Unit 3 All Words Flashcards
Abrahamic
denoting any or all of the religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) that revere Abraham, the Biblical patriarch
Acculturation
when a minority ethnic group adopts the values and practices of the dominant culture, but still maintains major elements of their own culture
Examples
- Learning a new language
- Adopting a new culture’s slang words
- Following new culture’s sports teams
https://helpfulprofessor.com/acculturation-examples/
Amish
a group of traditionalist Christian church fellowships with Swiss German Anabaptist origins; known for simple living, plain dress, and reluctance to adopt many conveniences of modern technology
Anatolian Hearth Theory
theory for the origin and diffusion of Indo-European languages proposed by Colin Renfrew that states that diffusion started from an Anatolian hearth (modern Turkey) and spread with farmers whose agricultural practices made them more successful and therefore able to outnumber other language groups and spread into Europe and SW Asia; also known as Sedentary Farmer Thesis
Animism
the belief that inanimate objects or natural events have spirits and conscious life
Can be seen in Shinto, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc.
Assimilation
the loss of native cultural characteristics to a dominant culture
Example: A new immigrant from Mexico learns how to speak English after enrolling in an American school
Branch
a large, fundamental division within a religion
Example: Protestants “branching” away from Catholicism
Buddhism
the teaching of Buddha that life is permeated with suffering caused by desire, that suffering ceases when desire ceases, and that enlightenment obtained through right conduct and wisdom and meditation releases one from desire and suffering and rebirth
Centrifugal force
divide a state (lead to balkanization/devolution, disrupt internal order, destabilize, weaken)
Example: Differences in religious beliefs (Shiite vs Sunni Mulsims in Iraq), culture, economic activity (poor vs rich areas)
Centripetal force
unify a state (provide stability, strengthen, bind together, create solidarity)
Example: good infrastructure in a country, Judaism in Israel, sports teams (country coming together to cheer during Olympics)
Christianity
a monotheistic system of beliefs and practices based on the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as embodied in the New Testament, emphasizing the role of Jesus as savior
Church
a building used for public Christian worship
Colonialism
an attempt by one country to establish settlements and to impose its political, economical, and cultural principles in another territory
Example: Spanish colonizing South America, countries wanted to colonize Moon/Mars
Creolization
process in which two or more languages converge and form a new language (used to describe languages in the Caribbean when slavery and colonization merged cultures)
Cultural convergence
the tendency for cultures to become more alike as they increasingly share technology and organizational structures in a modern world united by improved transportation and communication
Example: K-Pop music (American and Korean influences), Netflix shows movies from across the world
https://helpfulprofessor.com/cultural-convergence-examples/
Cultural divergence
the restriction of a culture from outside cultural influences
example: Amish in America (choose to limit contact with other cultures)
Cultural hearth
place from which an innovation originates
Cultural landscape
the cultural impacts on an area, including buildings, agricultural patterns, roads, signs, and nearly everything else that humans have created
Reflects the people who lived there - gives clues to how they lived, what they valued and how they interacted with the land.
Example:
- Great Wall of China
- Stonehenge
- Taj Mahal and its gardens
- Cathedrals in Europe
https://helpfulprofessor.com/cultural-landscape-examples/
Cultural relativism
the principle that an individual human’s beliefs and activities should be understood by others in terms of that individual’s own culture
Cultural traits
the specific customs that are part of the everyday life of a particular culture
Distinguishing elements or components that make up a culture.
Example:
- language
- Religion
- Accent
- Common History
- Taboos
- Traditions (wearing halloween costumes)
- Standards of beauty
- Types of recreation
- Rituals
- Music
- Architecture
- Games and Sports
- Common cultural values and principles
- Fashion
- Gender norms
https://helpfulprofessor.com/cultural-traits-examples/
Culture
the way of life of a particular people, especially as shown in their ordinary behavior and habits, their attitudes toward each other, and their moral and religious beliefs
Denomination
a division within a branch that unites local congregations in a single administrative body
Example: Lutheran, Methodist, Baptism within the BRANCH of Protestant
Dialect
regional variation of a language with distinctive vocabulary, spelling and pronunciation
Example: Southern American English, Australian English, Chilean vs Mexican Spanish
Diffusion
process by which a characteristic spreads across space from one place to another over time
Example: Islam spread throughout the world yet stayed strong in Middle East where it was founded
Relocation diffusion
spread of an idea through physical movement of people from one place to another
- people pick up and move to a distant place possibly skipping over the area in between
- you could have places in-between 2 cities, for example, that don’t have the culture but both cities do.
https://helpfulprofessor.com/relocation-diffusion-examples/
Example:
- Diffusion of Indian curry (Food) - Indians moved and brought it with them.
- Blues music: Black Americans moved from rural south to urban North in mid-20th century bringing blues music to Chicago
- Amish: Anabaptists moved from Europe to America centuries ago.
Expansion diffusion
spread of a feature from one place to another in a snowballing process
-spreads rapidly but stays relevant in original place
- the culture starts in one place and expands from there…but the expansion grows outward.
- you would NOT skip places (like in relocation diffusion) because this is like a puddle spreading out ( covers everything)
Contagioius, hierarchical and stimulus diffusion are all types of expansion diffusion
Examples:
- Hollywood
- rise of skinny jeans
Contagious diffusion
rapid, widespread diffusion of a characteristic throughout the population
Relies on direct person-to-person contact for spread of ideas, information and knowledge.
- type of expansion diffusion
- occurs between people of different cultures
- occurs equally whether rich or poor
- ideas take hold much faster than any other type of diffusion
Example
- Viral internet content
- Tea drinking (until 17th century it was only in China/East Asia - then British brought it back and it went crazy across the world)
https://helpfulprofessor.com/contagious-diffusion-examples/
Hierarchical diffusion
spread of an idea from individuals or centers of authority or power to others
- spreads across social classes from top (rich/popular) to bottom (poor/outcasts)
- extends from influential places (e.g., New York) to less influential areas (e.g., York County)
Examples:
- new trends in clothings styles start in Paris/London/New York and spread to smaller cities (Boston, Chicago) and then to smaller towns
https://helpfulprofessor.com/hierarchical-diffusion-examples/
Stimulus diffusion
spread of an underlying principle, even though a characteristic itself fails to diffuse
- culture changes as it interacts with and is adopted by new cultures
- culture may or may not change at the source as it spreads
- underlying principle of the culture does not change although its characteristics change
Examples:
- a religion that started in City A spreads to surrounding regions, but is synthesized (merged) with existing religions rather than staying as it originally was
- Football culture: traditional soccer merged into Rugby Union in upper classes of England, Rugby League in lower classes of England and American Football in the US.
Ethnic culture
based on a shared understanding of history and territorial origins (regional and national) of an ethnic group or community, as well as on particular cultural characteristics such as language and/or religion
Ethnic religion
appeals primarily to one group living in one place
Most often practiced within a certain ethnic group due to cultural beliefs and values which connect them closely to their ancestral roots.
Examples
- Hinduism: one of oldest ethnic religeons
- Judaism
- Shinto: Japan’s ancient religeon with belief in numerous kami (spirits) representing natural forces inhabiting mountains, rivers, rocks, etc.
https://helpfulprofessor.com/ethnic-religion-examples/
Ethnicity
identity with a group who share cultural traditions of a particular homeland
PEOPLE who share a CULTURE from a PLACE
Different from Nationality - Nationality is the legal membership in a nation (on your passport)
You can be of American nationality but of Hispanic/Latino ethnicity
Ethnocentrism
tendency to evaluate other cultures against the standards of one’s own culture
Believe your culture is natural and correct while other people’s cultures are incorrect, unnatural or inferior
Example
- Expecting others to speak English
- Thinking you don’t have an accent but everyone else does have one.
- Assimilation in general
https://helpfulprofessor.com/examples-of-ethnocentrism/
Folk culture
culture traditionally practiced by a small, homogeneous, rural group living in relative isolation from other groups
- one of main divisions of material culture
- tends to remain consistent over generations
- varies from community to community
- obstructed (hidden) by mass media
- originals in a rural hearth
- result of cultural isolation
Examples
- Amish people or Irish Travelers (Gypsies)
- American Indian traditional dances
- Regional dialects in England (Person from East End of London sounds very different than someone from Scotland)
- Regional Food - New England clam chowder (White) vs Manhattan clam chowder (Red) vs Rhode Island clam chowder (Clear)
https://helpfulprofessor.com/folk-culture-examples/
Fundamentalism
the belief in the original form of a religion or theory, without accepting any later ideas
Gender
social differences between men and women, rather than the anatomical, biological differences between the sexes
Gender roles
conveys the idea that there are certain social expectations and rights associated with being a man or a woman
Heterogeneous
diverse in character or content; dissimilar
Hinduism
ethnic religion and the main religion of India which includes the worship of many gods and the belief that after you die you return to life in a different form
Homogeneous
of the same kind; alike
Imperialism
the practice of a country extending its power and influence over other countries, typically through the use of military force, economic coercion, or cultural domination
Indigenous
people or objects native to a certain region or environment
Indo-European
a family of several hundred related languages and dialects, including most major languages of Europe, Iran, and northern India
Islam
a universalizing religion based on the teachings of the prophet Mohammed which stresses belief in one god (Allah), Heaven and Hell, and a body of law written in the Quran
Isogloss
word-usage boundary;
shows which words/phrases are unique to particular regions
Different ways American refer to carbonated beverages
Judaism
a monotheistic ethnic religion of Jews having its spiritual and ethical principles in the sacred Torah and in the Talmud
Kurgan Hypothesis
theory for the origin and diffusion of Indo-European languages proposed by Marija Gimbutas that states that the diffusion started with the Kurgan people from the Russian steppes (4300 BC), nomadic herders that used domesticated horses to conquer much of Europe and South Asia between 3500 and 2500 BC, bringing their language with them; also known as the Nomadic Warrior Thesis
Language
system of communication through speech, a collection of sounds a group of people understands to have the same meaning
Language branch
languages related through a common ancestral language that existed several thousand years ago; differences not as old or as extensive as with language families
Example
- Family: Indo-European
- Branch: Germanic and Italic
- Group: Romance under Italic
Language family
collection of languages related through common ancestral language that existed before recorded history
Examples
- Indo-European (English, Greek)
- Afro-Asiatic (Egyptian, Arabic, Hebrew)
- Sinitic (Mandarin Chinese)
Language group
languages within a branch with a common origin in the relatively recent past and few differences in grammar and vocabulary
Examples
- Romance group: French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish (share common origin in Latin but developed independently)
Lingua franca
language that facilitates communication or trade between people who speak different native languages;
the original lingua franca was a language used to facilitate trade among the linguistically diverse inhabitants of the Mediterranean (Italian, French, Spanish, Greek, Arabic…)
Examples
- English: considered first common lingua franca - the “World’s Lingua Franca”
- Malay: used by Arab and Chinese traders before Europeans arrived
Material culture
the tangible, physical items produced and used by members of a specific culture group and reflective of their traditions, lifestyles and technologies
Anything that can be physically seen on the landscape
Values items such as tools, weapons, machines, buldings, clothing, furniture, and artifacts that are physically tangible (you can touch)
If all human beings in the world disappeared, examples of material culture would still be around but nonmaterial culture stuff would disappear as well
Different/opposite to Nonmaterial culture (values things you cannot touch)
Mosque
the traditional Muslim place of worship; architecturally, it often features a minaret, or onion-shaped dome, on top
Multiculturalism
the coexistence of several cultures in one society, with the ideal of all cultures being valued and worthy of study;
“Mixed Salad” concept (putting everything together makes it better than the pieces by themselves)
a multicultural society can result when people from many different countries migrate to one place, or an empire conquers many countries
Example: New York City
Nonmaterial Culture
anything that comprises culture that cannot be physically touched (e.g., language and religion)
Pagoda
a tower in eastern Asia usually with roofs curving upward at the division of each of several stories and erected as a temple or memorial
Pidgin Language
mixture of a lingua franca and a second language, no native speakers
a combination of two or more languages into one fluid and changeable dialect
Pidgin is often incomprehensible to speakers of the original languages
Placemaking
the process of creating quality places that people want to live, work, play, and learn in
It is about people - how they make a place feel special
Popular Culture
found in large, heterogeneous societies that cover large areas and share certain habits despite differences in other personal characteristics
- one of main division of material culture
- experiences dramatic change over time
- uniform over a wide geographic area
- originates in an urban hearth
- aided by the influence of mass media
- Result of cultural diffusion
Postmodern Architecture
decries the modern architectural emphasis on efficiency and industry;
instead tries to design buildings that are visually pleasing to human beings and provide modern humans with a link to their past
a reaction in architectural design to the felling of sterile alienation that may people get from modern architecture.
- Postmodernism uses older, historical styles and a sense of lightheartedness and eclecticism.
- Buildings combine pleasant-looking forms and playful colors to convey new ideas and to create spaces that are more people-friendly than their modernist predecessors.
Religion
a system of beliefs and practices that attempts to order life in terms of culturally perceived ultimate priorities
Sacred Site
the geographic intersection between the divine and the mortal
place or space people infuse with religious meaning
Examples
- Mona Kea volcano on Big Island of Hawaii (to Native Hawaiians)
- Ganges River for Hinduism
- Mecca for Islam
- Church of the Nativity (in Bethlehem) for Christianity
- Western Wall for Judaism
Sect
a small group that has broken away from a denomination
Examples
- Mormons (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) - started as Sect and is now a denomination
- Sunni and Shia Islam are Sects of Islam
- Community of the Lady of All Nations: Sect of Catholic Church
Sense of Place
a characteristic that some geographic places have and some do not, while to others it is a feeling or perception held by people;
often used in relation to those characteristics that make a place special or unique, as well as to those that foster a sense of authentic human attachment and belonging
Very unique concept for each person - different people can think about the same place but it be very different for each person
Examples
- A person’s parent’s home
- Paris and how the Eiffel Tower sets it apart and makes it distinct
Sequent Occupancy
the notion that successive societies leave their cultural imprints on a place, each contributing to the cumulative cultural landscape
Example
- Bolivia’s cultural landscape includes imprints/influences from early Inca civilization and Spanish colonial conquerors (colonialism)
- Egypt has the Great Pyramids - made roughly 2550 to 2490 BC and now a tourist attraction
Shia
the branch of Islam whose members acknowledge Ali and his descendants as the rightful successors of Muhammad
Sikhism
the doctrines of a monotheistic religion founded in northern India in the 16th century by Guru Nanak and combining elements of Hinduism and Islam
Sunni
a branch of Islam whose members acknowledge the first four caliphs as the rightful successors of Muhammad
Synagogue
the building where a Jewish assembly or congregation meets for religious worship and instruction
Syncretism
is the merging of various characteristics (e.g., beliefs, cultures) into a new culture
Example
- Cajun culture: blend of French, Spanish and AFrican influence in Southwest Louisiana
- Latin Alphabet: emerged from the Etruscan letters, Greek alphabet and Phoenician culture.
- Rastafarianism: Ethnic religion formed in 1930s in Jamaica from African culture, Marcus Garvey’s teaching about black pride and self-sufficiency and Judaism.
- Christmas Tree: blend of pagan and christian traditions.
https://helpfulprofessor.com/syncretism-examples/
Taboo
a restriction on behavior imposed by social custom
Example
- Failure to tip at a restaurant (taboo in USA but not in Europe)
- Swearing (worldwide)
- Eating Pork (taboo in Judaism and Islam)
https://helpfulprofessor.com/taboo-examples-cultural-religious-food/
Terroir
the contribution of a location’s distinctive physical features to the way food tastes
Universalizing Religion
attempts to be global, to appeal to all, not just those of one culture or place
type of religion that seek to spread their message and teachings to people of all ethnic backgrounds (different from/opposite to Ethnic Religion)
often actively seek out non-believers from different backgrounds, regardless of ethnicity, to bring more followers into the religion.
Examples
- Christianity
- Islam
- Buddhism
