AP Human Geography Culture Vocabulary

Unit 5

Culture

The learned beliefs and practices of a group of people

Material Culture

objects that can be touched (architecture, food, art & music, fashion & dress)

Non-material Culture

Beliefs and ideas (religion & folklore, values & holidays, language, norms)

Cultural Complex

Elements of Culture

- Artifacts: visible, physical objects

- Sociofacts: societal behaviors

- Mentifacts: ideas, beliefs, values, and knowledge of a culture

Types of Diffusion

- Hierarchical diffusion: person of authority down

- Contagious diffusion: wave-like through a population

- Stimulus diffusion: trait is rejected, underlying ideas accepted

- Relocation diffusion: cultural practices spread through migration

Ethnocentrism

Judging other cultures in terms of one's own standards and often includes the belief that one's own culture/group is better than others

Cultural Relativism

Unbiased way of viewing other cultures

Traditional / Local (folk) Culture

- Local = changes quickly over space; relocation diffusion

- Traditional = slowly over space

Pop(ular) /Global Culture

- Produced for sale

- Global Culture = changes slowly over space; the same everywhere

- Pop Culture = changes quickly over time; always new (expansion diffusion)

Cultural Globalization

Experience of everyday life reflects a standardization/homogeneity

Cultural Imperialism

The imposition of one culture onto another, typically from the politically or economically dominant country

Hegemony

Leadership or dominance over others

Syncretism

The amalgamation (merging) of different religions, cultures, or schools of thought

Multiculturalism

Presence or support of several, distinct cultural and ethnic groups in a society

Cultural Appropriation

Innapropriate or unacknowledged adoption of an element of culture by members of a different group

Acculturation

Assimilation to a different culture, typically the dominant one

- HIGH dominant, HIGH heritage = integration

- LOW dominant, HIGH heritage = separation

- HIGH dominant, LOW heritage = assimilation

- LOW dominant, LOW heritage = marginalization

Assimilation

Adoption of the dominant culture

Forced Assimilation

Involuntary process of assimilation where religious ethnic minority groups are forced to adopt the dominant culture

Cultural Genocide

Attempted destruction of a group's culture, religion, and identity

Cultural Landscape

A natural landscape that has been modified by humans, reflecting cultural beliefs and values

Built Environment

Physical artifacts that humans have created that form a part of the landscape

Cultural Region

Areas based on cultural characteristics and ethnicities

Charter Group

The first group to establish cultural and religious customs in a space

Sequent Occupance

Societies or cultural groups leave their cultural imprints when they live in a place, each contributing to the overall cultural landscape over time

Neolocalism

The process of re-embracing the uniqueness and authenticity of a place

Ethnicity (nation)

A group of people with shared culture and history

Ethnic Enclave

High concentration of immigrants from the same country in one place

Nation-state

State where a majority of the people belong to the same ethnic background

Multiethnic State

A country with more than 1 major ethnic group

Centripedal Force

A factor that promotes unity among a population

Centrifugal Force

A factor that promotes division among a population

Balkanization

Fragmentation of larger sovereign countries into smaller (ethnically similar) countries or regions

Ethnic Cleansing

Mass explusion of members of an unwanted ethnic or religious group in a society

Race

Socially constructed way of dividing people based on certain inherited physical characteristics and shared history

Segregation

Separating people, especially based on race

Apartheid

Institutionalized, legal segregation system in South Africa

Colorism

The prejudice or discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone, typically among people of the same ethnic or racial group

Gender

Social construct of norms, behaviors, and roles that can vary between cultures and over time

Gender roles

Behaviors and attitudes that are acceptable, appropriate, and desirable for each gender

Gendered Spaces

Areas in which particular genders of people and particular types of gender expression are considered welcome and appropriate

Language

A learned system of communication

Language Family

A group of languages that share a distant ancestor (Indo-European, Sino-Tibetan)

History of English

- Old English (450 CE - 1100 CE)

- Middle English (1100 - 1450)

- Early Modern English (1500 - 1800)

- Late Modern English (1800 - Present)

Lingua Franca

A language used for communication by people whose native languages are different from one another

Dialect

A regional variation of a language (dialect = different words; accent = different pronounciation)

Pidgin

A simplified version of a language used for communication by speakers of different languages (first generation; no native speakers)

Creole

A pidgin that becomes the native language of a population (second generation and beyond; usually taught)

Isogloss

Boundary that marks an area having distinct linguistic features

Endangered Languages

A language at risk of no longer being spoken

Dead Language

A language with no native speakers

Extinct Language

A language with no speakers whatsoever

Monolingual State

Country where most of the population only speaks one language

Multilingual State

Country whose population speaks more than one language; there are 2+ major languages

Official Language

A language used by the government, taught in schools or given special legal status

Universalizing Religions

Seeks converts (usually through missionaries); widespread

Ethnic Religions

Does not seek converts; local (tied to a place)

Syncretic Religions

Formed from the combination of beliefs of different religions (ex: Vodou, Bahai)

The Big Three Religions

Polytheism

Belief in multiple deities

Monotheism

Belief in a singular deity

Animism

Belief in spirits that reside in natural objects; commonly seen in indigenous regions

Sacred Site

A place with religious significance

Pilgrimage

A journey to a sacred site

Sect / Denomination

A variation of a religion

Fundamentalism

Religion that upholds strict, literal interpretation of scripture

Theocracy

A system of government in which religious leaders rule in the name of a God

Christianity (Universalizing)

- Hearth: West Bank

- Spread through Contagious diffusion, Hierarchical diffusion, and Relocation diffusion

- Missionaries

Islam (Universalizing)

- Hearth: Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia

- Spread through Contagious diffusion and Hierarchical diffusion

- Muslim traders through India and Indonesia

Buddhism (Universalizing)

- Hearth: Northern India / Nepal

- Spread through Contagious diffusion and Hierarchical diffusion

- Buddhist traders

Hindiusm (Ethnic)

- Hearth: India

- Spread through Relocation diffusion

Judaism (Ethnic)

- Hearth: Jerusalem

- Spread through Relocation diffusion