Unit 3: Cultural Geography Flashcards
custom
frequent repetition of an act until it becomes characteristic of a group of people
culture
the shared practices, technologies, attitudes, and behaviors passed down by a society
local culture
folk, traditional, ethnic, indigenous, small (homogenous groups), isolated, cultures with anonymous hearths
global culture
popular, universalizing, large (heterogeneous groups) culture that occurs in different places, with different ethnicities and lifestyles
taboo
behaviors heavily discouraged by a culture
cultural relativism
the practice of understanding another culture based on their own standards - the key is understanding
ethnocentrism
judging another culture based on the standards of one’s own culture - the key is “judging”
cultural landscape
a geographic area where the natural landscape has been modified by humans, reflecting their cultural beliefs, values, and practices
sense of place
when a place has a persona
placemaking
when a community or cultural group plans a public space
placelessness
the ubiquitous and constant feeling of different places
ex: suburbia, typical island beaches, etc.
centripetal force
a factor that unites people within a state, creating a sense of national identity and cohesion. essentially pulling people together and strengthening the stability of a country
ex: common language, common religion
centrifugal force
a factor that pulls a country or society apart, creating a division and tension among different groups within a state, often due to differences in ethnicity, language, religion, or economic inequality
ex: the Democratic and Republican political parties of the US, the Sunni and Shiite sects of Islam
cultural hearth
area in which a unique culture or specific trait develops
relocation diffusion
spread of a cultural trait by people who migrate and carry their cultural traits with them
expansion diffusion - contagious
cultural traits spread continuously outward from its hearth through contact among people
ex: blues music has a hearth in the Southern US but is popular in NYC and Chicago
expansion diffusion - hierarchical
spread of culture from the most interconnected place/culture of wealth and importance
expansion diffusion - stimulus
people in a culture adopt an underlying idea or process from another culture but modify it
ex: Indians eating Western fast food but modifying it to be vegetarian
creolization
the process where different cultures blend together, creating a new, distinct cultural expression
ex: Greek gods becoming Roman gods
lingua franca
7 languages which cumulatively enjoy official status across 75% of the world’s land areas
ex: English, Chinese (Mandarin), Spanish
historic causes of diffusion
colonization: Spain onto much of the current day South America (caused similar languages, religions, etc.)
imperialism: British onto the 13 colonies
trade: goods transported from Japan to the Philippines and vice versa allowed for similar uses of certain foods and products
contemporary causes of diffusion
means: media, technological change, politics, economics/social relationships
ex: TV, books, cell phones, Internet, online friends
cultural convergence
theory that 2 cultures will be more and more like each other as their interactions increase
cultural divergence
when a culture separates or goes in a different direction
language
a system of communication through speech - a collection of sounds that a group of people understands to have the same meaning
language family
a collection of languages that are related to each other through a common ancestral language
language branch
a group of languages within a language family that share a common ancestor
language group
a collection of languages within a single branch that share a relatively recent common origin, displaying minimal differences in grammar and vocabulary compared to other languages within the same branch
dialect
variants of a standard language along regional/ethnic lines (vocabulary, syntax, pronunciation, etc.)
accent
part of a dialect; how you say a word
isogloss
a geographic boundary where a particular linguistic feature - like a dialect or a word is found
ex: you guys vs. y’all, pop vs. soda
religion
a set of beliefs and rituals concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, and to help humans understand their place in the world
universalizing religion
religions that actively seek to convert and operate on a global scale, spread through expansion and relocation diffusion
appeals to people everywhere, an individual founder
ex: Christianity
ethnic religion
religions appealing to one group in one place; not as active in recruitment; born into - spread through relocation diffusion
has meaning to a particular place, an unknown hearth
ex: Hinduism
denomination
a division or a branch that unites a number of local congregations into a single administrative body
ex: denominations of Protestantism include Lutheran, Baptist, and Methodist
religious branch/sect
larger/major divisions within a religion
ex: in Christianity, you can be a Catholic or a Protestant
acculturation
a culture adapts some traits of the dominant culture but still retains some of its cultural aspects
assimilation
a group’s cultural features are altered to resemble those of another group - the trait that is maintained the longest is religion
syncretism
blending traits from 2 different cultures to form a new trait
ex: sushi burrito
multiculturalism
coexistence of several cultures in one society, with the ideal of all cultures being of value and worth of study (cultural relativism)
