Chapter 16

Culture Change and Globalization

What We Will Learn How do cultures change? What are some obstacles to cultural change? In what ways do civilization and

industrialization threaten the cultures of Indigenous populations?

Do economic development programs always benefit the people of developing countries?

What is globalization, and how does it affect the cultures of the world?

Cultural Change No culture remains unchanged. Cultures change in two ways:

Internally - through the processes of invention and innovation

Externally through the process of diffusion.

Inventors and Innovators Inventors and innovators tend to be marginal

people living on the fringes of society. Not bound by tradition or convention, these

people see problems and their solutions with a fresh perspective.

Many come from from upper-class, wealthy, and well-educated segments of society.

Diffusion The spreading of a thing, an idea, or a behavior

pattern from one culture to another. If every culture had to rely solely on its own

inventions, human progress over the centuries would indeed be slow.

Cultures have been able to develop rapidly because the process of diffusion has enabled humans to pool their creative/inventive resources.

Cultural Diffusion: Selectivity The adoption of an innovation by a culture and

the speed with which it is adopted depends on the following: Is it seen as superior to what already exists? Is it consistent with existing cultural patterns? Is it easily understood? Can it be tested on a trial basis? Are the benefits clearly visible?

Cultural Diffusion: Reciprocity Diffusion is a two-way process. While Europeans introduced their culture to

native Americans, they received cultural features in return: Clothing - ponchos, parkas, and moccasins. Medicines - quinine, pain relievers, and

laxatives. Food - corn, beans, tomatoes, squash,

yams, avocados, and the so-called Irish potato.

Cultural Diffusion: Modification Once a cultural element is accepted in a new

culture, it may change in form or function. The Masai of Kenya and Tanzania pierce

their earlobes and enlarge the hole by inserting increasingly larger round pieces of wood until a loop of skin is formed.

One group of Masai was observed using Eveready flashlight batteries obtained from the U.S.

Cultural Diffusion: Likelihood Some parts of culture are more likely to be

diffused than others. Material culture is more likely to be diffused

than ideas or behavior patterns. A traditional farmer in Senegal is more likely

understand the advantages of a bulldozer over a shovel than of substituting Buddhism for his form of ancestor worship.

Cultural Diffusion: Variables Diffusion is affected by:

Duration and intensity of contact. Degree of cultural integration. Similarities between the donor and

recipient cultures.

Acculturation Takes place as a result of sustained contact

between two societies, one of which is subordinate to the other.

Involves the widespread reorganization of one or both cultures over a short period of time.

Both the dominant and subordinate culture experience changes, but the subordinate culture changes most dramatically.

Consequences of Acculturation

The subordinate culture could: Become extinct Be incorporated as a distinct subculture of

the dominant group Be assimilated (blended) into the

dominant group

Linked Changes A single innovation may set off changes in other

parts of a culture. Television

Introduced during the 1950s. Replaced the the radio as the major form of

electronic communication in U.S. Households.

Had consequences for other parts of the culture, such as the family system, the political process, and religious institutions.

Cultural Boundaries Strengthen a culture’s traditions and

discourage cultural borrowing: Language Eating habits Clothing Folklore Humor

Indigenous PopulationsRefers to a group of people who are: Original inhabitants of a region. Identify with a specific, small-scale cultural

heritage. Have no significant role in the government. Examples: the small-scale cultures in Asia,

Africa, and the Americas that came under the influence of the colonial powers during the past several centuries.

Modernization Theory

High levels of technology

Industrialization Urbanization Formal education Efficient bureaucratic

governments Strong market

economies

Precise time Religious pluralism Low birth/death rates Upward mobility

based on merit Rapid change Planning for the future Decline in the

extended family

Modern nations are associated with:

Modernization Theory Undeveloped nations must engage in activities

that them more like the developed nations. Economic development would occur through

the mechanism of foreign aid from the wealthy nations to the undeveloped nations.

Blames poverty on the poor by suggesting that some countries are poorly developed because of cultural characteristics which they pass on to their children.

World Systems Theory According to this theory, the rich and poor

nations of the world are not fundamentally different because of cultural features but because of how they have operated within the world system.

Economic development is not the result of an enlightened or progressive population but instead occurs when one group purposefully increases its own wealth at the expense of others.

Factors in the the Rise of Globalization Revolution in computer technology made

communication faster and cheaper for a growing segment of the world’s population.

Methods of investing money has changed, today it is, to a large degree, in the hands of individuals.

There has been a fundamental change in the flow of information all over the world.

Quick Quiz

1. Cultures change from ________ such as inventions and innovations.

a) internal strife

b) external mechanisms

c) external forces

d) internal mechanisms

Answer: d Cultures change from internal

mechanisms such as inventions and innovations

2. A/an ________ is any new thing, idea, or behavior pattern that emerges from within a society.

a) Creation

b) Innovation

c) Construct

d) invention

Answer: d An invention is any new thing, idea, or

behavior pattern that emerges from within a society.

3. ________ is the spread of a thing, an idea, or a cultural pattern from one culture to another.

a) Diffusion

b) Enculturation

c) Innovation

d) Acculturation

Answer: a Diffusion is the spread of a thing, an

idea, or a cultural pattern from one culture to another.

4. _______ is a special type of diffusion that takes place as a result of sustained contact between two societies, one of which is subordinate to the other.

a) Modification

b) Acculturation

c) Reciprocity

d) Enculturation

Answer: b Acculturation is a special type of

diffusion that takes place as a result of sustained contact between two societies, one of which is subordinate to the other.

5. According to the ________ theory, the wealthy countries of the world achieved high levels of development by exploiting other regions, plundering their resources, using their people as cheap sources of labor, and dominating their markets.a) colonialismb) voluntaristicc) world systemsd) modernization

Answer: c According to the world systems theory,

the wealthy countries of the world achieved high levels of development by exploiting other regions, plundering their resources, using their people as cheap sources of labor, and dominating their markets.