3B vocab (Ap Geo)

Acculturation

The process by which a cultural group adopts some traits of a dominant culture while still retaining its own distinct cultural identity

Adherents

Believers, followers, or practitioners of a particular religion, ideology, or set of beliefs

Agnostic

A person who believes that nothing is known or can be known about the existence or nature of God or anything beyond material phenomena

Apartheid

The former official policy of racial segregation, discrimination, and political/economic oppression enforced in South Africa

Assimilation

The process in which a minority cultural group fully absorbs and integrates into the dominant culture, relinquishing its original cultural identity

Atheism

The belief that God does not exist

Balkanization

The process by which a state or region breaks down and fragments into smaller, mutually hostile units through ethnic conflict

Blockbusting

An illegal real estate practice in which agents convinced white homeowners to sell their homes at low prices by playing on fears that racial minorities would move into the neighborhood

Branch (of a religion)

A large and fundamental division within a major religion (e.g., Sunni and Shia in Islam; Protestantism and Catholicism in Christianity)

Buddhism

A major universalizing religion founded in ancient India by Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha), focused on achieving enlightenment and escaping suffering

Caste System

A rigid social hierarchy historically practiced in India, where individual social status and occupation are determined at birth by hereditary group membership

Colonialism

The policy or practice of a nation acquiring full or partial political control over another territory, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting its economy

Creole

A stable, fully developed language that originated from a pidgin language when it was adopted as the native language of a speech community

Cultural Convergence

The tendency for cultures to become increasingly similar as they share technology, media, and communication across regions

Cultural Divergence

The restriction of a culture from outside influences, or the splitting of a culture into distinct sub-cultures due to geographic or social isolation

Cultural Landscape

The visible fashioning of a natural landscape by a cultural group, combining physical features, agricultural/industrial uses, and built structures

Dialect

A regional or social variety of a language distinguished by vocabulary, spelling, grammar, and pronunciation

Ebonics

African American Vernacular English (AAVE), a distinct dialect of American English spoken by many African Americans

Ethnic Cleansing

The systematic forced removal, expulsion, or destruction of an ethnic or religious group from a given territory by a dominant group

Ethnic Enclaves

Small geographic areas or urban neighborhoods populated primarily by a distinct ethnic minority with shared cultural traditions and businesses

Ethnic Religions

Religions tied closely to a specific ethnic group or geographic location, whose principles are usually not actively proselytized to outside groups (e.g., Judaism, Hinduism)

Ethnic Separatism

The desire or movement by an ethnic group to break away from a larger state to achieve self-determination or political independence

Ethnicity

Identity with a group of people who share distinct physical and mental traits as a product of common heredity and cultural traditions

Ethnoburb

A suburban residential and business area with a notable concentration of a particular ethnic minority population

Genocide

The deliberate, systematic killing or destruction of a large group of people belonging to a particular ethnic, racial, or national group

Ghetto

Historically, a section of a city where a minority group was legally or socially forced to live; modernly, an impoverished urban area dominated by a minority group (ex. Jewish people were forced to live there during WW2).

Glocalization

The practice of adapting global products, services, or media to suit the local culture, tastes, and preferences of specific geographic markets

Hierarchical Religion

A religion with a well-defined central authority and administrative structure that exercises control over its organization and practices (e.g., Roman Catholicism)

Ideogram (Logogram)

A written character or symbol that represents an entire idea or word rather than a specific phonetic sound (e.g., Chinese characters)

Imperialism

The policy of extending a country's power and influence over other nations through diplomacy, economic dominance, or military force

Isogloss

A geographic boundary line marking the spatial limit of a specific linguistic feature, word usage, or pronunciation

Islam

A major universalizing monotheistic religion based on the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad as written in the Quran

Judaism

An ancient ethnic monotheistic religion originating with the Hebrew people, based on the Torah and covenant with God

Karma

In Hinduism and Buddhism, the spiritual principle of cause and effect where an individual's actions determine their future destiny in this life and future reincarnations

Language Branch

A collection of languages within a family related through a common ancestral language that existed several thousand years ago

Language Family

A broad collection of individual languages related through a common ancestral language that existed long before recorded history

Lingua Franca

A common language mutually understood and used for trade, business, or communication between speakers of different native languages

Literary Tradition

A system of written communication used by a language group

Monotheism

The doctrine or belief that there is only one God

Multiculturalism

The policy or practice of giving equal respect and official support to various distinct cultural groups within a society

Official Language

The language designated by a country's government for legal documents, public administration, and official business

Pidgin

A simplified, makeshift form of speech created by combining elements of two or more languages to facilitate basic trade between non-native speakers

Pilgrimage

A journey to a place considered sacred or holy for religious purposes

Placelessness

The loss of uniqueness of place in the cultural landscape, leading to standardized landscapes that look uniform regardless of location

Placemaking

The deliberate process of shaping public spaces to express local identity, foster community connections, and reflect cultural values

Polytheism

Belief in or worship of more than one god or deity

Racism

The belief that race determines human traits and capacities, coupled with systemic prejudice or discrimination against people based on their race

Romance Languages

A sub-branch of the Indo-European language family that evolved from Vulgar Latin (e.g., Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian)

Sharia Law

The legal framework and religious code of Islam derived from the Quran and the Hadith

Spanglish

A hybrid dialect created by combining words, grammar, and expressions from both Spanish and English

Syncretism

The blending of beliefs, practices, or traits from different cultures or religions into a new, unified synthesis

Syncretic Religion

A religion that combines elements, rituals, or beliefs from two or more distinct religious traditions (e.g., Santería, Sikhism)

Theocracy

A system of government ruled directly by religious leaders or governed according to divine authority

Universal Religion (Universalizing Religion)

A religion that actively attempts to operate on a global scale and appeal to all people everywhere, regardless of location or ethnicity (e.g., Christianity, Islam, Buddhism)

White Flight

The historic mass migration of middle-class white families away from racially mixing urban areas to racially homogeneous suburban areas