APHuG Unit 3 Overview

Cultural trait

An individual element of culture, such as food, clothing, or language.

Material culture

Physical objects created and used by members of a culture, like art, buildings, and tools.

Nonmaterial culture

The ideas, beliefs, values, and norms of a culture.

Culture hearth

An area where a cultural trait originates and spreads outward.

Folk culture

Traditionally practiced by small, rural, homogeneous groups; resists change.

Popular culture

Widespread, urban, heterogeneous culture that spreads rapidly through media and technology.

Examples of folk culture

Amish housing, traditional food, folk music.

Examples of popular culture

Fast food, sports, fashion, social media.

Cultural landscape

The visible imprint of human activity and culture on the landscape.

Placelessness

The loss of uniqueness in the cultural landscape, often caused by globalization and popular culture.

Neolocalism

A renewed interest in preserving and promoting local culture and traditions.

Sustainability issues from popular culture

Overuse of resources, pollution, and cultural homogenization.

Postmodern/Contemporary architecture

Innovative, unique architectural styles emphasizing individuality.

Traditional architecture

Building styles that reflect local materials, environment, and cultural heritage.

Ethnic neighborhood (enclave)

An area within a city where people of a common ethnicity cluster together, like Chinatowns.

Ethnic island

A rural area settled by an ethnic group, such as the Amish.

Ethnic homeland

A region strongly associated with an ethnic group’s history and culture.

Cultural convergence

The process of cultures becoming more similar due to interaction and communication.

Sequent occupance

Layers of cultural imprints left on a landscape by successive societies over time.

Religion and the cultural landscape

Visible religious elements like places of worship, sacred sites, and burial practices.

Ethnicity vs. Race

Ethnicity is cultural identity; race is biological characteristics.

Ethnicity vs. Nationality

Ethnicity is cultural identity; nationality is political or legal identity.

Ethnic clustering in the U.S.

Concentration of ethnic groups in certain areas (e.g., Hispanic populations in the Southwest).

Distribution of Christianity

Dominant in Europe, the Americas, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Distribution of Islam

Dominant in North Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Asia.

Distribution of Judaism

Israel, the U.S., and diaspora communities worldwide.

Distribution of Hinduism

Mainly India and Nepal.

Distribution of Buddhism

East and Southeast Asia.

Distribution of indigenous religions

Africa, South America, Oceania.

Sharia Law

Islamic legal system derived from the Quran.

Fundamentalism

Strict adherence to traditional religious beliefs.

Promotion of atheist policies

Common in communist states like the former USSR and China.

Ethnocentrism

Judging another culture by the standards of one’s own.

Cultural appropriation

Adopting elements of another culture without permission or understanding.

Cultural relativism

Understanding a culture on its own terms without judgment.

Imperialism and colonialism

Spread of languages, religions, and cultural systems through control and expansion.

Endangered languages

Languages at risk of disappearing, especially indigenous ones.

Columbian Exchange

Exchange of goods, ideas, and diseases between the Old World and the New World.

Lingua franca

A common language used for trade or communication, like English globally or Swahili in East Africa.

Pidgin language

A simplified mix of two or more languages used for communication.

Creole language

A fully developed language formed from blending multiple languages.

Diffusion of popular culture

Spreads through media such as television, internet, and social platforms.

Threats to folk culture

Loss of identity and traditions due to globalization.

Resistance to popular culture

Regions preserving traditional values and lifestyles (e.g., Amish communities).

Positive influences of media

Increases awareness and helps preserve culture digitally.

Language family

Group of languages with a common ancestral origin.

Isolated language

A language unrelated to any other, like Basque in Europe.

Indo-European language family

Includes English, Spanish, Russian, Hindi, and more.

Dialects

Regional variations of a language.

Isogloss

A boundary line between different dialects or language features.

Official language

A language chosen for government and administrative use in a country.

Preserving endangered languages

Teaching programs, media representation, and government support.

Ethnic religions

Tied to specific people or places, like Hinduism or Judaism.

Universalizing religions

Seek converts and spread worldwide, such as Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Sikhism.

Acculturation

Adopting traits from another culture while maintaining one’s original culture.

Assimilation

Complete integration into another culture, losing original traits.

Syncretism

Blending of cultural traits, such as Tex-Mex food or Caribbean religions.

Multiculturalism

Coexistence of multiple cultures in one society.

Nativism

Opposition to immigration and outside cultural influences.

FRQ 1 – Opposition to Popular Culture

Explain how popular culture diffuses through media, identify resistant regions, describe U.S. folk cultures that persist, and discuss sustainability challenges linked to pop culture.

FRQ 2 – Official Languages and Multilingual States

Explain the importance of language to culture, define official languages, describe Canada’s linguistic conflicts, give another multilingual country example, and explain Swahili’s unifying role in East Africa.

FRQ 3 – Ethnic vs. Universalizing Religions

Define both religion types, give one example of each, describe their distribution, and explain how each shapes the cultural landscape.