APHUG Unit 3

Exclave

A portion of a state that is geographically separated from the main territory and surrounded by foreign land.

Isogloss

A geographic boundary line that separates areas with different linguistic features (e.g., word usage or pronunciation).

Hearth

The geographic origin or “starting point” of an idea, innovation, culture, or religion.

Intervening Opportunities

Closer opportunities that reduce the attractiveness of a farther-away location, influencing migration patterns.

Ethnic Religion

A religion tied to a specific ethnic group and place; does not actively seek converts (e.g., Hinduism, Judaism).

Universalizing Religion

A religion that seeks to convert people globally and is not tied to a specific ethnicity (e.g., Christianity, Islam, Buddhism).

Hierarchical Religion

A religion with a well-defined structure and authority hierarchy (e.g., Roman Catholicism).

Monotheistic Religion

A religion that believes in one god.

Polytheistic Religion

A religion that believes in many gods.

IRA (Irish Republican Army)

A paramilitary organization that sought independence from Britain for Ireland; linked to nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland.

Secularism

The separation of religion from government or the decline of religious influence in society.

Syncretism

The blending of two or more cultural traditions, beliefs, or religions into a new hybrid form.

Caste

A rigid social hierarchy in Hindu society that determines a person’s occupation and social interactions.

Hajj

The Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca that every Muslim who is able must complete at least once.

Sharia Law

Islamic law based on the Qur’an and teachings of Muhammad; governs both religious and daily life practices.

Protolanguage

A prehistoric or reconstructed ancestral language from which modern languages evolved.

Creole Language

A fully developed language created from mixing a colonizer’s language with indigenous or African languages; becomes native to a group.

Pidgin Language

A simplified, makeshift language used for communication between speakers of different languages (not a native language).

Sacred Place

A location with spiritual significance in a religion (e.g., Jerusalem, Mecca, Ganges River).

Zionism

A movement supporting the creation and protection of a Jewish homeland in Israel.

Taboo

A socially or culturally prohibited behavior or practice.

White Flight

The movement of white residents from urban areas to suburbs in response to racial diversity or demographic change.

Lingua Franca

A language used for trade and communication between speakers of different native languages (e.g., English globally, Swahili in East Africa).

Enclave

A territory or cultural group surrounded by a different territory or cultural group.

Minaret

A tall tower on a mosque from which the call to prayer is announced.

Acculturation

When a culture adopts some traits of another culture while keeping its own core identity.

Assimilation

When a minority group fully adopts the culture of the dominant group, losing much of their original identity.

Ethnocentrism

Judging another culture by the standards of one’s own culture; belief in cultural superiority.

Genocide

The systematic, deliberate killing of a large group of people based on ethnicity, nationality, or religion.

Infanticide

The intentional killing of infants.

Patricide

The killing of one’s father.

Cultural Landscape

The visible imprint of human activity on the physical environment (buildings, roads, fields, etc.).

Monuments & Memorials

Structures built to commemorate people, events, or cultural values; reflect collective memory and identity.

Cultural Convergence

The process by which cultures become more similar due to interaction, technology, and globalization.

Cultural Divergence

When cultures become more different, often due to isolation or barriers to interaction.

Globalization

The increasing interconnectedness of the world’s economies, cultures, and populations through movement of goods, people, and ideas.