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