APHG Vocabulary Unit 3 Cultural Patterns and Processes
3.1 Introduction to Culture
Culture - consists of the shared beliefs, values, customs, and behaviors that define a group of people, influencing their ways of life and interactions with the world.
Example: Japanese culture, characterized by its traditional arts, respect for elders, and cuisine.
Culture trait - a single, distinguishing feature of a culture, such as a belief, norm, or practice.
Example: Wearing a turban in Sikhism or bowing as a greeting in Japan.
Architecture - the art or practice of designing and constructing buildings, often reflecting cultural values and historical influences.
Example: The historical Pyramids of Giza reflecting ancient Egyptian beliefs and engineering.
Cultural relativism - the principle that an individual's beliefs and activities should be understood by others in terms of that individual's own culture.
Example: Understanding why some cultures eat insects rather than judging it as 'gross' based on Western norms.
Ethnocentrist - someone who believes their own culture is superior to others and judges other cultures based on their own cultural standards.
Example: Someone who believes their country's food is inherently superior to all other cuisines and refuses to try different foods.
3.2 Cultural Landscapes
Cultural landscape - a geographic area, including both cultural and natural resources, that is associated with a historical event, activity, or person, or exhibits other cultural values. It is the visible imprint of human activity on the land.
Example: The terraced rice paddies of Bali, shaped by generations of farming practices and religious beliefs.
Linguistic - relating to language.
Example: The unique linguistic patterns found in the Basque region of Spain and France.
Sequent occupancy - the notion that successive societies leave their cultural imprints on a place, each contributing to the cumulative cultural landscape.
Example: Rome, where ancient Roman ruins are overlaid by medieval structures, Renaissance buildings, and modern developments.
Traditional architecture - building styles that are characteristic of a specific region, culture, or historical period, often using local materials and construction methods.
Example: Log cabins in rural Appalachia or thatched-roof houses in parts of Ireland.
Postmodern architecture - an architectural style that emerged in the late 20th century, reacting against the austerity and formality of modernism, often incorporating diverse elements and historical references.
Example: The Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, known for its stainless steel, curvilinear forms.
Ethnicity - the state of belonging to a social group that has a common national or cultural tradition.
Example: People identifying as Irish-American, celebrating St. Patrick's Day and maintaining traditions.
Gender - the socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women.
Example: In some societies, women traditionally taking on caregiving roles, while men are seen as primary providers.
Ethnic neighborhood - a geographical area with a high ethnic concentration, characteristic cultural landscape, and economic activities that are often tied to that ethnicity.
Example: Chinatown in San Francisco, with specific restaurants, shops, and community organizations.
Indigenous community - a group of people who are native to a particular region or land, typically having distinct cultural practices, languages, and traditional ways of life.
Example: The Maori people of New Zealand, with their unique language, customs, and connection to the land.
3.3 Cultural Patterns
Sense of place - the feelings evoked by people as a result of the experiences and memories they associate with a place, and to the symbolism that they attach to it.
Example: The strong emotional connection a person might feel to their childhood hometown, associating it with warmth and family memories.
Placemaking - a multi-faceted approach to the planning, design, and management of public spaces that focuses on the creation of vibrant places that meet the needs of the local community.
Example: Converting an unused city plaza into a vibrant public park with seating areas, food stalls, and art installations.
Centripetal force - a force that unites people and states, prompting loyalty and feelings of belonging.
Example: A shared national language or a common enemy unifying a diverse population.
Centrifugal force - a force that divides people and states, leading to disunity and conflict.
Example: Ethnic conflicts or political disagreements leading to secessionist movements within a country.
3.4 Types of Diffusion
Relocation diffusion - the spread of an idea or innovation from its origin to new places through the physical movement of people.
Example: The spread of pizza from Italy to the United States through Italian immigrants.
Expansion diffusion - the spread of an idea or innovation from its origin area outward in a ripple-like fashion.
Example: The spread of Christianity from its hearth in the Middle East outwards across Europe and beyond.
Contagious diffusion - the rapid and widespread diffusion of a feature or trend throughout a population, like a disease.
Example: The rapid spread of a trending dance challenge on social media.
Hierarchical diffusion - the spread of an idea from persons or nodes of authority or power to other persons or places.
Example: Fashion trends originating in major fashion capitals like Paris or New York and then spreading to smaller cities.
Stimulus diffusion - the spread of an underlying principle, even though a characteristic itself apparently fails to diffuse.
Example: The adoption of the hamburger in India, but with a vegetarian patty due to religious beliefs against consuming beef.
3.5 Historical Causes of Diffusion
Creolization - the process in which a Creole language and culture emerges from the blending of different linguistic and cultural traditions.
Example: Haitian Creole, a language that emerged from the blending of French and West African languages.
Lingua franca - a language systematically used to make communication possible between people who do not share a native language, often for trade or diplomacy.
Example: English, widely used in international business and aviation, even among non-native speakers.
Colonialism - the policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically.
Example: British rule in India, leading to the adoption of English as an official language and the construction of railways.
Imperialism - a policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force.
Example: European powers establishing vast empires in the 19th and early 20th centuries, extending their political and economic control globally.
Trade - the action of buying and selling goods and services.
Example: The Silk Road, which facilitated the exchange of goods, ideas, and religions between East and West.
3.6 Contemporary Causes of Diffusion
Urbanization - the process by which towns and cities are formed and grow as more people move to urban areas.
Example: The spread of global pop culture as rural populations move to cities and are exposed to diverse influences.
Globalization - the process of increased interconnectedness and interdependence of peoples and countries.
Example: The worldwide popularity of brands like Coca-Cola or McDonald's, found in nearly every country.
Time-space convergence - the reduction in the time it takes to travel between two places due to improved transportation or communication technology.
Example: The ability to communicate instantly with someone on the other side of the world via video call, making distances feel shorter.
Cultural convergence - the tendency for cultures to become more alike as they increasingly share technology, organizational structures, and cultural traits.
Example: The increasing similarity in popular music genres or fashion styles across different countries due to global media.
Cultural divergence - the tendency for cultures to become less alike, or even distinct, as they separate and develop unique characteristics.
Example: The re-emergence of distinct regional dialects or traditional practices in response to globalization, as communities seek to preserve their unique identity.
3.7 Diffusion of Religion and Language
Language family - a group of languages related through descent from a common ancestral language or parent language, called the proto-language.
Example: The Romance language family includes Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese, all derived from Latin.
Language dialect - a regional or social variation of a language distinguished by differences in pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary.
Example: The difference between British English and American English, with variations in vocabulary (e.g., 'lift' vs. 'elevator') and pronunciation.
Cultural hearth - the area where new ideas and innovations spring up and spread to other parts of the world.
Example: Ancient Mesopotamia, where early agriculture, writing, and urban living originated and diffused.
Indo-European language family - the largest language family in the world, including most of the languages of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and North India.
Example: Languages like English, Hindi, Spanish, Russian, and German are all part of this vast family.
Toponym - a place name, especially one derived from a topographical feature.
Example: Springfield, a common place name reflecting a topographical feature (a spring in a field).
Universalizing religion - a religion that attempts to appeal to all people, not just those living in a particular location, and actively seeks converts.
Example: Christianity, which actively seeks converts worldwide and has followers across diverse cultures.
Christianity - a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth.
Example: The celebration of Christmas or Easter by its adherents globally.
Islam - a monotheistic Abrahamic religion originating with the teachings of Muhammad, adhering to the Quran as the primary holy text.
Example: The annual pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj) performed by millions of Muslims.
Buddhism - a religion and dharma that originated in ancient India, based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha.
Example: The practice of meditation and adherence to the Four Noble Truths.
Sikhism - a monotheistic religion founded in Punjab in the 15th century by Guru Nanak, emphasizing principles of equality, honest work, and charity.
Example: Wearing a Kanga (small wooden comb) and a Kara (steel bracelet) as part of the five Ks.
Ethnic religion - a religion that appeals primarily to one group of people living in one place and does not actively seek converts.
Example: Judaism, which is closely tied to the Jewish people and traditions, with converts being less common than in universalizing religions.
Hinduism - a diverse body of religious and philosophical systems native to the Indian subcontinent, characterized by a belief in reincarnation and a multiplicity of gods and goddesses.
Example: The worship of various deities like Vishnu and Shiva, and the observance of festivals like Diwali.
Judaism - an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal traditions and civilization of the Jewish people.
Example: Observing Shabbat (the Sabbath) from Friday evening to Saturday evening, or celebrating Passover.
3.8 Effects of Diffusion
Acculturation - the process of cultural change and psychological change that results from the contact and interaction of two different cultures.
Example: Immigrants adopting some customs, language, and foods of their new country while still retaining aspects of their original culture.
Assimilation - the process by which a person or a group's language and/or culture come to resemble those of another group.
Example: Indigenous children forcibly educated in boarding schools that banned their native languages and cultural practices, forcing them to adopt the dominant culture.
Syncretism - the blending of elements from different cultures or religions, resulting in a new, unique cultural or religious practice.
Example: Santería, a religion blending Yoruba traditions from West Africa with Catholic beliefs in the Caribbean.
Multiculturalism - the presence of, or support for the presence of, several distinct cultural or ethnic groups within a society.
Example: A city with diverse ethnic neighborhoods, where different cultural festivals, restaurants, and languages coexist and are celebrated.