AP Human Geography Religion and Ethnicity

buddhism

an endogamous and hereditary social group limited to persons of the same rank, occupation, economic position, etc. and having more distinguishing it from other such groups

crusade

any of the military expeditions undertaken by the christians of Europe in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries for the recovery of the holy land from the muslims

denomination

a division of a branch that unites a number of local congregations into a single legal and administrative body

fundamentalism

Literal interpretation and strict adherence to basic principles of a religion (or a religious branch, denomination, or sect).

shiite

a member of the branch of islam that regards Ali and his decedents as the legitimate successors to Muhammad and rejects the first three caliphs

sunni

a member of the branch of islam that accepts the first four caliphs as rightful successors to Muhammad

polytheism

belief in or worship of more than one god

sacred place

holy places of a religion set aside for purely spiritual use

secularism

the view that public education and other matters of civil policy should be conducted without the introduction of a religious element

shamanism

the type of religious which once prevailed among all the ural-Altaic peoples in northern Asia. the shaman, or wizard priest, deals with a good as well as with evil spirits and ancestors

adaptive strategy

a classification of societies based on correlations between their economies and their social features including five adaptive strategies: foraging: horticulture: agriculture: pastoralism: and industrialism

ethnicity

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

middle passage

ocean corridor between african and north and south american where europeans forced the migration of 10 million enslaved africans

race

identity with a group of people descended from a biological ancestor

triangular trade

a practice during the 18th century that european ships transported slaves from Africa to the caribbean islands, molasses from the Caribbean to Europe and trade goods from Europe to Africa

Animism

belief that objects such as plants and stones or natural events like thunderstorms and earthquakes have a discrete spirit and conscious life

autonomous religion

religion that does not have a central authority but shares ideas and cooperates informally

branch

a large and fundamental division within a religion

caste

the class or distinct hereditary order into which a Hindu is assigned according to religious laws

christianity

a monotheistic system of beliefs and practices based on the old testament and the teachings of jesus as the embodied in the new testament and emphasizing the role of jesus as a savior

confucianism

the system of ethics, education, and statesmanship taught by Confucius and his disciples stressing love for humanity, ancestor worship, reverence for parents, and harmony in thought and conduct

ethnic religion

a relgion with concentrated spatial distribution whose principles are likely to be based on the physical characteristics of the particular location in which its adherents are concentrated

ethnic neighborhoods/enclaves

a neighborhood, typically situated in a larger metropolitan city and constructed by or comprised of a local culture, in which a local culture can practice its customs

Hajj

The fifth pillar of the Muslim faith: visit Mecca at least once in your lifetime

Hinduism

A religion and philosophy developed in ancient India, characterized by a belief in reincarnation and a supreme being who takes many forms

islam

A religion based on the teachings of the prophet Mohammed which stresses belief in one god (Allah), Paradise and Hell, and a body of law written in the Quran. Followers are called Muslims.

monotheism

the belief in the existence of only one god

pilgrimage

a journey made to some sacred place as an act of religious devotion

reincarnation

the belief that the soul, upon death of the body, comes back to earth in another body or form

religion

a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies involving devotional and ritual observances and often containing a moral code of conduct

sect

a relatively small group that has broken away from an establish denomination

shintoism

the native religion of japan, primarily a system of nature and ancestor worship

sikhism

monotheistic religion founded in northern india in the 16th century by the guru Nanak. Sikhism rejects caste distinctions, idolatry, and asceticism and is characterized by belief in a cycle of reincarnation from which humans can free themselves by living righteous lives as active members of society

taoism

the philosophical system evolved by lao-tzu and chuang-tzu advocating a life of complete simplicity and naturalness and of noninterference with the course of natural events, in order to attain a happy existence in harmony with the tao

theocracy

a form of government in which god or a deity is recognized as the supreme civil ruler, the gods laws being interpreted by ecclesiastical authorities

universalizing religion

religion that attempts to appeal to all people, not just those living in a particular location

acculturation

the process of adopting the cultural traits or social patterns of another group

barrio

a chiefly spanish speaking neighborhood in a us city

Brown vs Board of Education

segregated schools are unconstitutional

ethnocentrism

the belief that ones own ethnic values are superior

ghetto

the name given to the neighborhoods Jews were forced to move into during WWII

Plessy vs. Ferguson

a case that was brought to supreme court by black lawsuits to challenge the legality of segregation. The court ruled that segregation was legal as long as it was "equal"

racism

belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce and inherent superiority of an particular race

racist

a person who subscribes to the beliefs of racism

segregation

the practice of separating people of different races,classes or ethnic groups in houses, schools, and commercial facilities

sharecropper

a person who works fields rented from a landowner and pays rent and repays loan by turning over the landowner a share of the crops

white flight

the retreat of anglo americans from communities that ethnic minorities primarily african americans relocate to

Genocide

Deliberate extermination of a racial or cultural group

ethnic cleansing

Process in which more powerful ethnic group forcibly removes a less powerful one in order to create an ethnically homogeneous region