Unit 3 AP Human Geo Vocab

Culture

shared practices, technologies, attitudes, and behaviors transmitted by the members of a society that are not the result of biological inheritance

ethnicity

a group of people who share a common cultural identity -Hispanic -Japanese

race

historical classification that is used to categorize human populations with shared physical traits (not culture) -American Indian - White -Black or African American - Asian

Culture trait

a single attribute of a culture, such as food preferences, architecture, and land use

material culture traits

clothing, food, literature/art, houses/public buildings

nonmaterial culture traits

language/religion, education systems, government/law systems, music/holidays

Cultural landscape

the combination of physical features, agricultural and industrial practices, religious and linguistic characteristics, sequent occupancy, traditional and postmodern architecture, and land use patterns

sequent occupance

the combined imprint on an area when it has been inhabited by a succession of cultures

indigenous communities

the original settlers of an area (pre-invasion/colonialism) who have retained their culture apart from the colonizers - Native Americans

ethnic neighborhood

an area within a city occupied by a distinctive minority culture - Little Italy in NYC

gender

social and cultural differences between males and females (not biological differences)

gender role

learned behaviors that are deemed appropriate to gender as determined by cultural norms

role of women in workforce

women engages in paid work outside the home has increased substantially over 2nd half of the 20th century

gendered spaces

areas in which gender expression is either welcome or unwelcome

sense of place

term used to connote attachment to and comfort in a particular place with a strong identity that is deeply felt by inhabitants

strong sense of place

sense of place that is felt by visitors as well as inhabitants

place making

how a culture makes a place fit their identity by shaping the landscape to show what they believe and value

centripetal forces

forces that unite a country

centrifugal forces

forces that divide a country

culture is socially constructed

the practices and beliefs (culture) that appear to be natural and obvious to people who accept it, but are actually learned behaviors

culture change

occurs through media, technological change, politics, economics, and social relationships

globalization

the process of increased interconnectedness among countries most notably in the areas of economics, politics, and culture

urbanization

refers to the movement of people to towns/cities and the resulting expansions of the rural countryside to absorb increase in people

assimilation

when an ethnic group can no longer be distinguished from another group

time-space compression

increasing connectivity between cultures that occurs as a result of communication technology e.g. internet

cultural convergence

cultures become more alike as their interactions increase

cultural divergence

the tendency for culture groups to disassociate from others in order to protect or preserve their culture from influence or change

indigenous culture

culture traits of usually small, traditional, homogenous, rural communities

loss of indigenous languages

consequence of colonialism and policies of assimilation

Lingua Franca

a language mutually understood by people who speak different languages, usually for the purpose of trade

creolization

the blending of European, Amerindian, and African cultures in the New World as a result of colonialism to create something new

diffusion

the spread of an idea, innovation, cultural trend, or disease from its source area to other areas

relocation diffusion

type of cultural diffusion when an innovation or idea spreads by the actual movement of individuals who have adopted the idea and carry it to a new place

expansion diffusion

type of cultural diffusion when an innovation or idea develops in a source area and remains strong there while also spreading outward the innovation or idea moves through fixed populations (wave-like)

contagious diffusion

type of expansion diffusion where a cultural trait spreads continuously outward from its hearth through contact with people. ex info through social media

hierarchical diffusion

spread of a cultural trait outward from larger, connected places or centers of wealth and importance. As it expands, the trait spreads to more and more people. ex music, fashion, cell phones

stimulus diffusion

type of expansion diffusion where a small portion of the population adopts an idea and modifies it. ex vegetable “burgers” in India, smartphones

reverse hierarchical diffusion

the spread of a cultural trait from a location of lower importance to higher importance. ex spread of Walmart from a small town in Arkansas

colonialism

the policy of acquiring control over another country, occupying it with settlers and exploiting it economically

cultural imperialism

dominance of one culture over another, historically, often occurred as a result of colonization. ex spanish/english cultures imposed on the native people

local culture

cultural traits specific to a location (local scale). ex high school mascots, local owned restaurants

localization

preservation of indigenous and/or local cultures against the spread of global culture.

glocalization

the process in which a product, service, or cultural trait is developed and distributed globally but adjusted to accommodate the tastes and cultural traits of local consumers. ex different varieties of coca cola sold internationally

trade

people move from place to place around the world as they trade and come into contact with new ideas and cultural practice

culture hearth

the source of civilization: place where a civilization began and their ideas and practices spread to surrounding areas

civilization

a society with an advanced state of social development possessing recordkeeping (writing), advanced cities (urbanization), technology, specialized workers, complex institutions (government, religion)

language

method of communication (spoken/written)

language family

a group of languages with a shared but fairly distant origin

dialect

variant of a standard language along regional or ethnic lines. ex pronunciation

isogloss

boundaries between variations in pronunciations or word uses. ex Coke/Pop/Soda, athletic shoes/sneakers

world religions

belief systems that originated in a hearth and diffused

ethnic cultures

members share cultural heritage, ancestry, origin myth, history, homeland, language/dialect, symbolic systems, rituals, cuisine, dressing styles, art, or physical appearance. ex Greek, Spanish, Italian

toponym

place-names that can uncover historical information about a place and its origins, such as the language of the original inhabitants and succeeding settlements history and population dispersal

universalizing religion

religions that actively seek converts because they view themselves as offering belief systems of universal applicability and appeal. ex Christianity, Islam

ethnic religion

religions that do not actively seek converts and are generally found near the hearth or spread through relocation diffusion. ex Hinduism, Judaism

assimilation

process by which a person or persons acquire the social and physiological characteristics of a group and cannot be distinguished from anyone else

acculturation

process in which members of one cultural group adopt the beliefs and behaviors of another group, but still retain some original uniqueness; often occurs as a result of colonization or immigration

multiculturalism

maintaining a diversity of ethnic cultures within a community that are valued and respected for their unique differences. ex New York City

syncretism

development of a new cultural trait as a result of the blending of two distinct but interacting cultures. ex “Americanized” Chinese/Mexican food

placelessness

loss of distinct local features (uniqueness) in favor of standardized landscapes which happens as a result of pervasiveness of pop culture and mass production and availability of a wide variety of consumables. ex strip malls

global culture

culture traits of large, heterogenous, urban populations (usually rapidly changing)

sacred sites (spaces)

areas/places of religious/spiritual significance, including cathedrals, mosques, temples, and cemeteries. ex dome of the rock in Jerusalem, western wall in Jerusalem

ethnocentrism

judging another culture based on the values of one’s own culture (language, religion, customs)

cultural relativism

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 another