Cultural diffusion can happen independent of movement across borders. The spread of culture is not always a good thing. Cultural diffusion can be both successful and unsuccessful. In some cases cultures are spread by individuals or small groups of people, who are attempting to better the world in general. Sometimes cultures spread unintentionally. Sometimes cultures spread on purpose through aggression or colonization. Culture is passed on from one generation to another.
People observe the cultures around them, and when they become comfortable enough, they either adopt the new style and culture, or they attempt to keep their own culture. Sometimes they do a combination of the two. Cultural diffusion involves the exchange of ideas and social activities. There are several ways the process of cultural diffusion occurs. These pathways tend to occur in order of decreasing likelihood.
What Is Cultural Diffusion?
It's important to know what we mean by the term "cultural diffusion". It is not a form of rapid cultural change. Every society around the world changes slowly over time. In some cases, a society may be stable for a long period of time. This does not mean, that changes aren't taking place, just that they are slow and evolutionary rather than revolutionary.
Cultures may change a lot in a relatively short time period without necessarily becoming something else. For example, the cultures of the Middle East have undergone rapid change over the past hundred years due to Western influence. However, these changes remain Middle Eastern. They have not become Western. Cultural diffusion is a long-term process in which different groups begin to adopt traits from a dominant group or groups.
A dominant group is a group, that occupies a position of power in society. In some cases, this power is held by conquest, while in other cases it may be held, because of trade routes, resources, or other reasons. For purposes of this article, it means that the group is in a position of influence. This influence can come in many forms. It can be social, such as marriage partners or the use of a language.
It can be technological, such as new weapons or trade goods. It can be cultural, such as new styles of art or religious beliefs. Cultural diffusion is different from immigration in that it is a process by which groups, that are similar to one another begin to look less alike to the point that they are very dissimilar.
Process Of Cultural Diffusion
Culture can spread through direct contact between two different groups, migration of people, or trade routes. This pathway is the slowest form of diffusion. Two groups come in direct physical contact with each other and share ideas, beliefs, and social activities. This type of spread is the easiest way for a new culture to spread. There are many cases in history, where two very different groups have come into contact with each other.
The early Christians and followers of the Jewish faith are two such groups. The spread of these new religions and their belief systems is usually rapid. Migration is another way, that a new culture can spread. When people, ideas, or commodities move from one place to another they can spread to other places. This form of diffusion is a common way for foreign cultures to become established in new areas.
It can also happen when people emigrate from a place and take their culture with them. Trade routes can spread a new culture in two ways. For one, certain goods may be closely linked to a particular new culture. Certain types of food, goods made, or manufactured items may serve as a marker for a certain culture. When these goods move through a trade route, they can spread across the routes.
Trade routes can also spread a culture by moving people. Certain groups of people may travel a trade route in which they are the only ones from their area. In these cases, they often bring with them new ideas, social patterns, etiquette and sometimes entire new ways of thinking.
Identity In Cultural Diffusion
Culture has always been considered a large factor in the success of a group. This is because culture serves as the "identity" of a group. Without an "identity" a person or people lack a certain purpose for which to strive. This purpose is necessary for life. Without a group identity, a person or people tend to lose their self-discipline, among other things.
This is one of the factors, that causes society to not work well without the presence of a government. On the other hand, in order for a group to maintain its "identity" it needs to stick together. Otherwise a group will become assimilated by the surrounding society or otherwise disappear altogether. This is why people in specific groups will fight to the death to preserve their culture and heritage.
This is also one of the reasons, why societies try so hard to regulate and control the ideas, that come into their society. The more they control, the safer they are, because they believe, that they know what is best for everyone. This is usually not the case, as a group's ideas will differ from one society to the next. This is why it is very dangerous to try to dictate how a people should live.
There is no way to know all the factors involved in an idea and how it should be implemented. In general, if a group of people want to do something bad or dangerous, it's best to leave them alone. They'll work out their own problems. Diffusion is a sort of safety valve. Sometimes a group just wants to do something different. Fighting against this, can only make things worse from a social standpoint.
Types Of Cultural Diffusion
There are four different types of cultures, that a new one can fall into:
Internal: Internal, or group-within-a-group, diffusion occurs, when a subgroup within a larger society adopts the characteristics of its surrounding group. The most common example of this is the process of modernization. For centuries, many cultures were bound by traditional ways of life. The way of life could be extremely different depending on the region in which a certain culture existed.
External: External diffusion occurs, when a new culture is spread by being introduced to other societies. Trade, migration, conquests, and missionary work are some of the ways this happens. This is the most common way for a new culture to spread, however, it can also be the most difficult. For one thing, the surrounding societies must accept the new culture. When the new culture is different enough from the old that this is unlikely, then the new culture may be violently opposed to the old.
Convergence: Convergence diffusion occurs, when two similar cultures come together and share ideas. This can happen at any time, but often happens during times of crisis. The societies sharing ideas during this time usually have a similar crisis to speak about. These times of crisis help bring together two similar societies, as they are talking about the same things. Even though they may still have radically different ways of life, they understand these ways of life a little better. During this time of crisis, some societies may also change slowly. The crisis helps bring about a change in society, whether this change is for the better or for the worse is debatable.
Rejection: Rejection diffusion occurs, when two societies coming from different worlds, that just don't mix. Sometimes this can be avoided, if the two groups are vigilant about their differences. Other times, these differences are so vast, that nothing can convince the other side. This is the rarest form of diffusion, as it often requires, that war break out between the groups. The end result is, that both groups are so determined to hold on to their way of life, that they are willing to fight to the death.
ultural diffusion proves good that it provides different people an opportunity to know about other cultures and accept them eventually. But one should not totally loss their identity by merging into particular culture.