Key terms Flashcards

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1
Q

assimilate

A

To adopt the customs of the dominant culture in a society; to become fully integrated in a new society or country

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2
Q

animism

A

The belief that all natural objects (people, animals, plants, rocks, rivers, the sun, weather systems) have a spirit

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3
Q

ascetic

A

Someone who lives a severely restricted lifestyle and abstains from pleasure and indulgence (e.g. food, sexual relations, material comforts) in order to reach a higher spiritual state of being.

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4
Q

bureaucracy

A

Government officials and administrators who are not the rulers or elected leaders but are employed to carry out the administrative tasks of governing (e.g. tax collection, record keeping, accounting, law enforcement).

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5
Q

coerced labor

A

Work that is done through force or threats with little or no compensation, e.g. slavery, serfdom

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6
Q

commodity

A

A raw material or good that has economic value, e.g. gold, oil, silk, sugar

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7
Q

commerce

A

The buying and selling of goods on a large scale, e.g. trade between countries

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8
Q

conscription

A

Mandatory enrollment for military service; a draft

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9
Q

consolidate

A

To combine smaller things into a larger unit; to strengthen and unify

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10
Q

diaspora

A

The movement or mass migration of a large group of people from their country or homeland to other parts of the world. Diasporic communities often assimilate some of aspects of the culture in their new country but still retain some common cultural traits and connections with their homeland.

e.g. the African diaspora caused by the Atlantic Slave Trade; the Jewish diaspora caused by waves of persecution in the Middle East and Europe; the Chinese diaspora due to the pull of economic opportunity in other countries

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11
Q

diffusion

A

The spread of cultural or technological elements from one area or group of people to others.

This occurs due to increased contact between different groups of people often because of trade, war, or migration

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12
Q

diplomacy

A

The practice of conducting negotiations between countries and governments; the use of peaceful methods to resolve disputes rather than warfare

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13
Q

demographic

A

Population trends and characteristics — usually measured through statistics that indicate population increase, decrease, or change

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14
Q

domestication

A

The process of adapting a wild plant into one that can be cultivated for food, or taming a wild animal to live with or do work for humans

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15
Q

egalitarian

A

A belief or system that promotes social and economic equality

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16
Q

fortification

A

Defensive walls or structures built to guard against attack

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17
Q

hegemony

A

Exerting political control, dominance, or influence, especially by one country over many countries

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18
Q

hierarchy

A

a system of ranking or classifying people according to economic, social, or other characteristics to determine their status in society

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19
Q

imperial

A

Related to an empire

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20
Q

ideology

A

a system of economic or political beliefs and principles

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21
Q

inflation

A

A general increase in prices (and decline in the purchasing power of money)

22
Q

infrastructure

A

the system of public works (roads, bridges, sewage, power supply) needed for a functioning society

23
Q

indigenous

A

People or species that are native to a particular region; the original inhabitants before others arrived.

24
Q

matrilineal

A

Tracing family descent through the mother’s line

25
Q

patrilineal

A

Tracing family descent through the father’s line

26
Q

patriarchy

A

A system or society in which men hold greater power within the family and in political and economic life

27
Q

persecute

A

To treat someone badly or deny them rights, especially due to their ethnic or racial identity, religious or political beliefs, gender identity or sexual orientation

28
Q

pastoralism

A

Making a living by raising, herding, and consuming the byproducts (meat, dairy) of domesticated animals (goats, sheep, cows, or horses) rather than farming crops.

Pastoral societies are nomadic, as they move seasonally to find vegetation for their herds to graze.

29
Q

legitimize

A

to justify; to make something seem legally or morally right or reasonable

30
Q

mobilize

A

To prepare large groups of people to take action; to prepare soldiers for war

31
Q

monarchy

A

A political system in which ruling power is inherited through family descent (hereditary power)

32
Q

monastic

A

related to monasteries, monks, and nuns; a way of life in which people live apart from society, renounce material pleasures, and dedicate their lives to religious practices

33
Q

clerical

A

related to the clergy (ordained religious officials)

34
Q

monetary

A

Related to money and its circulation within an economy

35
Q

monumental architecture

A

Large-scale structures that are built both for practical purposes and to glorify, commemorate, or demonstrate the power of a ruler, religion, nation, or empire.

36
Q

secular

A

Not religious (but not necessarily anti-religious)

37
Q

sedentary

A

Staying or living in one place instead of moving to different places; opposite of nomadic

38
Q

shamanism

A

A belief system based on the idea that certain individuals can access the spiritual world and provide prophecies, healing, and communication with ancestors

39
Q

social welfare

A

Services or programs provided by the government to people in need with the goal of reducing social suffering or inequality

40
Q

standing army

A

A permanent fighting force made up of trained, full-time soldiers (as opposed to part-time volunteer forces or militias)

41
Q

staple

A

A type of good that is consumed on a regular basis and seen as a vital to everyday life

42
Q

syncretism

A

The blending of different religions or cultures into a new form that has characteristics of both

43
Q

subsistence

A

Producing the minimum food and shelter necessary to support life

44
Q

venerate

A

To honor or worship

45
Q

nomadic

A

A way of life in which people do not live in one place, but instead move around, often seasonally based on available food supply.

46
Q

GDP

A

Gross Domestic Product - a measurement of the size of a nation’s economy (the goods and services produced in one year)

47
Q

Pre-Columbian

A

History and civilizations of the Americas before the arrival of Europeans in the late 15th century.

48
Q

discourse

A

Written or spoken communication or debate

49
Q

enclave

A

An area or neighborhood in which there is a high concentration of people sharing the same ethnicity

50
Q

meritocracy

A

a system in which promotion to positions in government is based on individual ability or achievement, rather than, say, family connections or wealth