hierarchical diffusion)

Orthodox Christian (Religions)

Branch of Christianity in Eastern Europe & Russia with traditional beliefs.

Pilgrimage (Religions)

Religious journey to a sacred place. Example: Muslims visiting Mecca.

Placelessness (Architecture, Landscape & Place)

When places look the same everywhere, losing unique cultural identity. Example: Malls that look identical across the world.

Pop Culture (Cultural Basics)

Modern culture spread by media; changes quickly and is found almost everywhere. Example: TikTok dances, fast food chains.

Protestantism (Religions)

Branch of Christianity that rejects Pope authority; common in the U.S. & Northern Europe.

Race (Ethnicity & Identity)

Identity based on physical features like skin color — a social idea more than biological fact.

Religious Sect (Religions)

A subgroup within a larger religious tradition that has broken away due to differing beliefs, practices, or interpretations.

Reverse hierarchical (Culture Change & Spread)

Spread from small or lower-class areas to bigger or richer ones. Example: Thrift fashion becoming popular.

Roman Catholicism (Religions)

Branch of Christianity led by the Pope; strong in Latin America & Europe.

Sacred spaces (Religions)

Places with religious meaning. Example: Churches, temples, mosques.

Sedentary Farmer Theory (Languages)

Language diffused through farmers relocating (relocation diffusion)

Segregation (Conflict & Power)

Keeping groups separate by law or social rules. Example: U.S. Jim Crow laws.

Sense of place (Architecture, Landscape & Place)

The feeling and meaning people give to a location. Example: A neighborhood that feels like “home.”

Sequent Occupance (Cultural Hearth & Ecology)

Different groups leave their mark on a place over time. Example: Spanish, Mexican, then American influences in the Southwest.

Shamanism (Religions)

Belief in special healers who connect with the spirit world.

Shrine (Religions)

Holy place dedicated to a god or important figure.

Sociofacts (Cultural Basics)

The way people in a culture organize themselves and interact. example: Family structures, school rules.

Star of David (Religions)

Symbol of Judaism.

Stimulus diffusion (Culture Change & Spread)

Main idea spreads, but the changed version is adopted. Example: McDonald’s in India serving veggie options.

Stupa (Religions)

Buddhist structure holding sacred relics.