Chapter 4 - Folk & Popular Culture

folk culture

culture traditionally practiced by a small, homogeneous, rural group living relatively isolatated from other groups

popular culture

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

taboo

behavior heavily discouraged by a culture

assimilation

it is a process by which a group's cultural features are altered to resemble those of another group

acculturation

it is the process of changes in culture that result from the meeting of two groups

relocation diffusion

it is a spread of an idea through physical movement of people from one place to another

expansion diffusion

it is a spread of a feature from one place to another in additive process

contagious diffusion

it is a rapid, widespread diffusion of a characteristic throughout the population

hierarchical diffusion

it is the spread of an idea from people or notes of authority or power to other people or places

stimulus diffusion

it is a spread of an underlying principle even though a characteristic itself apparently fails to diffuse

cultural landscape

the visible imprints of human activity on the natural environment

space - time compression

it describes the reduction in the time it takes for something to reach another place

intervening obstacle

an environmental or cultural feature of the landscape that hinders migration

vernacular / perceptual region

an area that people believe exists as part of their cultural identity

syncretism

it is a combination of elements of two groups into a new cultural feature

environmental determinism

it is the belief that the environments, specifically it's physical factors such as climate, determines the patterns of human culture and societal environment

possibilism

it is the physical environment that may limit some human actions, but people have the ability to adjust to their environments

food preferences

the food that people prefer over other foods

cultural relativism

it is the idea that a person's beliefs, values and practices should be understood based on that person's own culture, rather than be judged against the criteria of others

ethnocentrism

the act of judging another culture and believing that the values and standards of one owns culture or superior - especially with regard to language, behavior, customs and religion

cultural convergence

the process by which cultures become more similar through interaction

cultural divergence

the process by which cultures become less similar and different from others

globalization

it is the force or process that involves the entire world and results in making something worldwide and scope

uniform / formal region

it is an area within which everyone shares in common one or more distinctive characteristics

sense of place

it is often used in relation to those characteristics that make a place special or unique, as well as to those that foster a sense of authentic human attachment and belonging

placelessness

it is often used in relation to those characteristics that do not make a place special or unique, as well as those that do not foster a sense of authentic human attachment and belonging

multiculturalism

an ideology that seeks to establish a model of governance to permit the coexistence of culturally diverse populations

sequent occupancy

the notion that successive societies leave behind their cultural imprint, a collection of evidence about human character and experiences within a geographic region, which shapes the cultural landscape

cultural trait

the specific customs that are a part of everyday life of a particular culture, such as language, religion, ethnicity, societal institutions and aspects of popular culture

indigenous culture

it refers to the unique traditions, practices, languages, and social systems of the original inhabitants of a particular region

ecoutourism

a form of sustainable tourism that focuses on experiencing natural environments, promoting conversation and benefiting local communities