Unit 3: Part 1 (Culture)

Folk Culture

Culture traditionally practiced by a small, homogeneous, rural group living in relative isolation from other groups.

Habit

A repetitive act performed by a particular individual

Cultural Complex

The group of traits that define a particular culture.

Popular Culture

Culture found in a large, heterogeneous society that shares certain habits despite differences in other personal characteristics.

Multilinear evolution

used to explain common characteristics of widely separated cultures developed under similar ecological circumstances

Sociofact

The institutions and links between individuals and groups that unite a culture, including family structure and political, educational and religious institutions

Globalization

Actions or processes that involve the entire world and result in making something worldwide in scope.

Syncretism

a blending of beliefs and practices from different religions into one faith

Assimilation

interpreting our new experiences in terms of our existing schemas

Custom

The frequent repetition of an act, to the extent that it becomes characteristic of the group of people performing the act.

Cultural Convergence

contact and interaction of one culture and another

Artifact

an object made by a human being, typically an item of cultural or historical interest.

Terrior

The contribution of a location's distinctive physical features to the way food tastes

Cultural Perception

how culture affects the way that people observe and interpret the world

Acculturation

(n.) the modification of the social patterns, traits, or structures of one group or society by contact with those of another; the resultant blend

Cultural Landscape / built environment

Fashioning of a natural landscape by a cultural group. This is the essence of how humans interact with nature.

Culture Trait

A single element of normal practice in a culture, such as the wearing of a turban.

Cultural Divergence

the restriction of a culture from outside influences

Mentifact

The central, enduring elements of a culture expressing its values and beliefs, including language, religion, folklore, and etc.

Taboo

A restriction on behavior imposed by social custom.

Environmental Perception

how people perceive, feel about, and interact with the environment

Uniform landscape

the spatial expression of a popular custom in one location that will be similar to another