WHAP Foundational Vocab FR

Assimilation

Merging of cultural traits from previously distinct cultural groups; to adopts the ways of another culture

Artisans

A person skilled in a particular craft; one who uses traditional methods to create items

Autonomous

Self-governing; independent; subject to its own laws. Independent of others and possessing a large degree of self-government

Bureaucracy

A system of departments and agencies formed to carry out the work of government. Often a highly respected position.

Centralization

The concentration of administrative power in a central government or authority

Circa

About; especially used in approximate dates

Codify

To catalogue or organize a set of laws, rules, etc. to a specific code

Commodity

An article of trade or commerce, especially a product as distinguished from a service

Consolidation

A monarch’s attempt to streamline and centralize the government

Cultural diffusion

The spreading of ideas or products from one culture to another

Culture

A people’s unique way of life, as shown by its tools, customs, arts, and ideas

Decentralization

To reorganize a government or industry into smaller, more autonomous units

Deforestation

The clearing of trees, transforming a forest into cleared land

Democracy

A form of government in which the supreme power is retained by the people, but which is usually exercised indirectly through a system of representation and delegated authority periodically renewed.

Demography

The study of the size, growth, density, and other characteristics of human populations

Desertification

The process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically as a result of drought, deforestation, or destructive agriculture

Diaspora

Any group that has been dispersed outside of its traditional homeland, especially involuntarily, as African during the Trans-Atlantic slave trade

Doctrine

A belief or set of beliefs held and taught by a religion or a government

Egalitarian

Asserting, resulting from, or characterized by belief in the equality of all people, especially in political, economic, or social life

Elite

A group of persons exercising the major share of authority or influence within a larger group

Empire

A political construct in which one state dominates over another state or a series of states

Epidemic

Outbreak of a contagious disease that spreads rapidly and affects many people at the same time

Gender

Sexual identity, especially in relation to society or culture

Ideology

The doctrine, myth, belief, etc., that guides an individual, social movement, institution, class, or large group

Imperialism

The practice of a nation forcefully imposing its rule or authority over other nations

Indigenous

Originating or occurring naturally in a particular place

Infrastructure

The basic physical and organizational structures and facilities (e.g. buildings, roads, power supplies) needed for the operation of a society or enterprise

Interregional

Of, involving, or connecting two or more regions

Intraregional

Within a region

Legitimacy

To rule by the principle of hereditary or sanctioned right

Monarchy

Supreme power held by one person and passed on through the family heirs

Nation-State

A sovereign state inhabited by a relatively homogeneous group of people

Religion

Belief system that holds that divine powers control the environment and people’s futures

Republic

A state where the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to select representatives to represent them

Sedentary

settled, not migratory

Social hierarchy/class

Referring to the hierarchical arrangement of individuals into divisions of power and wealth within a society

State

A politically unified people occupying a definite territory, nation, or territory(ies) of a government

Static

Showing little change characterized by little movement or progression

Syncretism

Combination of different cultures (religion, art, etc.) resulting in a unique culture

Transregional

The exchange of goods, services, culture, and traditions across political or geographic boundaries

Tributary state

A state that is subordinate to a more powerful neighbor