Unit 3: Cultural Patterns and Processes

Culture

The shared set of behaviors, values, beliefs, and material objects a group uses to make sense of the world and organize daily life.

Nonmaterial culture

The ideas and meanings of a culture, such as religion, language, norms, values, folklore, and expectations for social interaction.

Material culture

The physical things people make and use, such as architecture, clothing, tools, foods, art objects, land-use patterns, and sacred-space design.

Art (as a cultural identifier)

A component of culture that often signifies cultural influence, identifies groups, and serves as a source of local pride.

Cultural trait

A single attribute of culture (e.g., speaking Spanish, practicing Islam, a staple food, a greeting, or a roof style).

Cultural complex

A set of interconnected cultural traits that function together (e.g., a religion’s beliefs, rituals, sacred architecture, dietary rules, and holidays).

Cultural region

An area of bounded space with a homogeneous cultural characteristic (one or more components of culture), typically with fuzzy borders.

Formal (uniform) region

A region defined by a shared trait that is relatively consistent throughout the area (e.g., where a particular language dominates).

Functional (nodal) region

A region organized around a node and the connections that flow outward (e.g., a media market spreading popular culture from a city).

Vernacular (perceptual) region

A region defined by people’s perceptions of an area (e.g., “the Midwest”).

Border zone (border state)

A transition area where cultural borders are fuzzy and a place partly fits two cultural regions.

Culture hearth

A localized area where a culture originated or where it has a main population center (core).

Core and periphery (culture region)

A pattern in which a culture has a strong central area (core) and a wider surrounding area (periphery) where influence may be weaker or mixed.

Syncretism (cultural synthesis)

The blending of two or more cultural influences into something new; common in religion, music, and food.

Cultural landscape

The visible imprint of human activity and culture on the natural landscape (e.g., street layouts, buildings, signs, cemeteries, farm shapes).

Sequent occupance

The idea that a place’s cultural landscape shows layers of history from different groups occupying and modifying the area over time.

Toponym

A place name that acts as a cultural marker, often revealing Indigenous presence, colonial influence, or political change (renaming).

Built environment

Human-made surroundings (housing, farms, transportation networks, etc.) shaped by cultural choices about what is appropriate, sacred, efficient, or beautiful.

Sacred space

Landscapes and sites made distinctive by religion, including houses of worship, pilgrimage routes, cemeteries, burial practices, and land-use restrictions near holy places.

Diffusion

The process by which a cultural trait, idea, or innovation spreads from one place to another.

Expansion diffusion

Diffusion in which a trait spreads outward from its origin while remaining strong in the origin area.

Relocation diffusion

Diffusion that occurs when people move and bring cultural traits with them (e.g., immigrant neighborhoods preserving language and institutions).

Contagious diffusion

Rapid, widespread diffusion through direct contact among people, like a wave (e.g., slang, fashion, rumors).

Hierarchical diffusion

Diffusion through a ranked network, often from large cities or influential people to other places and groups.

Stimulus diffusion

Diffusion in which the underlying idea spreads but is adapted/changed to fit local culture.

Barriers to diffusion

Factors that limit spread, including physical (distance, mountains), cultural (language, norms), political (borders, censorship), and economic barriers (access).

Acculturation

Cultural change from sustained contact between groups while each may retain parts of its original culture; traits can be exchanged.

Assimilation

When a minority group adopts the dominant culture so fully that its distinct identity may weaken (sometimes forced historically).

Folk culture

Culture practiced by smaller, more homogeneous groups, strongly tied to tradition and place, usually spreading slowly (often via relocation diffusion).

Popular culture

Cultural traits common in large, heterogeneous societies, heavily shaped by media/corporations and spreading quickly (often via hierarchical diffusion).

Folk music

Music original to a specific culture/region, often using region-associated instruments; lyrics frequently preserve stories and religious traditions.

Folklore

Collected stories, spoken-word histories, and writings specific to a culture that express societal history and moral lessons and help define ethical foundations.

Cultural convergence

The process by which places become more similar due to shared popular culture traits and globalization.

Cultural divergence

The strengthening of local identities and distinct traits (e.g., language, traditions) often in response to globalization and convergence pressures.

Glocalization

The adaptation of global products or ideas to local culture, producing hybrid outcomes.

Cultural appropriation

Using elements of a culture (often marginalized) without understanding, permission, or respect, reinforcing power imbalances—distinct from respectful exchange.

Cultural imperialism

The dominance of one culture over others, supported by economic/political power, global media, and corporations, potentially weakening local languages and traditions.

Globalization

Increasing worldwide interconnectedness through trade, communication, migration, and technology that accelerates cultural diffusion in speed and reach.

Language family

A group of languages with a shared historical origin.

Language branch

A subdivision within a language family, grouping languages with a closer common origin.

Language group

A smaller set of languages within a branch that share more recent common ancestry.

Dialect

A regional variation of a language with distinct vocabulary, grammar, and/or pronunciation; systematic and often tied to identity and politics.

Official language

A language designated by a state for legal/administrative use; can unify communication but also marginalize minority speakers.

Lingua franca

A common language used among speakers of different languages for trade, government, education, or wider communication (e.g., English globally today).

Pidgin

A simplified mixed language with limited grammar and key vocabulary, often formed in trade or colonial contexts.

Creole

A language that develops when a pidgin becomes a community’s first language and gains complexity over time.

Universalizing religion

A religion that actively seeks converts and is meant to be practiced by anyone, often diffusing widely through missions, trade, or conquest.

Ethnic religion

A religion closely tied to a particular ethnic group and region, typically not emphasizing conversion and often remaining regionally concentrated.

Secularization

The process by which religion becomes less central to social and political life, often meaning reduced institutional influence (varies by region).

Ethnic enclave

A neighborhood with a high concentration of a particular ethnic group, often supporting cultural preservation and creating distinct cultural landscapes (e.g., signage, markets, worship sites).