| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| cultural relativism | An attitude that views and evaluates another culture based on that culture's own standards and values rather than one's own. |
| cultural trait | Specific characteristics, practices, or elements of culture that can be transmitted between individuals and groups. |
| culture | The shared practices, technologies, attitudes, and behaviors transmitted by a society. |
| ethnocentrism | An attitude that judges other cultures based on the standards and values of one's own culture, often viewing one's own culture as superior. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| agricultural practice | Methods, techniques, and systems used in farming and food production, including land use, crop selection, and production methods. |
| cultural beliefs | Systems of values, traditions, and worldviews held by a group that influence how they interact with and organize their environment. |
| cultural identities | The characteristics, values, and practices that define a group's sense of belonging and distinctiveness within society. |
| cultural landscape | The visible human imprint on the physical environment, including buildings, land use patterns, and cultural features that reflect the values and practices of a society. |
| ethnic neighborhoods | Geographic areas where people of the same ethnic background predominantly live, often characterized by shared cultural institutions and practices. |
| ethnicity | The shared cultural, linguistic, and ancestral characteristics that define a group's identity and distinguish it from other groups. |
| gender | Social roles and identities associated with being male, female, or non-binary that influence participation in society and the workforce. |
| indigenous communities | Groups of people who are native to a particular region and maintain distinct cultural practices, languages, and relationships with the land. |
| indigenous lands | Territories traditionally inhabited and managed by indigenous peoples, often holding spiritual and cultural significance to these communities. |
| industrial practices | Manufacturing and production methods that shape the built environment and cultural landscape. |
| land use | The human modification and management of Earth's surface for purposes such as agriculture, urban development, conservation, or resource extraction. |
| land-use patterns | The spatial distribution and organization of how land is used for different purposes such as residential, agricultural, commercial, or recreational activities. |
| landscape features | Physical and visible characteristics of the land, including natural and human-made elements that shape the appearance of a place. |
| linguistic characteristics | Language patterns and place names that reflect cultural identity and historical settlement in a landscape. |
| physical features | Natural or modified landforms and geographic characteristics that form part of a cultural landscape. |
| postmodern architecture | Contemporary building styles that reject traditional design principles and often blend multiple cultural or historical references. |
| religious characteristics | Spiritual beliefs and practices expressed through landscape features such as sacred sites, places of worship, and ritual spaces. |
| resource use | The extraction, management, and consumption of natural resources by human societies based on cultural and economic needs. |
| sequent occupancy | The successive occupation and use of a place by different cultural groups, leaving visible evidence of each period in the landscape. |
| traditional architecture | Building styles and construction methods that reflect the cultural heritage and environmental adaptation of a community. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| centrifugal forces | Cultural, political, or economic factors that divide and weaken cohesion within a region or nation. |
| centripetal forces | Cultural, political, or economic factors that unite and strengthen cohesion within a region or nation. |
| cultural landscape | The visible human imprint on the physical environment, including buildings, land use patterns, and cultural features that reflect the values and practices of a society. |
| ethnicity patterns | Geographic distributions and variations of ethnic groups across regions that contribute to cultural identity and placemaking. |
| gender patterns | Geographic variations in gender roles, identities, and social structures across different cultural regions. |
| language patterns | Geographic distributions and variations of languages across regions that contribute to cultural identity and place. |
| placemaking | The process by which cultural groups create meaning, identity, and attachment to specific geographic locations. |
| religion patterns | Geographic distributions and variations of religions across regions that shape cultural landscapes and sense of place. |
| sense of place | The emotional and cultural attachment people develop to specific geographic locations based on shared characteristics and experiences. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| contagious diffusion | A type of expansion diffusion in which ideas, behaviors, or cultural traits spread to adjacent areas through direct contact, like a contagion. |
| expansion diffusion | A type of diffusion in which cultural traits, ideas, or phenomena spread outward from a source region while remaining in the origin area. |
| hierarchical diffusion | A type of expansion diffusion in which ideas or cultural traits spread from larger cities or centers of influence to smaller cities and rural areas, following a hierarchy of places. |
| relocation diffusion | A type of diffusion in which people, ideas, or cultural traits move from one location to another, spreading to new areas through migration or movement. |
| stimulus diffusion | A type of expansion diffusion in which the underlying idea or concept spreads to new areas, but the specific form or implementation is modified to fit local conditions. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| colonialism | The practice of establishing political and economic control over distant territories and their populations, typically involving settlement and resource extraction. |
| creolization | The process of cultural blending that occurs when different cultural groups interact, resulting in new forms of cultural expression that combine elements from multiple sources. |
| cultural pattern | Recurring characteristics, practices, and beliefs shared by groups of people that are shaped by historical processes and contemporary influences. |
| cultural trait | Specific characteristics, practices, or elements of culture that can be transmitted between individuals and groups. |
| imperialism | The policy or practice of extending a country's power and influence over other territories and peoples through military, political, or economic means. |
| lingua franca | A common language adopted by speakers of different native languages to communicate with one another. |
| trade | The exchange of goods and services between individuals, groups, or nations, which can facilitate cultural contact and exchange. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| cultural convergence | The process by which different cultures become more similar due to increased interaction, communication, and exchange of ideas and practices. |
| cultural divergence | The process by which cultures become more distinct and different from one another, often as a response to globalization or assertion of local identity. |
| cultural pattern | Recurring characteristics, practices, and beliefs shared by groups of people that are shaped by historical processes and contemporary influences. |
| globalization | The process of increasing interconnection and integration of people, economies, and cultures across the world through trade, technology, and communication. |
| indigenous languages | Languages native to a particular region or people, often threatened by the spread of dominant languages like English through globalization. |
| time-space compression | The reduction in the time it takes to travel between places or communicate across distances due to technological advances. |
| urbanization | The process by which populations become increasingly concentrated in cities and urban areas, involving the growth and expansion of urban settlements. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| belief systems | The core doctrines, practices, and values that define a religion and influence how it spreads. |
| cultural hearths | Geographic locations where religions, languages, and other cultural elements originate before spreading to other regions. |
| diffusion | The spread of cultural traits, practices, beliefs, or innovations from one place or group to another over time and space. |
| ethnic religions | Religions that are closely tied to a specific ethnic group or culture and are generally concentrated near their place of origin, such as Hinduism and Judaism. |
| expansion diffusion | A type of diffusion in which cultural traits, ideas, or phenomena spread outward from a source region while remaining in the origin area. |
| places of origin | The geographic locations where religions first emerged before spreading to other areas. |
| relocation diffusion | A type of diffusion in which people, ideas, or cultural traits move from one location to another, spreading to new areas through migration or movement. |
| universalizing religions | Religions that actively seek to convert people and spread their beliefs to different regions and cultures, such as Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Sikhism. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| acculturation | The process by which individuals or groups adopt the cultural traits of another culture while maintaining some aspects of their original culture. |
| assimilation | The process by which individuals or groups adopt the cultural traits of a dominant culture, often resulting in the loss of their original cultural identity. |
| cultural landscape | The visible human imprint on the physical environment, including buildings, land use patterns, and cultural features that reflect the values and practices of a society. |
| diffusion | The spread of cultural traits, practices, beliefs, or innovations from one place or group to another over time and space. |
| multiculturalism | A condition in which multiple distinct cultures coexist within the same society, each maintaining their own cultural identity. |
| syncretism | The blending of cultural or religious traits from different sources to create new cultural forms. |