Unit 3 AP HUG Vocab

Culture

Shared practices, technologies, attitudes, and behaviors transmitted by the members of a society

Ethnicity

Group of people who share a common cultural identity

Race

Historical classification used to categorize human populations with shared physical traits

Culture Trait

Single attribute of a culture, such as food preferences or architecture

Ethnocentrism

Judging another culture based on the values of one's own culture

Cultural Relativism

Beliefs, values, and practices should be understood based on that person's own culture

Sequent Occupance

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

Indigenous Communities

Original settlers of an area who have retained their culture apart from the colonizers

Ethnic Neighborhood

Area within a city occupied by a distinctive minority culture

Gender Role

Learned behaviors deemed appropriate to gender as determined by cultural norms

Gendered Spaces

Areas in which gender expression is either welcome or unwelcome

Sense of Place

Attachment to and comfort in a particular place with a strong identity

Centripetal Forces

Forces that unite a country

Centrifugal Forces

Forces that divide a country

Official Language

Language adopted by law for the use of government business and documents

Standard Language

Accepted language used for government business, education, and mass communications

Cultural Diffusion

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

Contagious Diffusion

Type of expansion diffusion where nearly all individuals are affected as it spreads outward

Hierarchical Diffusion

Type of expansion diffusion when particular groups are affected as it leapfrogs over areas

Stimulus Diffusion

Type of expansion diffusion where a small portion of the population adopts an idea or modifies it

Lingua Franca

Language mutually understood by people who speak different languages

Creolization

Blending of European, Amerindian, and African cultures in the New World

Pidgin

Form of speech that adopts simplified grammar and limited vocabulary of a lingua franca

Colonialism

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

Cultural Imperialism

Dominance of one culture over another, often occurred as a result of colonization

Neocolonialism

MDCs controlling LDCS for cheap labor and resources leading to the loss of culture and increase in globalization

Globalization

Process of increased interconnectedness among countries in economics, politics, and culture

Cultural Convergence

Cultures become more alike as their interactions increase

Cultural Divergence

Tendency for culture groups to disassociate from others in order to protect or preserve their culture

Local Culture

Culture traits of small, traditional, homogenous, rural communities

Cultural Revival

Process that works against globalization, promotes cultural distinction and uniqueness

Culture Hearth

Source of civilization, place where a civilization originated

Language Family

Group of languages with a shared but fairly distant origin

Dialect

Variant of a standard language along regional or ethnic lines

Isolated Language

Language unrelated to any other language family, group, or branch

Religious Branch

Large division within a religion

Fundamentalism

Literal interpretation and strict adherence to a religion's rules

Monotheistic

Belief in only one god

Polytheistic

Belief in many gods

Theocracy

Government that bases decisions on religious principles and beliefs

Toponym

Place-names that can uncover historical information about a place and its origins

Universalizing Religion

Religions that actively seek converts and view themselves as offering belief systems of universal applicability

Ethnic Religion

Religions that do not actively seek converts and are generally found near the hearth

Acculturation

Process in which members of one cultural group adopt the beliefs and behaviors of another group

Assimilation

Process by which a person or persons acquire the social and psychological characteristics of a group

Syncretism

Development of a new cultural trait as a result of the blending of two distinct cultures

Isogloss

Unofficial boundary that separates regions in which different vocabulary is used

Interfaith Boundaries

Conflict between the world's major faiths

Intrafaith Boundaries

Conflict within a single major faith

Sacred Sites

Areas of religious or spiritual significance