Discussion
Cultural diffusion is the tendency of an aspect of a certain culture to spread into other sectors of the world, gaining rapid acceptance in foreign cultures. Arguably, cultural diffusion is among the most significant social concepts in the world today. The fact that fast food restaurants began in America, and are now a common feature in almost all countries, including the developing nations, it is a clear indication that this aspect of American culture is gradually but steadily diffusing into other cultures. Much like the fast food culture, many aspects of foreign cultures are gaining acceptance in foreign lands. Apparently, such aspects of culture as dressing are highly contentious and get borrowed from other cultures. It is for this reason that such aspects of western culture as dressing have become embraced in the oriental cultures at a considerably high rate. It is no puzzle then that a person in China today will dress exactly as a person in Canada. While cultural diffusion has been associated with many effects, it has both positive and negative outcomes on the society.
The effect of cultural diffusion
Generally, cultural diffusion has been associated with a constructive impact on the foreign cultures. The major reason why cultural diffusion is being described as one of those phenomena with positive impacts is the fact that people will always pick, from a foreign culture, that which they deem beneficial to them. For example, one of the most prominent historical events associated with cultural diffusion is colonization. Much as people view colonization in a negative sense, the idea came with substantial cultural diffusion which, in effect, helped wipe out the harmful native practices of the colonized communities. When the Europeans conquered Africa, for example, they introduced the western culture which discouraged such hazardous practices as female genital mutilation. The western culture generally discouraged such practices on both religious and health grounds. Gradually, the Africans, through missionaries, learnt the western aspects and replaced their native practices with the novel practices.
Another significant example is the European invasion of America. Arguably, this is one of the most memorable events in American history. With the invasion came such things as new architectural designs. Most notably, the Portuguese and Spanish architectural designs defined the new America. According to many anthropologists, architecture is an integral part of a culture. As such, the American people borrowed the architectural designs from the foreigners. This marked the beginning of the storey building in the America. These saved on space and increased the aesthetic value of the buildings. This is considered one of the most notable impacts of the European invasion of America. Additionally, the European invasion of both America and Africa contributed to the diffusion of religion. The fact that the European colonial masters and missionaries were Christians, explains why most people in America and Africa, as well as many regions of Asia, replaced their native religions with Christianity and Islam. Clearly, religion is a positive aspect of culture.
Perhaps the most important positive example of cultural diffusion is the widespread acceptance of formal education. Formal education, commonly known as western education, is the source of power behind the high rates of globalization and technological advancement in the world today. Formal education, which is historically associated with the west, is an integral aspect of all cultures today. The third world is tending to develop because of education and technology. Education, which originated in the western world, gradually replaced the traditional education – popularly referred to as non-formal education – in the developing world. This marked the most notable positive effect of cultural diffusion. The most significant cause of cultural diffusion in the world today is technology. Coupled with globalism, technology is accelerating the rate of cultural diffusion in many ways. The most notable way in which technology is motivating cultural diffusion is through the media, especially, social media. Through such sites as twitter, people from different cultures get to interact and exchange ideas. This way, the interacting parties borrow a lot from their friends. Thus, ideas become globalized and replace ideas originally held by people.
Worth noting is the fact that, despite having all the above discussed positive effects, cultural diffusion has some negative impacts. Perhaps, the most notable negative impacts of cultural diffusion are that it causes loss of identity and some important traditional beliefs. The concept, which has been associated with cultural syncretism, has as well been connected to the loss of traditional practices and ethics. Such loss of ethics has been described as the root of moral crumble in the society. Moral decay refers to the act of an individual or a community abandoning traditional standards, the violation of which is considered an abomination or a taboo. A perfect example is the act of homosexuality. Gay marriages are a common occurrence in the western world. Traditionally, the idea was considered a taboo in such cultures as the Chinese and African cultures. Today, gay relationships are a common occurrence in such cultures, thanks to globalization and cultural diffusion. The bottom line, therefore, is that cultural diffusion has brought both positive and negative impacts, but has brought more good than harm.
Bibliography
Brinkerhoff, David. Essentials of Sociology. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2008.
Ferraro, Gray, and Susan Andretti. Cultural Anthropology: An Applied Perspective. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2011.
Van Rheenen, Gailyn. Contextualization and Syncretism: Navigating Cultural Currents. Pasadena, Calif: William Carey Library, 2006.
