Cultural Diffusion

The dispersion of ideas, practices, technologies, techniques, language, or other cultural attributes throughout space. The process of cultural diffusion has occurred as long as modern humans have interacted and has perhaps reached its ultimate expression in globalization. Many technological innovations and ideas may have arisen independently, but a very large number of cultural attitudes and characteristics originated in a single location and spread to others. Diffusion from culture hearths was particularly important in the historical development of civilization.

The movement of cultural traits through space can lead to other cultural processes. For example, religious syncretism is a direct result of cultural diffusion and typically results in a new cultural expression of faith. Indeed, diffusion is the mechanism whereby culture evolves and adapts. In the modern world most cultural diffusion is voluntary, but historically a great deal of cultural transfer and change was effected by cultural imperialism, when cultural traits from one society were imposed by force onto other societies. This was a common practice during the age of imperialism, when Western, European-based culture was forcefully, and frequently violently, carried to most of the world’s land masses. But involuntary, compulsory diffusion has also occurred in many other eras and been employed by many other cultures. Cultural diffusion may be inhibited by many factors. Simple distance may prevent the transfer of culture, as a result of the influence of distance decay. 

Physical features, especially mountain ranges and large bodies of water, historically blocked the movement of people, and therefore stood as barriers to the exchange of elements of culture. Political boundaries frequently stop diffusion by prohibiting the passage of people and their cultural identity. And of course, some cultural ideas or practices may not diffuse simply because they are rejected or ignored by other cultures.