AP Human geography Unit 3 terms

Folk culture

Traditional practices, customs, and ways of life of a small, homogeneous, rural group.

Popular culture

Practices, beliefs, and objects shared by a large, heterogeneous society, often urban and influenced by mass media.

Material culture

Physical objects, resources, and spaces people use to define their culture.

Nonmaterial culture

Beliefs, practices, aesthetics, and values of a group that are not physical objects.

Cultural appropriation

Adoption of elements of one culture by members of another culture, often without permission or understanding.

Neolocalism

Renewed interest in preserving and promoting the uniqueness of a place or culture.

Commodification

Turning something that was not previously bought or sold into a marketable good or service.

Reterritorialization

When a culture reinterprets and adapts an external cultural trait to fit its own context.

Placelessness

The loss of unique characteristics of a place, making it feel like everywhere else.

Distance decay

The decrease in interaction between places as the distance between them increases.

Cultural relativism

The principle that a culture should be understood on its own terms, without judgment.

Acculturation

When one culture adopts traits of another while maintaining its own identity.

Adaptation

The process by which people adjust to a new environment or culture.

Assimilation

When a minority culture gradually adopts the traits of a dominant culture, losing its original identity.

Cultural convergence

The process by which cultures become more similar due to interaction and exchange.

Cultural divergence

The process by which cultures become more distinct due to isolation or differences.

Invasion and Succession

When new groups move into a neighborhood and replace older groups.

Dowry deaths

Deaths of women caused by disputes over dowry payments, commonly in South Asia.

Racism

Belief in the superiority of one race over others, often resulting in discrimination.

Barrioization

The process in which a neighborhood becomes predominantly Latino in population.

Ethnicity

Shared cultural traits such as language, religion, customs, or ancestry.

Ethnic cleansing

The forced removal or extermination of an ethnic group from a territory.

Ethnic neighborhood

A neighborhood where a high concentration of residents share the same ethnic background.

Ethnocentrism

Judging another culture based on the standards of one's own culture.

Segregation

The physical and social separation of groups based on race, ethnicity, or other factors.

Creole

A stable, natural language developed from the mixing of parent languages.

Dialect

A regional or social variation of a language distinguished by pronunciation, grammar, or vocabulary.

Indo-European languages

A major language family that includes most languages of Europe, Iran, and northern India.

Language family

A group of languages that share a common ancestral language.

Language group

A subdivision of a language family with more closely related languages.

Lingua franca

A language adopted as a common language between speakers of different native languages.

Pidgin

A simplified language that develops as a means of communication between speakers of different languages.

Toponymy

The study of place names, their meanings, and origins.

Animism

The belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a spiritual essence.

Buddhism

A religion based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, emphasizing enlightenment and the cessation of suffering.

Christianity

A monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.

Confucianism

A philosophy/religion based on the teachings of Confucius emphasizing ethics, family, and social harmony.

Ethnic religion

A religion primarily associated with one ethnic or cultural group.

Universalizing religion

A religion that actively seeks converts and appeals to people globally.

Syncretic religion

A religion that combines elements of different religious traditions.

Hajj

The annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, required of Muslims at least once in their lifetime.

Hinduism

A major world religion originating in India, characterized by a belief in reincarnation and a caste system.

Islam

A monotheistic religion based on the teachings of Prophet Muhammad and the Quran.

Jainism

An ancient Indian religion emphasizing nonviolence, truth, and asceticism.

Judaism

The monotheistic religion of the Jewish people, based on the Torah.

Monotheism

Belief in a single god.

Polytheism

Belief in multiple gods.

Mormonism

A Christian restorationist movement that follows the teachings of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon.

Reincarnation

The belief that after death, a soul is reborn into a new body.

Religious fundamentalism

Strict adherence to the basic principles of a religion.

Religious extremism

The pursuit of religious ideals to the point of violence or intolerance.

Shamanism

A religion involving a practitioner reaching altered states to interact with the spirit world.

Secularism

The principle of separating religion from government and public affairs.

Shintoism

The indigenous religion of Japan, emphasizing rituals, spirits (kami), and ancestor worship.

Sikhism

A monotheistic religion originating in Punjab, India, emphasizing equality and service.

Sunni

The largest branch of Islam, emphasizing the elected caliphate system.

Shia (Shi'ite)

A branch of Islam that believes leadership should stay within the Prophet Muhammad's family.

Syncretism

The blending of different religious or cultural traditions.

Taoism

A Chinese philosophy/religion emphasizing harmony with the Tao (the natural order).

Theocracy

A system of government in which religious leaders rule in the name of a deity.