unit 3 vocabulary Flashcards
Culture
the shared beliefs, values, practices, behaviors, and technologies of a society; (in)visible attributes that combine to make up a culture.
Artifacts
Visible, physical objects created by a culture. (ex. houses, clothing, toys, tools, furniture, architecture)
Sociofacts
The ways in which a society behaves and organizes institutions. (family, education, government, religion, land use, gender roles)
Mentifacts
the ideas, beliefs, values and knowledge of a culture. (ex. religious beliefs, language, taboos, food preference)
Local/Traditional Culture
small homogeneous groups of people, often living in rurual areas that are isolated and unlikely to change
arc: materials from the local physical environment
agr: sense of place, unique attribute of a specific location
Global/Popular Culture
large heterogeneous groups of people, often living in urban areas that are interconnected through globalization and the internet/social media, quick to change
arc: materials from factories and manufactured
agr: loss of uniqueness, does not inspire emotional/cultural ties
Cultural norms
agreed upon cultural practices or standards that guide the behavior of a culture
Cultural taboos
behaviors heavily discouraged by a culture
ethnocentrism
judging other cultures in terms of one’s own standards and often includes the belief that one’s own culture/ethnicity group is better than others
cultural relativism
a less biased way of viewing another culture, the goal of this is to promote understanding of cultural practices that are not typically part of one’s own culture. leades to the views that no one’s culture is superior to another culture when compared.
cultural landscape
a natural landscape that has been modified by humans, reflecting their cultural beliefs and values
traditional architecture
influenced by the environment & built with available local materials, reflective of history, culture and climate
(ex. Nepal’s stone/clay house, huts and cabin)
postmodern architecture
diverse designs, representative of popular culture, business and economic success (ex. skyscrapers)
ethnic enclave
people of the same ethnicity that cluster together in a specific location, typically within a major city (Little Italy, Chinatown)
gendered space
places in the cultural landscape utilized to reinforce or accommodate gender roles for men or women (busses for women in Mexico, hair salon/barber shop)
religion, sacred places
physical sites where deities dwell (cemeteries, religious approved food restaurants, signs written in languages)
sequent occupancy
the idea that societies or cultural groups leave their cultural imprints when they live in a place, contributing to the overall cultural landscape over time (ex. The Great Pyramids)
steeple
a church tower and spire.
stupa
a dome-shaped structure; a Buddhist shrine.
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.
synagogue
the building where a Jewish assembly or congregation meets for religious worship and instruction.
mosque
a Muslim place of worship.
minaret
a tall slender tower, typically part of a mosque, with a balcony from which a muezzin calls Muslims to prayer.
diaspora
when people are scattered from their motherland, separated
cultural hearth
where a religion or ethnicity began
