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CULTURE AND CHANGE:Inventions, Diffusion, Donor, Conventional

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Introduction to Cultural Anthropology ­ SOC401
VU
Lesson 22
CULTURE AND CHANGE
Cultural Change
Although the rate of change varies from culture to culture, no cultures remain unchanged. Small-scale
cultures that are less reliant on technology are seen to change more slowly than industrialized cultures and
societies.
However, nothing is as constant as change. There is no culture or society which can safeguard itself from
the processes of change.
How Cultures Change
The two principal ways that cultures change are internally through the processes of invention and
innovation and externally through the process of diffusion. It is generally recognized that the majority of
cultural features (things, ideas, and behavior patterns) found in any society got there by diffusion rather than
invention.
Inventions
Inventions can be either deliberate or unintentional. Although intentional inventors usually receive the most
recognition and praise, over the long run, unintentional inventors have probably had the greatest impact on
cultural change. Consider for example the common phrase, `necessity is the mother of all invention', which
implies that often circumstances are a more compelling factor inducing innovations in society than the
declared intention to make something new.
Because they are not bound by conventional standards, many inventors and innovators tend to be marginal
people living on the fringes of society. Anthropologists examine the backgrounds and psychological factors
that influence innovative personalities. Some of them maintain that inventors are often amongst the well off
segments of society, yet there are other anthropologists who present other arguments concerning
innovators.
Diffusion
The following generalizations can be made about the process of diffusion:
Cultural diffusion is selective in nature (selectivity) ­ not all things diffuse from one culture to
another at the same rate
Diffusion is a two-way process (reciprocity) ­ both cultures change as a result of diffusion
Cultural elements are likely to involve changes in form or function (modification) ­ a diffused cultural
item will not remain exactly the same as it is to be found in its original culture. Consider for
example the case of Chinese food or pizza, which are modified according to the taste of different
countries. The idea of chicken tikka topping is an example of cultural modification.
Cultural items, involving material aspects, are more likely candidates for diffusion than those involving non-
material aspects. Diffusion is affected by a number of important variables (duration and intensity of contact,
degree of cultural integration and similarities between donor and recipient cultures).
Useful Terms
Variables: values which are subject to change
Cultural items: these include both material and non-material items ranging from clothing to ideas
Donor: a country or even an individual entity which is at the giving end of a relationship
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Introduction to Cultural Anthropology ­ SOC401
VU
Recipient: a country or even an individual entity which is at the receiving/taking end of a relationship
Conventional: standard or acceptable
Intentional: being motivated by an intention. Intentional innovators, for example clearly state that they are
trying to deal with a particular problem and will attempt to identify a solution for it.
Suggested Readings
Students are advised to read the following chapters to develop a better understanding of the various
principals highlighted in this hand-out:
Chapter 16 in `Cultural Anthropology: An Applied Perspective' by Ferrarro and/or Chapter 13 in `Anthropology' by
Ember and Pergrine
Internet Resources
In addition to reading from the textbook, please visit the following web-site for this lecture, which provide
useful and interesting information:
Culture Change: An Introduction to the Processes and Consequences of Culture Change
http://anthro.palomar.edu/change/default.htm
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Table of Contents:
  1. WHAT IS ANTHROPOLOGY?:Cultural Anthropology, Internet Resources
  2. THE CONCEPT OF CULTURE AND THE APPLICATION OF CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
  3. MAJOR THEORIES IN CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY:Diffusionism
  4. GROWTH OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL THEORY (continued):Post Modernism
  5. METHODS IN CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY:Comments on Fieldwork
  6. METHODS IN CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY (continued):Census Taking
  7. COMPARATIVE STUDY OF PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION AND CONSUMPTION IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD
  8. ECONOMIC ANTHROPOLOGY (continued):THE DISTRIBUTION OF GOODS AND SERVICES
  9. FOCUSING ON LANGUAGE:Languages of the World, Structure of Language
  10. FOCUS ON LANGUAGE (continued):Levels of Complexity, Cultural Emphasis
  11. OBTAINING FOOD IN DIFFERENT CULTURES:Optimal Foraging, Suggested Readings
  12. FOOD AND CULTURE (continued):Food Collectors, Food Production
  13. OBTAINING FOOD IN DIFFERENT CULTURE (continued):Pastoralism, Agriculture
  14. RELEVANCE OF KINSHIP AND DESCENT:Kinship Criteria, Rules of Descent
  15. KINSHIP AND DESCENT (continued):Tracing Descent, Primary Kinship Systems
  16. THE ROLE OF FAMILY AND MARRIAGE IN CULTURE:Economic Aspect of Marriage
  17. ROLE OF FAMILY AND MARRIAGE IN CULTURE (continued):Family Structures
  18. GENDER AND CULTURE:Gender Stratification, Suggested Readings
  19. GENDER ROLES IN CULTURE (continued):Women Employment, Feminization of Poverty
  20. STRATIFICATION AND CULTURE:Social Ranking, Dimensions of Inequality
  21. THEORIES OF STRATIFICATION (continued):The Functionalists, Conflict Theorists
  22. CULTURE AND CHANGE:Inventions, Diffusion, Donor, Conventional
  23. CULTURE AND CHANGE (continued):Cultural Interrelations, Reaction to Change
  24. CULTURE AND CHANGE (continued):Planned Change, Globalization
  25. POLITICAL ORGANIZATION:Bands, Tribal Organizations, Chiefdoms
  26. POLITICAL ORGANIZATION (continued):State Systems, Nation-States
  27. POLITICAL ORGANIZATION (continued):Social Norms, Informal Mechanisms
  28. PSYCHOLOGY AND CULTURE:Emotional Development, Psychological Universals
  29. PSYCHOLOGY AND CULTURE (continued):Origin of Customs, Personality Types
  30. IDEOLOGY AND CULTURE:Ideology in Everyday Life, Hegemony
  31. IDEOLOGY AND CULTURE (Continued):Political ideologies, Economic Ideology
  32. ASSOCIATIONS, CULTURES AND SOCIETIES:Variation in Associations, Age Sets
  33. ASSOCIATIONS, CULTURES AND SOCIETIES (continued):Formation of Associations
  34. RACE, ETHNICITY AND CULTURE:Similarity in Human Adaptations
  35. RACE, ETHNICITY AND CULTURE (continued):Inter-group Relations
  36. CULTURE AND BELIEFS:Social Function of Religion, Politics and Beliefs
  37. LOCAL OR INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE:Changing Definitions of Local Knowledge
  38. LOCAL OR INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE (continued):The Need for Caution
  39. ANTHROPOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT:Influence of Development Notions
  40. ANTHROPOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT (Continued):Contentions in Development
  41. ANTHROPOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT (Continued):Operational
  42. CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY AND ART:Relevance of Art, Art and Politics
  43. CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY AND ART (continued):Art as a Status Symbol
  44. ETHICS IN ANTHROPOLOGY:Ethical Condemnation, Orientalism
  45. RELEVANCE OF CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY:Ensuring Cultural Survival