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time-space convergence
increasing connectivity between cultures that occurs as a result of communication technology (internet)
culture
shared practices, technologies, attitudes, and behaviors transmitted by the members of a society that are not the result of biological inheritance (socially constructed)
ethnicity
a group of people who share a common cultural identity.
ex: Hispanic, German, Italian, Hmong, Japanese, Bengali
race
historical classification that is used to categorize human populations with shared physical traits (not culture).
US Census definitions: American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, Black or African American, White, Asian
nonmaterial culture traits
language/religion, education systems, government/law systems, music/holidays
cultural landscape
the combination of physical features, agricultural and industrial practices, religious and linguistic characteristics, sequent occupancy, traditional and postmodern architecture, and land use patterns
gender
social and cultural differences between males and females (not biological differences)
creolization
the blending of European, Amerindian, and African cultures in the New World as a result of colonialism to create something new
ex: Haitian Creole language in the Caribbean
ex: Santeria religion in the Caribbean
local culture (folk culture)
culture traits of usually small, traditional, homogenous, rural communities
ex: Amish, Hutterite, Mennonite, Inuit
loss of indigenous languages
consequence of colonialism and policies of (cultural) assimilation
culture hearth
the source (node) of civilization: place where a civilization began and their ideas and practices spread to surrounding areas
hearths of religions
world's major religions have diffused from culture hearths:
Hinduism: South Asia
Buddhism: South Asia
Sikhism: South Asia
Islam: Southwest Asia
Christianity: Southwest Asia
Judaism: Southwest Asia
universalizing religions
religions that actively seek converts because they view themselves as offering belief systems of universal applicability and appeal, not just one place
Christianity
- religion with roots in Judaism, founded in Southwest Asia and based on the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus as told in the New Testament
- spread by both relocation and expansion diffusion throughout the world
- three major branches of Christianity: Roman Catholic, Protestant, Eastern Orthodox
Roman Catholicism
branch of Christianity prominent in Europe, N. America, S. America, Central America
Protestanism
branch of Christianity prominent in North America and England
Sunni Islam
largest branch (85-90%) prominent throughout Southwest Asia and North Africa
syncretism
development of a new cultural trait as a result of the blending of two distinct but interacting cultures, ex: fusion food: "Americanized" Chinese food, "Americanized" Mexican food
placelessness
loss of distinct local features (uniqueness) in favor of standardized landscapes which happens as a result of the pervasiveness of pop culture and mass production and availability of a wide variety of consumables; places look the same
ex: strip malls, fast food chains
Christianity in America
Catholicism: Northeastern states, Southwestern states of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and parts of Florida
Protestantism:
- Baptist: southeastern states (Bible Belt region)
- Mormonism: Utah and parts of its surrounding states
- Methodist: midland states
Lutheran: Upper Midwest
Mixed: Western states (large parts of California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington)
culture trait
a single attribute of a culture, such as food preferences, architecture, and land use
material culture traits
clothing, food, literature/art, houses/public buildings
ethnocentrism
judging another culture based on the values of one's own culture (language, religion, customs)
cultural relativism
the idea that a person's beliefs, values, and practices should be understood based on that person's own culture, rather than be judged against the criteria of another
sequent occupance
the combined imprint on an area when it has been inhabited by a succession of cultures
ex: buildings, transportation systems, farms, irrigation, recreation facilities
indigenous communities
the original settlers of an area (pre-invasion/colonialism) who have retained their culture apart from the colonizers
ex: Native Americans, First Nations, Aborigines, Quechua
ethnic neighborhood
an area within a city occupied by a distinctive minority culture
ex: Little Italy in NYC; Little Havana in Miami, Chinatown in San Francisco/Boston/Toronto/Kuala Lumpur, Little India in Vancouver/Houston/Singapore/Abu Dhabi
gender role
learned behaviors that are deemed "appropriate" to gender as determined by cultural norms
role of women in workforce
women engaged in paid work outside the home has increased substantially over 2nd half of the 20th century
gendered spaces
areas in which gender expression is either welcome or unwelcome
ex: certain Muslim societies: public space (employment, politics) belongs to men and private space (home) belongs to women, Sharia law
ex: U.S. society: public restrooms divided by gender
sense of place
term used to connote attachment to and comfort in a particular place with a strong identity that is deeply felt by inhabitants (local pride/patriotism)
strong sense of place
sense of place that is felt by visitors as well as inhabitants
ex: Amish country, Little Italy
place making
how a culture makes a place fit their identity by shaping the landscape to show what they believe and value (buildings, statues, sacred sites, places of gathering, etc.)
centripetal forces
forces that unite a country
ex: shared religion/language/identity, stable government, common enemy/external threats
centrifugal forces
forces that divide a country, ex: internal religious, political, economic, linguistic, or ethnic differences/conflicts; physical features (mountains)
cultural diffusion
the spread of an idea, innovation, cultural trend, or disease from its source area to other areas
relocation diffusion
type of cultural diffusion when an innovation or idea spreads by the actual movement of individuals who have adopted the idea and carry it to a new place
ex: spread of Christianity to the New World
ex: spread of Spanish and English to the New World
expansion diffusion
type of cultural diffusion when an innovation or idea develops in a source area and remains strong there while also spreading outward the innovation or idea moves through fixed populations (wave-like)
types of expansion diffusion
contagious, hierarchical, stimulus
contagious diffusion
type of expansion diffusion where nearly all individuals are affected as it spreads outward
ex: spread of Islam
hierarchal diffusion
type of expansion diffusion when particular groups are affected as it leapfrogs over areas
ex: FAX machines, AIDS
stimulus diffusion
type of expansion diffusion where a small portion of the population adopts an idea or modifies it
ex: vegetable "burgers" in India
lingua franca
a language mutually understood by people who speak many different native languages, usually for the purpose of trade
ex: English as language of international business
ex: Swahili as language of trade in East Africa
ex: Arabic as language of trade in Southwest Asia/North Africa
ex: Malay/Indonesian in Southeast Asia
ex: Hindi/Urdu in North India/Pakistan
colonialism
the policy of acquiring control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically
ex: English pilgrims landing in America
ex: Spanish conquistadors landing in America
cultural imperialism
dominance of one culture over another, historically, often occurred as a result of colonization
ex: Spanish and English cultures imposed on the Native People in the Americas
ex: present day pop culture: easily diffused causing local traditions to become commercialized
trade
people move from place to place around the world as they trade and come into contact with new ideas and cultural practices
culture is socially constructed
the practices and beliefs (culture) that appear to be natural and obvious to people who accept it, but are actually learned behaviors
race is not biological, but an agreed upon set of ideas about how humans are differentiated
culture change
occurs through media, technological change, politics, economics, and social relationships
globalization
the process of increased interconnectedness among countries, most notably in the areas of economics (transnational corporations), politics (spread of communism), and culture (pop music)
urbanization
refers to the movement of people from farms to towns/cities, as well as the resulting expansion of the surrounding countryside to absorb increase in people
cultural convergence
cultures become more alike as their interactions increase
ex: increasing use of English globally
cultural divergence
the tendency for culture groups to disassociate from others in order to protect or preserve their culture from influence or change
ex: Amish, Hutterite, Mennonite, Inuit
civilization
a society with an advanced state of social development possessing recordkeeping (writing), advanced cities (urbanization), technology, specialized workers, complex institutions (government, religion)
language
method of communication (spoken/written)
language family
a group of languages with a shared but fairly distant origin
dialect
variant of a standard language along regional or ethnic lines; includes differences in vocabulary, syntax, pronunciation, cadence, and pace
ex: Brazillian Portuguese, Québécois, Osaka-ben
world religions
belief systems that originated in a hearth and diffused
- Christianity (2.4B)
- Islam (1.9B)
- Nonreligious (1.2B)
- Hinduism (1.2B)
- Buddhism (506M)
- Chinese traditional religion (394M)
- Animism - indigenous (300M)
- African traditional (100M)
- Sikhism (26M)
- Judaism (14M)
ethnic culture
members [believe they] share cultural heritage, ancestry, origin myth, history, homeland, language/dialect, symbolic systems (religion/mythology), rituals, cuisine, dressing styles, art, or physical appearance (phenotype)
ex: Greek, Spanish (Castilian), Italian
causes of diffusion of language, religion and ethnic cultures
trade, migration, invasion, conflicts, conquests, missions, and the spread of agriculture
Indo-European language family
family of languages spoken by 46% of the world's population believed to all come from a single language (Proto-Indo-European) that spread outward
Conquest Theory of Indo-European Languages
theorizes that the source of the Indo-European language lay somewhere in the steppes of present-day Ukraine and Russia more than 5,000 years ago, and then spread by conquerors on horseback who moved westward
Agriculture Theory of Indo-European Languages
theorizes that the source of the Indo-European language lay somewhere in the mountainous terrain of Anatolia in modern Türkiye (Turkey) between 7,000 and 9,000 years ago, and then spread with the diffusion of agriculture
toponym
place-names that can uncover historical information about a place and its origins, such as the language of the original inhabitants and succeeding settlement history and population dispersal
ex: Osceola County, Pearland, Singapore, Canary Islands, Chihuahua
geographic distribution of the world's major religions
Hinduism: Indian subcontinent
Islam: Southwest Asia, Northern Africa, and parts of Southeast Asia
Christianity: Australia, Europe, North America, Central and South America
Buddhism: Southeast Asia, East Asia, South Asia
Judaism: North America (U.S.), Southwest Asia (Israel), Europe, Russia
Buddhism
- founded by Siddhartha Gautama in northern India with roots in Hinduism (reincarnation)
- lost its following in India, becoming the most widespread religion in East Asia
- spread by relocation diffusion to East Asia
- spread by expansion diffusion in China, Korea, Thailand, Burma, Japan
Eastern Orthodox
branch of Christianity prominent in Eastern Europe and Russia
Islam
- religion with roots in Judaism, founded in Southwest Asia and based on the belief that there is only one god, Allah, and that Muhammad was Allah's messenger
- spread by expansion diffusion in Southwest Asia and Africa and by relocation diffusion to Southeast Asia, Europe, and the U.S.
- two major branches, Sunni and Shi'ite (Shia)
Shi'ite (Shia) Islam
second largest branch found mostly in Iran and parts of Iraq
Sikhism
- religion with roots in both Islam (Muhammad as a prophet) and Hinduism (reincarnation), founded in Northern India and based on the teachings of Guru Nanak (1500)
- spread by expansion diffusion throughout India and by relocation diffusion to Southeast Asia, Europe, and North America
- spread through expansion diffusion in the Middle East and relocation to North Africa, as well as Europe, S.E. Asia, and U.S./Canada
ethnic religion
religions that do not actively seek converts and are generally found near the hearth or spread through relocation diffusion
Hinduism
- oldest major religion founded in India that cannot be traced to one founder; a collection of religious beliefs that is strongly connected to Hindu culture and is based on the belief in reincarnation
- spread by expansion diffusion throughout India
- spread by relocation diffusion to Southeast Asia, South Africa, North America and South America
Judaism
- religion founded by Abraham in Southwest Asia that is believed by many to be the first monotheistic religion dedicated to serving one god
- spread by relocation diffusion as a result of the Diaspora: the scattering of Jews from their homeland by the Romans
- many Jews relocated back to Southwest Asia following WWII and the creation of Israel
animism
- probably human's oldest religion, pre-dating civilization and centered on the belief that inanimate objects, such as mountains, rivers, and trees possess spirits and should be revered
- found among Native Americans in North and South America, among traditional Africans, and other indigenous groups around the world
assimilation
process in which members of one cultural group adopt the beliefs and behaviors of another group, but still retain some original uniqueness; often occurs as a result of colonization or immigration
ex: Native Americans forced to learn English language by colonizers
ex: immigrant relocates and learns English language
acculturation
process by which a person or persons acquire the social and psychological characteristics of a group and cannot be distinguished from anyone else
ex: European immigrants in America
ex: Chinese Sinicization, Greek Hellenization, Italian Irredentism
multiculturalism
maintaining a diversity of ethnic cultures within a community that are valued and respected for their unique differences, ex: New York City, Toronto, São Paulo
pop culture/popular culture
culture traits of large, heterogeneous, urban populations (usually rapidly changing)
interfaith boundaries
conflict between the world's major faiths
ex: Islam and Judaism in Israel
ex: Hinduism and Buddhism in Sri Lanka
ex: Christianity and Islam in Sudan
intrafaith boundaries
conflict within a single major faith, such as the different denominations of Christianity or the two branches of Islam
ex: Catholics/Protestants in Northern Ireland
ex: Sunni/Shia in Iraq
sacred sites/spaces
areas/places of religious/spiritual significance, including cathedrals, mosques, temples, and cemeteries
ex: Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem
ex: Western Wall in Jerusalem
Jewish Diaspora
More than four-fifths of all Jews live in just two countries, the United States (41%) and Israel (41%). The largest remaining shares of the global Jewish population are in Canada (about 3%), France (2%), the United Kingdom (2%), Germany (2%), Russia (2%) and Argentina (between 1% and 2%).
culture
shared practices, technologies, attitudes, and behaviors transmitted by the members of a society that are not the result of biological inheritance (socially constructed)
ethnicity
a group of people who share a common cultural identity.
ex: Hispanic, German, Italian, Hmong, Japanese
race
historical classification that is used to categorize human populations with shared physical traits (not culture).
{US Census definitions}: American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, Black or African American, White, Asian
culture trait
a single attribute of a culture, such as food preferences, architecture, and land use
material culture traits
clothing, food, literature/art, houses/public buildings
nonmaterial culture traits
language/religion, education systems, government/law systems, music/holidays
ethnocentrism
judging another culture based on the values of one's own culture (language, religion, customs)
cultural relativism
the idea that a person's beliefs, values, and practices should be understood based on that person's own culture, rather than be judged against the criteria of another
cultural landscape
the combination of physical features, agricultural and industrial practices, religious and linguistic characteristics, sequent occupancy, traditional and postmodern architecture, and land use patterns
sequent occupance
the combined imprint on an area when it has been inhabited by a succession of cultures
ex: buildings, transportation systems, farms, irrigation, recreation facilities
indigenous communities
the original settlers of an area (pre-invasion/colonialism) who have retained their culture apart from the colonizers
ex: Native Americans, First Nations, Aborigines
ethnic neighborhood
an area within a city occupied by a distinctive minority culture
ex: Little Italy in NYC
{ex: Little Havana, Chinatown, Little India}
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Flashcard (41)