CULTURAL DIFFUSION NOTES
CULTURE –
CULTURE TRAITS:
ACCULTURATION:
TRANSCULTURATION:
ASSIMILATION:
CULTURAL DIFFUSION:
There are three kinds of cultural diffusion:
• Direct diffusion—
• Forced diffusion—
• Indirect diffusion—
CULTURE HEARTH:
GLOBALIZATION:
CULTURE IN A BAG OVERVIEW:
By analyzing products found around their homes, students will gain insight into
what happens when cultural diffusion takes place. Students will learn what cultural
influences affect their lives. This lesson will help students to identify some of the
cultures new to their part of the world and to understand more about cultural
diffusion and acculturation.
OBJECTIVES: Students will:
• Be able to locate on a world map the places of cultural origin of many of the items
found in their homes.
• Analyze the cultural diffusion that explains how those items got where they are
today.
• Understand some terms related to culture and culture traits.
MATERIALS:
1. Outline maps of the world, one for each group
2. A box of colored pencils for each group (at least 5 or 6 groups)
3. 5 or 6 bags (Braum’s paper bags with handles work well) with items brought from
home (at least 5 items from each student)
4. Small labels to place on items brought from home
5. Copies of handout “Lecture Notes” for each student
INTRODUCING THE LESSON:
Spend some time reading and discussing the “Lecture Notes.” This can be sent home
as a reading assignment the day before the lesson activity. Make sure students
understand the concept of culture, culture traits, and cultural diffusion. There are
three kinds of diffusion.
Finally, students should know the difference between acculturation and
transculturation.
Brainstorm and list on the board the different ways that diffusion takes place. Some
examples are: war, natural disasters, tourism, missionaries, political unrest,
exchange students, immigration, intermarriage, Peace Corps, technology, television
and other communications methods. Globalization should also be discussed.
PROCEDURE:
1. Ask students to bring 5 items from home that they feel represent their culture or
any culture. These items could include foods, apparel, music, religious items, and
decorative objects. If you know a student’s cultural background, help him or her to
select something especially significant. Discourage students from bringing
extremely valuable items to school for this activity.
2. If you as the teacher have items at home representing your own or other cultures,
you can bring them and add them to the bags.
3. Assemble the items into 5 or 6 bags. Number each bag and label each item with a
letter and/or a number so that all items can be returned to the students who
brought them. For example, J-1 for an item that Johnny brought.
4. Divide the class into 5 or 6 groups depending on the number of students and hand
each group a bag of items, a map of the world and a box of colored pencils.
5. Have each group open its bag and carefully examine the items it contains.
Students should write their best educated guess as to the place of cultural origin
(which may or may not be the same as the site of manufacture) for each item in their
bags.
6. Students should identify the location of origin for each item by placing the
matching letter-number on their outline maps of the world.
7. Groups should discuss the movement of each item to their local communities and
draw this diffusion with colored pencils.
8. Students should answer the following questions for each item:
With what culture is the item most closely associated?
What can we learn about the culture from the item?
Did the item come with a group of people that moved to the area? When?
Did the item come by way of modern retailing, including advertising?
9. Each group should present their findings to the class and locate the possible
culture hearth on a large map of the world.
10. This lesson may take two days depending on the length of each class period. One
class period may be needed to assemble and to assess, and the next to make
presentations.
ASSESSMENT:
-Each student should write a brief summary reflecting a personal understanding of
cultural diffusion and how products in their own homes can enlighten them to
different cultures in our society.
-Have students speculate about what students in other parts of the country and the
world may have in their households.
-Challenge students to find examples of acculturation in this assignment.
-Acculturation is the process by which a culture is transformed due to the massive
adoption of cultural traits from another society. It is what happens to a culture when
alien traits diffuse on a large scale and substantially replace traditional cultural
patterns.
EXTENSION:
Students can do research papers on some of the following: globalization,
localization, chain migration, acculturation, cultural homogenization, centripetal
forces, push-pull factors, and emigration. “LECTURE NOTES” *
CULTURE:
(1) The system of shared beliefs, values, customs, behavior, and artifacts that the
members of society use to cope with their world and with one another, and that are
transmitted from generation to generation through learning
(2) The totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions,
and all other products of human work and thought
(3) Intellectual and artistic activity and the works produced by it
CULTURE TRAITS: One way to make culture easier to understand is to divide it into
things that people normally do. Each of these things is called a culture trait. Culture
traits vary from place to place. For example, a typical teenager in the U.S. eats dinner
with a knife, fork and spoon. However, a typical Chinese teenager eats with
chopsticks. Each trait is considered the best for each culture.
Culture traits are usually related to food, dress, religion, family values, politics,
economics, and politics.
ACCULTURATION: The process by which a culture is transformed due to the
massive adoption of cultural traits from another society. This happens to a culture
when alien traits diffuse on a large scale and substantially replace traditional
cultural patterns.
TRANSCULTURATION: This happens to an individual when he or she moves to a
new society and adopts its culture.
ASSIMILATION: The absorption of a minority group into another society or group.
This is achieved by learning and adopting the cultural traditions of the society in
which assimilation occurs.
This often occurs during times of massive immigration. It is also often hastened by
intermarriage and by de-emphasizing cultural and/or biological differences.
CULTURAL DIFFUSION: The movement of cultural traits and ideas from one society
or ethnic group to another. While the form of trait may be transmitted to another
society, the original meaning may not. For instance, McDonald’s hamburgers are
thought of as a cheap, quick meal in North
America, but they are generally considered to be a special occasion food in China.
There are three kinds of cultural diffusion:
• Direct diffusion--when two cultures are very close to each other, resulting in
intermarriage, trade, and even warfare
• Forced diffusion—when one culture conquers or enslaves another and forces its
own customs on the conquered people
• Indirect diffusion—when traits are passed from one culture through a middleman
to another culture, without the first and final cultures ever being in direct contact.
Example: Mexican food is found in areas of Canada where few, if any, Mexicans live.
CULTURE HEARTH: the place of origin of a culture group
GLOBALIZATION: refers to the worldwide phenomenon of technological, economic,
political and cultural exchanges brought about by modern communication,
transportation and legal infrastructure as well as the conscious political choice to
open or cross borders
ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS
1. Indirect diffusion happens when culture traits are passed from one culture
through a middleman to another culture, without the first and final cultures ever
being in direct contact.
Each of these statements is an example of indirect diffusion except
A. Mexican food found in the United States
B. Scottish wool found in France
C. McDonald’s found all over the world
D. Thailand silk found in Indonesia
Answer: A (that is an example of direct diffusion since the two countries border
each other)
2. Which term best describes the phenomenon of technological, economic, political
and cultural exchanges brought about by modern communication, transportation
and legal infrastructure as well as the conscious political choice to open or cross
borders?
A. Assimilation
B. Immigration
C. Globalization
D. Acculturation
Answer: C
3. With the influx of large numbers of refugees and “boat people” from Cuba to
Florida, what has happened to the subculture of Florida, especially around the
Miami area?
A. Globalization is taking place
B. Assimilation is ongoing
C. Indirect diffusion is commonplace
D. Nothing is changing
Answer: B
4. When both World War I and World War II ended, millions of immigrants came to
the United States in search of better lives and to escape the war-torn parts of the
world. Many of them stayed in large port cities and lived together in small
communities or neighborhoods. Others settled in the prairies and plains regions of
the United States. Many of them were able to keep some of their culture traits as
they settled in their new homes.
What conclusion can be drawn from this statement?
a. Most immigrants remained poor and they found comfort in living close together
b. There was less discrimination against the immigrants who moved away from the
coast
c. Americans have assimilated many of immigrant culture traits
d. Few immigrants have retained their culture traits beyond the first generation
Answer: C