Religion and ethnicity vocabulary

cosmogony

A set of religious beliefs concerning the origin of the universe.

place

A specific point on Earth distinguished by a particular character.

nationalism

A strong feeling of pride/unity in and devotion to one's country

centripetal force

An attitude that tends to unify people and enhance support for a state

missionary

An individual who helps to diffuse a universalizing religion.

balkanization

The contentious political process by which a state may break up into smaller countries.

judaism

The first monotheistic religion that had a belief in one god. It originated with Abraham and the Hebrew people. Yahweh was responsible for the world and everything within it.

space

The physical gap or interval between two objects.

activity space

The space within which daily activity occurs.

solstice

Time when the Sun is farthest from the equator.

roman catholic church

a Christian church headed by the pope in Rome

eastern orthodox church

a Christian church that grew out of Christianity in eastern Europe and present-day Turkey

eightfold path

a key idea of Buddhism whereby followers should live their lives according to these eight teachings

caste

a rigid and hereditary social class. hindu

shamanism

an animistic religion of northern Asia having the belief that the mediation between the visible and the spirit worlds is effected by shamans

interfaith boundaries

boundaries between the world's major faiths

sharecropper

person who rents a plot of land from another person and farms it in exchange for a share of the crop

gendered

places designed for women or for men

ethnic religion

religion that is identified with a particular ethnic or tribal group and that does not seek new converts

shintoism

religion; located in japan and related to Buddhism; focuses particularly on nature and ancestor worship

queer theory

social theory about gender identity and sexuality that emphasizes the importance of difference and rejects as restrictive the idea of innate sexual identity

ethnic cleansing

the elimination of an unwanted ethnic group or groups from a society, as by genocide or forced emigration. ex. killing gay people

minarets

towers attached to the outside of a mosque, from where a crier calls Muslims to worship

race

A group of human beings distinguished by physical traits, blood types, genetic code patterns or genetically inherited characteristics.

jihad

A holy struggle or striving by a Muslim for a moral or spiritual or political goal

pilgrimage

A journey to a place considered sacred for religious purposes.

four noble truths

1) All life is full of suffering, pain, and sorrow. 2) The cause of suffering is nonvirtue, or negative deeds and mindsets such as hated and desire. 3) The only cure for suffering is to overcome nonvirture. 4) The way to overcome nonvirtue is to follow the Eightfold Path

pilgrimage

A journey to a place of religious importance.

branch

A large and fundamental division within a religion

protestant

A religious movement of the 16th century that began as an attempt to reform the Roman Catholic Church and resulted in the creation of Protestant churches.

taoism

A Chinese philosophy in which people live a simple life in harmony with nature.

apartheid

A South African policy of complete legal separation of the races, including the banning of all social contacts between blacks and whites.

sunni

A branch of Islam whose members acknowledge the first four caliphs as the rightful successors of Muhammad

diaspora

A dispersion of people from their homeland

denomination

A division of a branch that unites a number of local congregations in a single legal and administrative body.

secularism

A doctrine that rejects religion and religious considerations.

pagan

A follower of a polytheistic religion

shi'ite

A group of Islamic religion that believes that its religious leader should be chosen based on heredity.

christianity

A monotheistic system of beliefs and practices based on the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus as embodied in the New Testament and emphasizing the role of Jesus as savior.

extremism

A person who holds extreme or fanatical political or religious views, one who resorts to or advocates extreme action.

racist

A person who subscribes to the beliefs of racism.

identity

A person's view of who they are in terms of both internal and external factors.

zionism

A policy for establishing and developing a national homeland for Jews in Palestine.

triangular slave trade

A practice, primarily during the 18th century, in which European ships transported slaves from Africa to Caribbean islands, molasses from the Caribbean to Europe, and trade goods from Europe to Africa.

blockbusting

A process by which real estate agents convince white property owners to sell their houses at low prices because of fear that black families will soon move into the neighborhood.

sect

A relatively small group that has broken away from an established denomination.

hinduism

A religion and philosophy developed in ancient India, characterized by a belief in reincarnation and a supreme being who takes many forms

islam

A religion based on the belief that there is one God, Allah, and that Muhammad was Allah's prophet. Islam is based in the ancient city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Muhammad.

buddhism

A religion based on the teachings of the Buddha.

hierarchical religion

A religion in which a central authority exercises a high degree of control.

syncretic

A religion that combines several traditions

autonomous religion

A religion that does not have a central authority but shares ideas and cooperates informally.

succession

A series of predictable and orderly changes within an ecosystem over time. from a house to a store in the same location

polytheism

Belief in more than one god

indigenous religions

Belief systems and philosophies practiced and traditionally passed from generation to generation among peoples within an indigenous tribe or group.

animism

Belief that objects, such as plants and stones, or natural events, like thunderstorms and earthquakes, have a discrete spirit and conscious life.

racism

Belief that one race is superior to another

atheism

Belief that there is no god.

confucianism

Chinese ethical and philosophical teachings of Confucius which emphasized education, family, peace, and justice

identifying against

Constructing an identity by first defining the "other" and then defining ourselves as "not the other"

reincarnation

Hindu and Buddhist belief that souls are reborn into new bodies over and over.

barriorization

Defined as the dramatic increase in Hispanic population in a given neighborhood; referring to barrio, the Spanish word for neighborhood.

residential segregation

Defined by Douglas Massey and Nancy Denton as "the degree to which two or more groups live separately from one another, in different parts of the urban environment."

genocide

Deliberate extermination of a racial or cultural group ex. massacre, gays

intrafaith boundaries

Describes the boundaries within a major religion (e.g., Belgium; Switzerland; Northern Ireland is mostly Protestant, whereas the rest of Ireland is mostly Catholic).

baha'i

Each manifestation supersedes the previous, giving new teaching about God

sense of place

Feelings evoked by people as a result of certain experiences and memories associated with a particular place.

ethnicity

Identity with a group of people that share distinct physical and mental traits as a product of common heredity and cultural traditions.

nationality

Identity with a group of people who share legal attachment and personal allegiance to a particular country

gender

In psychology, the biologically and socially influenced characteristics by which people define male and female.

dowry deaths

In the context of arranged marriages in India, disputes over the price to be paid by the family of the bride to the father of the groom (the dowry) have, in some extreme cases, led to the death of the bride

shari'a laws

Islamic legal system derived from the Quaran. (Men can marry and keep up to four wives at one time)

untouchables

LOWEST LEVEL OF INDIAN SOCIETY; not considered a real part of the caste system; often given degrading jobs; their life was extremely difficult

fundamentalism

Literal interpretation and strict adherence to basic principles of a religion

agnosticism

Not being sure whether God exists

hajj

Pilgrimage to Mecca

sacred sites

Place or space people infuse with religious meaning

universalizing religion

Religion that seeks to unite people from all over the globe.

ghettos

Sections of towns and cities in which Jews were forced to live.

feng shui

The Chinese art and science of placement and orientation of tombs, dwellings, buildings, and cities.

monotheism

The belief in one God