3.4 Culture and Cultural Diffusion

Notes

Culture is the shared way of life of a group: language, religion, food, clothing, customs, arts and beliefs.

• A cultural trait is a single feature, such as a greeting. A cultural landscape is the human-made environment that reflects a culture.
• Cultural diffusion is the spread of culture. Relocation diffusion happens when people move and bring culture with them. Expansion diffusion happens when ideas spread among people who stay put, such as through trade, social media or television.
• Assimilation means adopting the dominant culture. Acculturation means adopting some parts of another culture while keeping one's own.
• Early cultural hearths, where major cultures began, include Mesopotamia, the Nile Valley, the Indus Valley and the Huang He (Yellow River) valley.
• Globalization speeds diffusion, but local cultures also resist and adapt it.