APHG: CULTURE

Culture

All of a group's learned behaviors, actions, beliefs, and objects.

Cultural traits

The building blocks of a culture, including visible and invisible aspects.

Visible cultural traits

A group's actions, possessions, and influence on the landscape.

Cultural artifact

A physical item that represents values, such as a car.

Invisible cultural traits

Forces guiding people through shared belief systems, customs, and traditions.

Cultural complex

The combination of all cultural traits within a culture.

Imitation

Learning a language by repeating sounds.

Informal instruction

Teaching manners and social norms within the family.

Formal instruction

Learning about a subject in school, such as AP Human Geography.

Folk culture

Small, isolated groups with slow-changing traditions and tight-knit communities.

Folk culture traits

Indigenous populations, emphasis on community and conformity, oral traditions, locally produced building materials and food.

Popular culture

Large, urban populations with rapidly changing cultural traits and global influences.

Popular culture traits

Urban, multiethnic populations, global languages, emphasis on individual choice, rapid diffusion through mass media.

Maintaining Folk Culture in the Face of Popular Culture

Efforts to preserve traditional languages, religions, values, and foods.

Folk Music

Music transmitted orally, centered on daily life events and diffused through migration.

Popular Music

Music written and performed by specific individuals for commercial purposes, often with global connections.

Origin and Diffusion of Folk and Popular Sports

Soccer as an example of a global popular sport with folk origins.

Folk Clothing Preferences

Clothing styles influenced by agricultural practices and climate.

Popular Clothing Preferences

Clothing styles influenced by occupation, income, and media.

Rapid Diffusion of Popular Clothing Styles

Improved communication leading to faster diffusion of fashion trends.

Fashion

Hierarchical diffusion of clothing styles, with jeans as a symbol of Western popular culture.

Cultural preferences and taboos

Examples include dietary restrictions based on religious beliefs.

Terroir

The influence of soil, climate, and environment on food items and regional cuisines.

Housing

Folk housing influenced by environmental factors, while popular housing focuses on buyer preferences.

Cultural Landscape

The visible reflection of a culture in the built environment.

Placelessness

The loss of uniqueness in the cultural landscape, resulting in a uniform and indistinguishable appearance.

Ethnic enclave

Clusters of people from the same culture in a neighborhood, often to buffer from outside influence or discrimination.

Cultural Hearth

The area where a unique culture or specific trait develops.

Diffusion

The spreading of cultural traits over wider areas through relocation or expansion.

Space-time compression

The acceleration of cultural change due to improvements in transportation and communication.

Globalization

Intensified interaction among peoples, governments, and companies of different countries, leading to the spread of popular culture.

Assimilation

The process of giving up cultural traditions and adopting the social customs of the dominant culture.

Forced assimilation

When a dominant culture forcibly makes subcultures give up their way of life.

Indigenous groups

Ethnic communities native to South America, Asia, and Africa.

Aborigines

Indigenous people of Australia.

Muslim Uyghurs

Muslim ethnic group residing in China.

Tibetan Buddhists

Followers of Buddhism in Tibet, China.

Ainu

Indigenous people of Japan.

Central Asians

Ethnic groups from Central Asia within the Russian Empire/Soviet Union.

Syncretism

Process of a folk culture adapting to the dominant culture while retaining its own features.

Amish

Example of a group undergoing acculturation.

Customs

Practices routinely followed by a group of people.

Cultural Appropriation

Process of adopting customs and knowledge from other cultures for personal benefit.

Local cultures

Sustain themselves through customs and aim to avoid cultural appropriation.

Cultural Commodification

Cultural elements becoming objects for trade on the global market.

Ecotourism

One way of achieving cultural commodification through buying souvenirs and experiencing local food.

Re-territorialization of popular culture

Process of locals producing popular culture within their own cultural context.

Hip hop

Example of re-territorialization, where rappers incorporate their local experiences into their music.

Multiculturalism

Coexistence of multiple cultures in one society, valuing and studying all cultures.

Melting Pot

Term used to describe multicultural societies like the U.S.

Xenophobia

General dislike or fear of people from other countries and cultures.

Cultural relativism

Objective analysis of other cultures from their own perspective.

Ethnocentrism

Belief that one's own culture is superior or the best.

Universal morals and norms

Difficult to achieve due to cultural differences, but understanding different cultures is important.

Universal ethic

Applying ethics universally regardless of cultural, racial, or other distinguishing features.

Electronic Media

Access to TV, internet, and social media influencing popular culture adoption.

TV

Most popular leisure activity and a major mechanism for popular culture diffusion.

Internet

Rapidly expanding access globally, with around 58% of the world's population having access.

Social media

Transformative force in the 21st century, including platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, TikTok, and VSCO.

Smartphones

Powerful tool for cultural diffusion, combining TV, internet, and social media in one device.