CULTURAL
DIFFUSION
DEFINITION:
 Cultural
Diffusion: the spreading of a
cultural trait (material object, idea,
or behavior pattern) from one
society to another
 Diffusion can also be viewed as a
cultural ‘exchange’
Elements of Culture that have
been ‘diffused’ into our current
culture:
 Foods:
Chinese, Mexican, Indian
 How many have eaten a fortune
cookie?
Elements of Culture that have been
diffused into other cultures:
Baseball
 Baseball was developed into the game it is
now in the US in the late 18th century.
 What is the common saying here in the
US? “As American as ___________ “

APPLE PIE!
Three Types of Diffusion
• Expansion
• Relocation
Expansion Diffusion
–Spread of an innovation/idea
through a population in an
area in such a way that the #
of those influenced grows
continuously larger.
(de Blij/Murphy – 7th ed., page R-20)
RELOCATION DIFFUSION
Items being diffused are transmitted by their
carrier agents as they evacuate the old areas
and relocate to new ones. The most common
form involves a migrating population.
(de Blij/Murphy – 7th ed., page R-26)
• This occurs when the people migrate and
take their cultural attributes with them.
Spatial Diffusion
•
Definition - The spread of ideas,
inventions, or patterns of behavior.
= place where major religion originated
Christianity
Islam
Judaism
Hinduism
Buddhism
Confucianism
Tribal Religions
Which religion has
diffused to every
livable continent?
Globalization
• Globalization is a specific form of spatial
diffusion.
Globalization – when a product or idea
spreads worldwide
Directions: Copy
2 types
- Economic Diffusion
- Cultural Diffusion
these notes and the
information in the box
below under your
diffusion t-chart or on
a new page.
• Globalization can be an economic product
or activity = Economic Diffusion
OR
• Globalization can be a social activity =
Cultural Diffusion.
Directions: The next sequence
of slides has pictures that show
goods and ideas that are
examples of globalization. It’s
up to you to determine whether
the globalization picture
represents economic diffusion,
cultural diffusion, or both.
Directions:
1. In your notebook create a
small chart similar to the one
below.
Globalization Pics
1. TV Economic Diffusion
2. Give a title for each picture.
My example is TV.
3. Record the type of spatial
diffusion that the picture
represents. TV is an example
of economic diffusion.
1. Used around the
world
2. Practiced
around the
world
3. Read around
the world
4. Eaten around the
world
Wanted around the world
Task  What effect
does this have on
Chinese culture?
Globalization Pics Key – use this to
check your answers, make
corrections if necessary
Slide 1  Economic Diffusion
Slide 2  Cultural Diffusion
Slide 3  Economic Diffusion
Slide 4  Both
Slide 5  Cultural Diffusion
Slide 6  Both
Task  On your
note, explain why
slide 4 and slide 6
are both economic
and cultural diffusion.
Make a diffusion t-chart
Causes of diffusion
Directions add the 7
Causes and 4 Barriers AND
THEIR EXPLANATIONS to
diffusion to your chart.
Barriers to diffusion
Causes of diffusion
1. Rivers – serve as
transportation routes
Causes of diffusion
2. Plains – flat land allows for easy travel
Causes of Diffusion
3. Harbors – allow transportation and trade
between foreign countries
Other Examples
4. Inventions – Cell phones have spread to
all regions of the world.
Hey, it’s Britney.
No, but isn’t it great
that cell phones have
diffused to my
country?
Have you seen my
golden bucket?
Other Examples
5. War – Countries force their culture on
conquered nations.
6. Migration – People bring their culture with them
when they move.
7. Trade – Economic goods and culture are
exchanged by the world’s market economies.
Barriers to Spatial Diffusion
1. Deserts – too hard to travel across
Barriers to Spatial Diffusion
2. Mountains – act as a barrier, block travel
Barriers to spatial diffusion
3. Ocean – too big to travel across
Tasks: Give two examples
of technology that allow
people to overcome the
previous 3 barriers to
diffusion.
Barriers to spatial diffusion
4. Religion – Religious beliefs restrict the adoption of
other cultures.
Review – Check your chart. If there are
items missing, make corrections.
•
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Causes of diffusion
Rivers
Plains
Harbors
Inventions
War
Migration
Trade
•
1.
2.
3.
4.
Barriers to diffusion
Deserts
Mountains
Oceans
Religion
Review
•Do the partner activity
with the 3X5 card…see
notes.
Assignment:

You and a partner
are required to find
and research two
different things on
the internet that
have been
culturally diffused
either into our
culture, or from
our culture into
another’s culture.
Assignment, Continued:



You may use any
resource on the web,
but you must use a
minimum of 2
different sites for each
topic.
There are many
search engines that
may help you find
information, such as:
www.google.com




Here are some other
sites that will help you
find other sites related
to your topics:
www.yahoo.com
www.ask.com
www.loc.gov
Assignment, Continued, again…
 See
your sheet for more info…
 Include two pictures as necessary
along with your typewritten
summaries
 Due at the end of class, be ready to
present your topics to your
classmates tomorrow!
 Be creative in your presentation!
HW: Divide a piece of paper in half
• Left Side: Cartoon A: US
• Sketch a cartoon of daily life in
the US that shows a trait that
we got from another country.
• Right Side: Cartoon B: Fake
Country (Planet)
• Sketch a cartoon of daily life in
a fake country that shows a
U.S. trait that is being used
differently than expected.
– Think about food, religion,
clothing, etc.
– Example  People wear
pants on their head and shirts
on their legs.