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The Normans were French-speaking and their influence on the English language can still be seen today — in fact, about 45% of modern English vocabulary originates from the French language (Whiten, Caldwell, & Mesoudi, 2016).
An array of vibrant, multicolored human figures walking in a group to represent how different cultures move about and influence each other.
Key TakeawaysCultural diffusion is the spread of culture through contact with other cultures.There are four main types of cultural diffusion: contagious, hierarchical, stimulus, and relocation diffusion. The first three of these fall under the larger category of expansion diffusion.Diffusion can happen through the mechanisms trade, technology, migration, and colonization.Cultural diffusion has played a role in the spread of language, religion, and art, as well as other majorsocial institutions.
Key Takeaways
Examples
Food: One of the most obvious examples of cultural diffusion is the spread of food items and cuisine around the world.For instance, Italian pasta and pizza, Chinese stir fry, and Indian curry have all become popular in the United Kingdom and other countries (Whiten, Caldwell, & Mesoudi, 2016).
Music: Music is another form of culture that has undergone diffusion.For instance, Hip-Hop music originated in African American communities in New York City but has since become mainstream across all races.Hip Hop artists have spread from the United States to locales like France and South Korea (Whiten, Caldwell, & Mesoudi, 2016).
Types of Cultural Diffusion
Expansion diffusion is when innovations spread to new places while staying strong in their original locations.
An example of this would be the spread of the English language to different parts of the world.
Religions can also undergo expansion diffusion — for example, Christianity was originally only practiced in the Middle East but eventually diffused to Europe and other parts of the world.
Contagious diffusion is when an innovation or concept spreads rapidly throughout a population, like an epidemic.Contagious diffusion usually happens when people are in close contact with one another, such as in a school or workplace.This type of diffusion is often seen with fads — for example, so-called “mom-jeans” or the popularity of dance challenges (Pitzi & Pitzi, 2004).
Contagious diffusion is when an innovation or concept spreads rapidly throughout a population, like an epidemic.
Contagious diffusion usually happens when people are in close contact with one another, such as in a school or workplace.
This type of diffusion is often seen with fads — for example, so-called “mom-jeans” or the popularity of dance challenges (Pitzi & Pitzi, 2004).
Hierarchical diffusion, meanwhile, is The spread of an idea from persons or nodes of authority or power to other persons or places.This authority can be seen as either a small group or a society.The diffusion of “Parisian” fashion, royal fashion trends, religious doctrine, and celebrity tweets can all be attributed to hierarchical diffusion (Pitzi & Pitzi, 2004).In the 21st century, companies and brands often pay influential people to use their products in an attempt to influence youth subcultures.This mirrors the hierarchical diffusion of the past in European monarchies, where kings and queens would set trends for affluence.For example, Queen Victoria’s wedding in the early 1800s set off a global trend of brides wearing white wedding dresses in an attempt to project the affluence of the royal family (Pitzi & Pitzi, 2004).
Hierarchical diffusion, meanwhile, is The spread of an idea from persons or nodes of authority or power to other persons or places.
This authority can be seen as either a small group or a society.
The diffusion of “Parisian” fashion, royal fashion trends, religious doctrine, and celebrity tweets can all be attributed to hierarchical diffusion (Pitzi & Pitzi, 2004).
In the 21st century, companies and brands often pay influential people to use their products in an attempt to influence youth subcultures.
This mirrors the hierarchical diffusion of the past in European monarchies, where kings and queens would set trends for affluence.
For example, Queen Victoria’s wedding in the early 1800s set off a global trend of brides wearing white wedding dresses in an attempt to project the affluence of the royal family (Pitzi & Pitzi, 2004).
Similarly, the game of chess is believed to have originated in India before being diffused to Persia and then Europe, but not without fundamental changes.
Finally, relocation diffusion is a unique form of cultural diffusion that happens when migrants move from one location to another.
This type of diffusion is differentiated from contagious diffusion or hierarchical diffusion in that it is not a type of expansion diffusion (Pitzi & Pitzi, 2004).
Songs are composed in a two-phrase pattern, with the second phrase being a direct response or commentary on the first. This is a distinctive element of West African music — the region of the world where many slaves came from (Pitzi & Pitzi, 2004).
Mechanisms: How Does Culture Spread?
There are several theories that attempt to explain how and why cultural diffusion occurs:
Direct vs Indirect
One of the most fundamental explanations is the distinction between direct and indirect diffusion. Direct diffusion happens when two cultures have close contact with one another, such as through trade or migration.
This close contact allows for a more immediate and unmediated exchange of ideas, and is often the cause of contagious diffusion. Indirect diffusion, on the other hand, happens when there is no direct contact between cultures, but ideas are exchanged indirectly through a third culture.
The spread of Islam to Indonesia, for example, happened indirectly through Indian traders who introduced the religion to the archipelago — despite the fact that Islam had originated in the Middle East (Fort, Crema, & Madella, 2015).
Interaction of cultures
The interaction of cultures is another popular theory that attempts to explain how cultural diffusion happens.
This theory posits that cultures are not static, but are constantly changing and evolving through their interactions with other cultures. This can happen through trade, war, migration, and other forms of contact. The interaction of cultures leads to a process of acculturation (Fort, Crema, & Madella, 2015).
References
Fort, J., Crema, E. R., & Madella, M. (2015).Modeling demic and cultural diffusion: An introduction.Human biology,87(3), 141-149.
Kaufman, J., & Patterson, O. (2005).Cross-national cultural diffusion: The global spread of cricket.American sociological review,70(1), 82-110.
Levitt, P. (1998). Social remittances: Migration driven local-level forms of cultural diffusion.International migration review,32(4), 926-948.
Pitzl, G. R., & Pitzl, J. (2004).Encyclopedia of human geography. Greenwood Publishing Group.
Whiten, A., Caldwell, C. A., & Mesoudi, A. (2016). Cultural diffusion in humans and other animals.Current Opinion in Psychology,8, 15-21.
Saul McLeod, PhD
BSc (Hons) Psychology, MRes, PhD, University of Manchester
Saul McLeod, PhD., is a qualified psychology teacher with over 18 years of experience in further and higher education. He has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology.
Olivia Guy-Evans, MSc
BSc (Hons) Psychology, MSc Psychology of Education
Olivia Guy-Evans is a writer and associate editor for Simply Psychology. She has previously worked in healthcare and educational sectors.
Charlotte NickersonResearch Assistant at Harvard UniversityUndergraduate at Harvard UniversityCharlotte Nickerson is a student at Harvard University obsessed with the intersection of mental health, productivity, and design.
Charlotte NickersonResearch Assistant at Harvard UniversityUndergraduate at Harvard University
Charlotte Nickerson
Research Assistant at Harvard University
Undergraduate at Harvard University
Charlotte Nickerson is a student at Harvard University obsessed with the intersection of mental health, productivity, and design.
