K Terms

1. K Terms

2. What’s the Term? #1. A black cube-shaped stone structure in Mecca. Originally it housed the various “idols” of pre-Islamic Arabian religion. Rededicated by Muhammad (ca. 570-632 C.E.) as the central shrine of the new Islamic faith, it is the goal of Muslims on a pilgrimage or hajj.

3. Kaaba #1. A black cube-shaped stone structure in Mecca. Originally it housed the various “idols” of pre-Islamic Arabian religion. Rededicated by Muhammad (ca. 570-632 C.E.) as the central shrine of the new Islamic faith, it is the goal of Muslims on a pilgrimage or hajj.

4. What’s the Term? #2. A form of Japanese theater that originated in 1630 and featured crude stories of love and romance, elaborate costumes and makeup, song, dance, and poetry. Kabuki was originally performed by women, but they were banned from the stage in 1629 on the premise that they compromised public morals; male actors continued the tradition of seductive performances.

5. kabuki #2. A form of Japanese theater that originated in 1630 and featured crude stories of love and romance, elaborate costumes and makeup, song, dance, and poetry. Kabuki was originally performed by women, but they were banned from the stage in 1629 on the premise that they compromised public morals; male actors continued the tradition of seductive performances.

6. What’s the Term? #3. Sacred spirits of Japan associated with human ancestors and natural phenomena. Numerous kami were integrated into Japanese Buddhism as local representatives of Buddhist deities or principles. The worship of kami was much later called Shinto.

7. kami #3. Sacred spirits of Japan associated with human ancestors and natural phenomena. Numerous kami were integrated into Japanese Buddhism as local representatives of Buddhist deities or principles. The worship of kami was much later called Shinto.

8. What’s the Term? #4. The “divine wind” that the Japanese claimed saved them from attack by Mongol forces in 1281. The name was later given to the Japanese aviators in World War II (1939-1945) who crashed their planes into U.S. naval ships.

9. kamikaze #4. The “divine wind” that the Japanese claimed saved them from attack by Mongol forces in 1281. The name was later given to the Japanese aviators in World War II (1939-1945) who crashed their planes into U.S. naval ships.

10. What’s the Term? #5. In traditional Indian belief, the tally of good and bad deeds that determines the status of an individual’s next life.

11. karma #5. In traditional Indian belief, the tally of good and bad deeds that determines the status of an individual’s next life.

12. What’s the Term? #6. In Japan, a conglomeration of financial or industrial institutions strengthened by shareholding connections and mutually beneficial relationships. They appeared in the years following World War II (1939-1945) and took the place of the family-run zaibatsu, which were eliminated in 1940. See also zaibatsu.

13. keiretsu #6. In Japan, a conglomeration of financial or industrial institutions strengthened by shareholding connections and mutually beneficial relationships. They appeared in the years following World War II (1939-1945) and took the place of the family-run zaibatsu, which were eliminated in 1940. See also zaibatsu.

14. What’s the Term? #7. The four units into which the Mongol Empire was divided after the death of Chinggis Khan (r. 1206-1227). One of Chinggis’s lines of descent took leadership of each knanate. See also Golden Horde.

15. khanate #7. The four units into which the Mongol Empire was divided after the death of Chinggis Khan (r. 1206-1227). One of Chinggis’s lines of descent took leadership of each knanate. See also Golden Horde.

16. What’s the Term? #8. An intricate system of knotted and colored strings used by early Peruvian cultures to store information such as census and tax records.

17. khipu #8. An intricate system of knotted and colored strings used by early Peruvian cultures to store information such as census and tax records.

18. What’s the Term? #9. A Jewish collective farm on which each member shares equally in the work, rewards, and defense. Such forms of agricultural and industrial organization helped Jews in Palestine, who had come from many different countries, forge a cohesive community during the first half of the twentieth century. See also commune.

19. kibbutz #9. A Jewish collective farm on which each member shares equally in the work, rewards, and defense. Such forms of agricultural and industrial organization helped Jews in Palestine, who had come from many different countries, forge a cohesive community during the first half of the twentieth century. See also commune.

20. What’s the Term? #10. A large room, sometimes underground, for meetings and religious ceremonies located at the center of the residential compounds in early societies of southwestern North America.

21. kiva #10. A large room, sometimes underground, for meetings and religious ceremonies located at the center of the residential compounds in early societies of southwestern North America.

22. What’s the Term? #11. A civil war that broke out in 1950 and ended in 1953 in a stalemate. It was fought for control of the Korean peninsula between the Communist North Koreans and the anti-Communist South Koreans. The United States, seeking to prevent the spread of communism, intervened on the side of the South Koreans; Communist USSR and China backed the forces of the North.

23. Korean War #11. A civil war that broke out in 1950 and ended in 1953 in a stalemate. It was fought for control of the Korean peninsula between the Communist North Koreans and the anti-Communist South Koreans. The United States, seeking to prevent the spread of communism, intervened on the side of the South Koreans; Communist USSR and China backed the forces of the North.

24. What’s the Term? #12. German for “crystal night”; the evening of November 9, 1938, when Nazi-led gangs burned and looted Jewish businesses, synagogues, and homes, killing ninety-one Jews and destroying over 7,500 businesses. The Nazi government then fined the Jewish community for this “Night of the Broken Glass” and ordered them to pay for the damage incurred during the riot.

25. Kristallnacht #12. German for “crystal night”; the evening of November 9, 1938, when Nazi-led gangs burned and looted Jewish businesses, synagogues, and homes, killing ninety-one Jews and destroying over 7,500 businesses. The Nazi government then fined the Jewish community for this “Night of the Broken Glass” and ordered them to pay for the damage incurred during the riot.

26. What’s the Term? #13. The Indian social class of warriors and leaders of society, in rank second only to the Brahmin class of priests. See also caste system.

27. Kshatriya #13. The Indian social class of warriors and leaders of society, in rank second only to the Brahmin class of priests. See alsocaste system.

28. What’s the Term? #14. Prosperous landed peasants who were stripped of their land and livestock under Joseph Stalin (r. 1929-1953). Communists cast the kulaks as exploiters of the poor and began evicting them from their farms in the late 1920s, confiscating their grain to feed urban workers. They generally were not permitted to join the collective farms established by Stalin, and they themselves often starved or were deported to forced-labor camps.

29. kulaks #14. Prosperous landed peasants who were stripped of their land and livestock under Joseph Stalin (r. 1929-1953). Communists cast the kulaks as exploiters of the poor and began evicting them from their farms in the late 1920s, confiscating their grain to feed urban workers. They generally were not permitted to join the collective farms established by Stalin, and they themselves often starved or were deported to forced-labor camps.

30. What’s the Term? #15. An international agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to slow global warming; as of November 2007, 174 countries had subscribed to the agreement, but the refusal by the United States to ratify the protocol has caused international tensions.

31. Kyoto protocol #15. An international agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to slow global warming; as of November 2007, 174 countries had subscribed to the agreement, but the refusal by the United States to ratify the protocol has caused international tensions.