APWH Ch 15: Demography, Culture, and the Environment

Demography

Scientific study of human populations, characteristics, and changes

Global urbanization

Trend from 1900 onward: Urbanization became a global, not just national, process; The trend intensified from 1950 onward

Megacity

City with more than 10 million people, consisting of smaller cities (New York City, Tokyo, Paris, London, Los Angeles)

slum

a district of a city marked by poverty and inferior living conditions

Bracero Program

United States labor agents recruited thousands of farm and railroad workers from Mexico. The program stimulated emigration for Mexico.

Asylum seekers and refugees

People seeking refuge from war or persecution in another country

climate refugees

People displaced by environmental changes brought about by climate change, such as rising sea levels, drought, and increased exposure to hurricanes and floods

Undocumented Immigrants

People who enter a country without proper paperwork (i.e., without that government's permission)

labor migration

migration of people from one area of a country to another or across national borders in search of jobs

Assimilation

the social process of absorbing one cultural group into harmony with another

Influenza Pandemic of 1918

Disease that killed more than 20 million people. The first documented outbreak occurred in Spain in late 1918.

World Health Organization (WHO)

A group within the United Nations responsible for human health, including combating the spread of infectious diseases and health issues related to natural disasters.

Race vs. Ethnicity vs. Nationality

• Race: a socially constructed category of people who share biologically transmitted traits that members of a society consider important
• Ethnicity: a shared cultural heritage
• Nationality: citizenship in a political territory (what passport you hold)

Negritude Movement

movement in which writers and artists of African descent expressed pride in their African heritage

Transnationalism

the practice of maintaining active participation in social, economic, religious, and political spheres across national borders

cultural globalization

The interconnected nature of culture through meetings and the influence of cultures on one another

Bollywood

Indian version of Hollywood (film industry), known for vibrant music, dancing and costumes

yoga

a system of exercises practiced as part of the Hindu discipline to promote control of the body and mind

Religious Fundamentalism

religious movement whose objectives are to return to the foundations of the faith and to influence state policy

Hindutva

Fundamentalist Hindu movement that became politically important in India in the 1980s by advocating a distinct Hindu identity and decrying government efforts to accommodate other faith groups.

Islamic Radicalism

A radical Islamic understanding, or a radical interpretation of Islam which approves terrorism - more of a political ideology that exploits religion rather than an actual form of Islam.

Islamist

Describing a political ideology based on instituting Islamic principles and laws in government.

Liberation Theology

a movement within the Catholic church to understand Christianity from the perspective of the poor and oppressed, with a focus on fighting injustice

Anthropocene Era

the "Age of Man"; the human footprint on ecological atmospheric and geological history of earth

climate change

Change in the statistical properties of the climate system when considered over periods of decades

Great Barrier Reef

the largest coral reef in the world

Green Belt Movement

an indigenous grassroots non-governmental organization based in Nairobi, Kenya that takes a holistic approach to development by focusing on environmental conservation, community development and capacity building.

"cap and trade" system

market-based pollution control system in which the government sets an overall limit on how much of a pollutant is acceptable and issues vouchers to pollute to each company, which companies are then free to trade

Paris Climate Agreement (2015)

A pledge by over 150 countries to significantly decrease their carbon emissions by 2030.

Kyoto Protocol (1997)

The main international treaty on global warming, which entered into effect in 2005 and mandates cuts in carbon emissions. Almost all the world's major countries, except the United States, are participants.