Culture Flashcards
adaptive strategies
Strategies that cultures use to gather the necessities of life from their environment or situation
architectural form
Housing styles based on environmental factors (resources available) and social choices (sacred areas, ease of snow removal, directionality)
artifacts (material and non-material)
Artifacts resemble values, beliefs, and behaviors of a culture. Material artifacts are visible, whereas non-material artifacts are abstract (standards, truths, actions)
aspects of culture (trait, complex, systems)
A cultural trait is essentially a custom; a cultural complex is a collection of social customs of a group (combination of traits) that is unique to one culture; a cultural system is the merging of culture complexes that share many of the same traits
assimilation
Complete erasing of original characteristics of a culture by the mor powerful culture
authenticity
Legitimate and original traditions and customs
cultural appropriation
When cultures adopt customs from other cultures and use them for their own benefit
cultural convergence
The tendency for cultures to become more alike as they share technology and organizational structures in a modern world
cultural core-periphery pattern
The idea that the core houses the main economic power or influence of a region and the outlying periphery houses less influential ties
cultural determinism
There are no limits placed on humans by the environment
cultural possibilism
Cultures have the ability to shape the environment and grow without the influence of the environment, but not entirely
cultural identity
The feeling of belongingness to a cultural group
cultural imperialism
One nation invading another with its ideas
cultural linkage
Contact with others of the same beliefs in different locations
cultural realm
A collective of culture regions sharing related culture systems; an area so distinct it can be perceived as set apart from other realms in terms of cultural characteristics
cultural regions (formal, functional, perceptual)
A formal region is an area in which everyone shares in one or more distinctive characteristics; a functional region is an area organized around a node or focal point where the culture is most strong; a perceptual region is one that is perceived to be different from all others in terms of cultural distinctiveness
cultural revival
Anti-globalism; cultural restoration
customs
A repetitive act of a group that is widely adopted
environmental possibilism
The environment doesn’t determine customs entirely, but it does have influence
folk culture
Customs of a small, homogenous group in an isolated area
habits
A repetitive act of an individual
housing styles (saltbox, I-house, cape cod, tidewater, tudor, colonial)
A saltbox house (north) featured a long, curving roof to let snow fall off; an I-house (mid-atlantic) is one room deep and two rooms wide with a small, skinny roof; a cape cod house (north) is a house with a wide, broad frame a story and a half tall, a chimney, a pitched roof, and gables; a tidewater house (south) is a one story home with a steep roof and chimneys at both ends, built on piers or high brick foundations; a tudor house featured simple rectangular plans and an “H” layout, pitched roofs, gables, thin windows/doors, and were white with chocolate brown strips; a colonial house was elaborate, tall, and often had columns or many windows
neolocalism
Seeking of a regional, rather than global, identity; reverting back to local custom
placelessness
The trend of the US landscape becoming more uniform with subdivisions, large stores, and fast-food restaurants
popular culture
Customs of a large, heterogeneous society that overcomes ethnic boundaries
regional identity
Money, technology, environmental changes, toponym, architecture, houses of worship, public buildings, and symbols that create a unique image of a region
regions (formal, functional, perceptual)
A formal region is an area in which everyone shares in one or more distinctive characteristics; a functional region is an area organized around a node or focal point where the culture or influence is most strong; a perceptual region is one that is perceived to be different from all others in terms of cultural distinctiveness
survey systems (metes & bounds, long-lot, township and range)
Metes and bounds survey system is based on English property which was marked my landmarks; Long-lot survey system is based on French property, pieced into narrow chunks coming from a common river or road; township and range survey system is American designed based on rectangular land division
syncretic
A combination of new and old traditions
taboo
Customs that are restricted
transculturation
Both cultures are equally pwerful and therefore do not dominate each other
