Unit 3 AP Human Geography

Culture

the shared practices, technologies, attitudes, and behaviors transmitted by a society. (sports, music, food, patriotism.)

Material Culture

the physical and visible objects made and used by members of a cultural group (clothes, furniture, and artwork)

Non-material culture

intangible elements of culture including myths, beliefs, values, and symbolic meanings passed down

Artifacts

visible and physical objects (houses, clothing, toys)

Sociofacts

the way in which a society behaves and organizes institutions (family, education, religion, government)

Mentifacts

Ideas, beliefs, values, and knowledge of a culture (religious beliefs, language, Taboo, Food preferences).

Pop Culture

heterogeneous (all diff culture coming together) culture that is more influenced by the cities and is quick to adopt new technologies. Generated by young people

Folk/Local Culture

rural, homogeneous ethnicity that is deeply rooted to the local land. Passed down by elders

Indigenous culture

local culture that is no longer the dominant ethnic group within its traditional homeland due to migration, colonization, or political marginalization. (ancient)

Placelessness

occurs where local distinctiveness is erased and many places end up with similar cultural landscapes

Ethnicity and Race

common ancestry/cultural tradition characterized by strong feeling of group identity. Physical characteristics of that group like skin color. Very vague but powerful in lived experiences.

Multicultural Approach

Policies that promote the active participation and inclusion of minority groups in national histories, national policies, and cultural institutions with the goal of embracing difference in society.

Ethnocentric Approach

an approach to understand other cultures that evaluates them from the perspective of the observer's culture. Biased view of a culture based on its deviation from your own culture.

Cultural Relativism

an approach to understanding other culture that seeks to understand individuals and cultures from a wider perspective of cultural logic. That is, knowing our biases and perspective before thinking about another culture. “Putting yourself in other peoples shoes,”

Human rights issue often stem from individuals

ignoring/superseding cultural relativism

Sense of Place

unique attributes of a specific location - cultural influences and feelings evoked by people in a place (distinctiveness). (Empire State Building, Great Wall of China)

Cultural Realm

areas of the world that share cultural traits such as language, religion and food and or a shared history. These similar cultural traits lead to a similar cultural landscape in each cultural realm.

Anglo-American

Largely influence by British Culture

English is the main language

Christian mostly

European Settlement (Colonization)

Indigenous, European, African, Hispanic (Quebec is not included).

Latin America

a collective of the Americas where Romance Languages (derived from Latin) are premarily spoken

Spanish is main language

Roman Catholic

Hispanic, Afro Caribbean, Afrolatin, European, indigenous

Colonized by Europe

Centripetal forces

charcteristics that unify a country or political stability (common language, ethnicity, religion).

Centrifugal

charcterisitcs that divide a country and create instability (multiple competing ethnicities, languages, and religions