APHG unit 3 and 4

material culture

the physical, visible objects made and used by members of a cultural group

non-material culture

intangible elements of culture including a wide range of beliefs, values myths, and symbolic meanings passed down generations

cultural trait

a single aspect of given culture or society

local culture

rural, ethnically homogenous culture that is deeply connected to the local land; opposite of popular culture

indigenous culture

a local culture that is no longer the dominant ethnic group within its traditional homeland because of diffusion

popular culture

heterogenous culture that is more influenced by key urban areas and quick to adopt new technology; opposite of local culture

cultural attitudes

concepts and ideas in a society that are shaped by cultural opinions, beliefs, and perspectives

language

a mutually agreed-upon system of symbolic communication

polyglot

a person who is fluent in more that 2 languages

religion

a structured set of beliefs and practices through which people seek mental and physical harmony with the powers of the universe

ethnic group

a people of common ancestry and cultural tradition; characterized by a strong feeling of group identity

race

historically defined by the physical characteristics of a group

ethnic geography

the study of the spatial aspects of ethnicity

multiculturalism

a set of policies that promote the active participation and inclusion of minority groups in national histories, national politics, and cultural institutions with the goal of embracing differences within society

ethnocentric approach

an approach to understanding other cultures that evaluates them from the perspective of the observers culture

cultural relativism

an approach to understanding other cultures that seeks to understand individuals and cultures from a wider perspective of cultural logic

physical landspace

all the natural physical surroundings that create and shape the places we are living in or examining

placelessness

the feeling resulting from the standardization of the built environment; occurs where local distinctiveness is erased and many places end up with similar cultural landscapes

modernist architecture

a function, rational, and orderly style for building designs

postmodern architecture

a design style that is a reaction against modernist architecture

sequent occupance

refers to the fact that many places have been controlled or affected by a variety of groups over a period of time; those groups have reshaped the functions or meaning of those places and left behind layers of meaning

sacred spaces

natural or human-made sites that possess religious meaning and are recognized as worthy of devotion, loyalty, fear, or esteem

secular

less influenced or controlled religion

subculture

a group of people with distant norms, values, and material practices that differentiate them from the dominant culture surrounding them

sense of place

the distinctive feeling of a place, or a person's perception of place

placemaking

efforts to use and design public place to better serve the needs of residents and to foster a stronger community

centrifugal force

a force that threatens the cohesion of a neighborhood, society, or country

secularization

the process whereby religion become a less dominant force in everyday life than it was in the past

absorbing barriers

barriers that completely halt diffusion

permeable barriers

barriers that slow diffusion but not completely

pidgin

a trade language, characterized by a very small vocabulary derived from the languages of at least 2 or more groups in contact

creole

a combined language that has a fuller vocabulary than pidgin language and becomes a native language

creolization

the linguistic process where languages converge as create new languages and forms of communication

lingua franca

a language of communication and commerce spoken

bilingualism

the ability to speak 2 languages fluently

empire

a sovereign political entity that seek to expand beyond their origin land to control more territory politically and/or politically

imperialism

the motivating impulse to control greater amounts of territory

colonialism

the act of forcefully controlling a foreign territory, which becomes known as a colony

genocide

the systematic killing of members of a racial, ethnic, or linguistic group

time-space convergence

the phenomenon where by the introduction of new transportation technology progressively reduces the time it take to travel between places

endangered language

a language that it not taught to children by their parents and is not used actively in everyday matters

extinct language

a language that has only a few elderly speakers or no living speakers

culture hearth

a focused geographic area where important innovations are born and from they are spread

languages family

a group of related languages that share a common ancestry

dialect

a regional variation of a language that is understood by people who speak other variations of that language

accent

a way of pronouncing words

monotheistic

relating to the belief in only one god

universalizing religion

a religion that actively seeks new members and believes its message has universal importance and application

ethnic religion

a religion identified w/ a particular ethnic/tribal group that does not seek converts

proselytic

describing a religion that spreads its message to others through missionary work

toponyms

the names given to places

generic toponyms

the generic part of a place-name

polytheistic

relating to the belief in many gods

animistic religion

a faith that subscribes to the idea that souls or spirts exist not only in humans, but also in animals, plants, and wildlife

acculturation

occurs when an ethnic or immigrant group adopts enough of the ways of the host society to be able to function economically and socially

assimilation

occurs when an ethnic or immigrant group blends in with host culture and loses many culturally distinctive traits

transculturation

the notion that people adopt elements of other culture as well as contribute elements of their own culture

syncretism

the blending of beliefs, ideas, practices, and traits (especially religious)

syncretic religion

religion that combines elements of 2 or more different belief systems

orthodox religion

religion that emphasizes purity of faith and is generally not open to blending withs elements of other belief systems

political geography

a branch of human geography concerned with the spatial analysis of political system

political map

a amp that shows the spatial organization of the countries and territories on the entire globe at a given point in time

state or country

an independent political unit with a centralized authority over a region with defined boundaries

independent state

a state that possesses the sole authority over the land and people within the boundaries

nation

a community of people bound to a homeland and possessing a common identity based on shared cultural traits

nation-state

the ideal political geographical unit; one in which the nation's geographic boundaries exactly match states's territorial boundaries

nation-state ideal

the idea that political authorities govern in the name of all country's citizens, modern mass communication links all residents, and state based citizenship rights reinforce the idea of a national identity

escarpments

abrupt slopes that break up the general continuity of the terrain

effective sovereignty

the idea that a state's power to enforce its sovereignty may extend beyond its territory and varies over time from country to country

devolution

the movement of power from the central government to regional governments within the state

ethnonationalism

a form of nationalism in which the nation is defined in terms off ethnic identity

neocolonialism

the set of economic and political strategies by which wealthy and powerful countries indirectly maintain or extend their influence over less wealthy areas

peripheral states

states that have relatively little industrial development

core states

states that have the most advanced industrial and military technologies

shatterbelt

region of continuing and persistent fragmentation due to devolution and centrifugal forces

choke point

a narrow passage that restricts traffic to another region

strait

a narrow body of water connecting 2 larger bodies

boundary

a clearly demarcated line that marks both the limits of a territory and the divisions between

median line principle

an approach to dividing and creating boundaries at the midpoint between 2 places

borderland

a region straddling both sides of an international boundary where national cultures overlap and blend to varying degrees

frontier

a region at the margins or state control and settlement

enclave

a territory surrounded by a country but not ruled by it

exclave

part of a national territory separated from the main body of the country to which it belongs

delimited

describing how boundaries are fixed or defined to identify their limits

demarcated

describing how boundaries are set apart to distinguish their limits

relic boundary

a boundary that no longer functions an international boundary

superimposed boundary

a boundary that is placed on an area without regard to existing boundaries

subsequent boundary

a political boundary that developed with the cultural landscape

antecedent boundary

a boundary that was identified before an area was settled

geometric boundary

a boundary that has regular, often perfectly straight lines drawn without regard for an area's physical or cultural features

consequent boundary

a boundary that is drawn to accommodate existing cultural differences

demilitarized zone

area where countries have decided to not allow military activity

buffer state

a politically and economically weak independent country that lies between the borders of 2 powers

satellite state

a nominally independent country that is politically, military, and economically controlled by a more powerful state

united nations convention on the law of the sea (UNCLOS)

conference organized to define territorial boundaries and rights to the sea

exclusive economic zone (EEZ)

zone that extends 200 nautical miles from the shoreline in which coastal states have the sole right to exploit, develop, manage, and conserve all water resources lying beyond the land

electoral geography

a subfield of political geography that analyzes the geography of political preferences and how geography can shape voting outcomes

voting district

a territorial division for casting votes in public election

electoral college

a body of 538 electors in the us; majority of 270 electoral votes is required to elect the president

reappointment

the process by which the 435 seats in the us house of reps. are divided proportionately by population among the 50 states following every us census