Cultural diffusion is the adoption of another culture’s customs, beliefs, and practices over time. Trade, migration, and communication are the means of cultural diffusion. Leo Fresenius conceptualized cultural diffusion in 1897/98. He describes that cultural items such as ideas, style, religions, technologies, and languages spread among individuals whether from the same culture or one to another. One can recognize the distinct features of diffusion of innovation in a specific culture.
Types of cultural Diffusion
Cultural diffusions have six types: relocation, expansion, contagious, hierarchical, stimulus, and maladaptive. They have been explained in the following:
1. Relocation diffusion
Relocation diffusion is a cultural diffusion due to the migration of people. Migration is the dominant factor in the spread of culture in the world. When people move from one place to another, they often assimilate. Their cultures do not spread, instead, they adapt to the new culture. A large number of migrants from the same origin can establish their own culture at the destination place. In this case, they integrate culture rather than assimilate. Migrant people develop a new culture by interacting with a new society while still keeping their unique identity.
2. Expansion diffusion
When a cultural idea spreads from its origin to other places, the original concept remains strong at its original place. For example, dancing, dresses, and ideas expanded to other places even in different countries and continents, the original form remains as it is at the place of origin.
3. Contagious diffusion
The spread of ideas through one-to-one interaction among individual people is called contagious diffusion. As people interact with each other among people, culture spreads. The word contagious is a virus that spreads through contact with people. For example, a viral video spreads because people share it with friends and other people, then, it spreads all around.
4. Hierarchical diffusion
This is the process of top-down spread of culture. Hierarchical diffusion occurs when a famous and influential person in a society shares a cultural idea. Service and manufacturing industries usually use famous film actors or players to advertise their new products and services. The public behavior is copying the culture of famous and influential people.
5. Stimulus diffusion
Stimulus diffusion is the process of changes in culture when it spreads from its origin. It is not certain whether its original form will remain or not at its location of origin. The culture change occurs as it spreads farther from its origin.
For example, football culture has changed more in different parts of the world. The spread of rock music in different parts of the world with different characteristics such as the dominancy of heavy metal in Scandinavia, the dominancy of country music in rural America, and grunge rock in the Pacific Northwest United States. All of those are subtypes of rock music in different countries they spread with different versions.
6. Maladaptive diffusion
Cultural diffusion may not be relevant or useful to new areas where it spreads, yet it does not change. Cultural diffusion in new areas works well in some areas and may not be suitable for other societies. However, they adopt cultural diffusion although it is not useful to them is called maladaptive diffusion. For example, playing football games in snowy areas is not suitable but they like sports out of enjoyment despite its impracticality.
Mechanism of Cultural Diffusion
Diffusion across cultures can occur in a variety of ways. Populations that migrate will bring their cultures with them. Transcultural travelers, including traders, explorers, warriors, diplomats, slaves, and hired artisans, can get ideas. Diffusion of technology has frequently happened as a result of one civilization enticing highly qualified scientists or workers with money or other incentives. Marriages between people from neighboring or overlapping cultures have also contributed. Diffusion can happen in literate societies via books, letters, and, more recently, technological media.
Three categories of mechanism of diffusions me:
1. Direct diffusion:
Cultural diffusion occurs when two cultural societies are very close to each other because of cross-cultural marriage, trade, and even warfare. Direct diffusion occurs through the direct interaction of people of different cultural societies. Direct diffusion was common in historical times when small groups of people used to live in adjoining settlements.
2. Forced diffusion:
Forced diffusion is executed by force to another different cultural society who are conquered. For example, Spanish, French, English, and Portuguese forcibly compelled to be Christian to the indigenous people of America. Fula, Nuristanis, and Afghan people were compelled to be Islamist to West African People.
3. Indirect diffusion
If a culture passes through a middleman is known as indirect diffusion of culture. Cultural diffusion occurs without direct contact or interaction between two cultural societies whose culture has been transferred from one to another. Mass media helps to pass new cultures to other cultural societies. Then, another society may adopt the new culture of another society without direct contact with those societies of origin and adapter. Nowadays, indirect diffusion is common because of mass media and internet facilities.
