Module 2 - Factors Influencing Culture. Flashcards
Unit 1: Culture contact. Unit 2: Cultural assimilation. Unit 3: Cumulative Culture. Unit 4: Ethnocentrism. Unit 5: Xenocentrism. Unit 6: Culture Shock. (22 cards)
What is culture contact?
Interaction between peoples with different cultures, leading to change in both systems or one system
Culture contact can lead to acculturation, which encompasses changes in artifacts, customs, and beliefs.
Define acculturation.
A process in which an individual adopts, acquires, and adjusts to a new culture due to contact with it
Acculturation can be voluntary or involuntary.
What are the two types of acculturation?
- Voluntary acculturation
- Involuntary (forced) acculturation
What is voluntary acculturation?
Free borrowing or absorbing of cultural traits or ideas from another culture
Also known as incorporation or amalgamation.
What is involuntary acculturation?
Occurs when one group is conquered by another and must abide by the stronger group’s customs
This type often results from conquest.
What processes lead to cultural contact?
- Conquest
- Immigration
- Multimedia
- Trade
- Colonization
- Inter-ethnic or inter-tribal marriages
Define conquest in the context of cultural contact.
A process where one group subjugates another by military force, leading to involuntary acculturation
What is immigration?
The process of people moving permanently to a foreign country, usually resulting in voluntary acculturation
What role does multimedia play in cultural contact?
Facilitates contact through various forms of communication, leading to voluntary acculturation
Define trade as a cultural contact process.
Interaction through buying and selling goods and services between different cultural groups, usually resulting in voluntary acculturation
What is colonization?
The process where one group settles among and establishes control over indigenous people, often leading to involuntary acculturation
What is inter-ethnic or inter-tribal marriage?
Marriage between individuals from different ethnic or cultural groups, often leading to voluntary acculturation
Give an example of cultural contact.
A foreign exchange student visiting their host country
This can lead to cultural exchange and learning.
What is cultural assimilation?
The process where individuals or groups of different ethnicity blend into the dominant culture of a society
What is cumulative culture?
A process by which innovations are progressively incorporated into a population’s stock of skills and knowledge
What does cumulative culture signify?
Traditions are gradually modified, added upon, and improved over time
It highlights the importance of social learning and teaching.
Define ethnocentrism.
The belief that one’s own group’s culture is superior to others’
It often leads to negative attitudes towards other cultures.
What problem can arise from ethnocentrism?
Incorrect assumptions about others’ behavior based on one’s own norms, leading to potential cultural domination
What is xenocentrism?
The preference for the cultural practices of other cultures over one’s own
It can involve a desire to adopt elements from another culture.
How does xenocentrism differ from ethnocentrism?
Ethnocentrism is the belief that one’s own culture is superior while xenocentrism is the belief that other cultures are better
What is culture shock?
The feeling of disorientation experienced when subjected to an unfamiliar culture
It is a normal process of adapting to a new culture.
List some implications of culture shock.
- Attitude changes
- Sickness
- Anxiety
- Anger
- Homesickness
- Confusion
- Uncertainty
