Cultural DiffusionObjectives

• To be able to describe cultural traits in terms of language, customs, beliefs, dress, images, music, food and technology.

• To examine the diffusion of cultural traits resulting from the international movement of workers, tourists and commodities.

Culture: The inherited ideas, beliefs, values and knowledge which constitute the shared basis of social action It can determine people’s attitudes to the issues affecting them and give them a sense of identity.

Create a cultural stereotype ...

Consider the language(s) they speak, the customs they follow, the beliefs they hold, how they dress, the music they listen to, the food they like to eat and the technology they use.

What have you chosen? Why?

What experiences have you encountered that made you create this stereotype?

Cultural Diffusion

Kwast’s model of culture

Europe According to Britain

Europe According to Switzerland

What is culture?Cultural traits:

• Language• Customs• Beliefs• Dress• Music• Food• Technology

Cultural Traits

• Language • Customs• Beliefs • Dress• Music• Food• Technnology

TASK

1) Produce notes on the diffusion of your selected cultural trait as a result of the international movement of workers, tourists and commodities.

2) Are we approaching a single, dominant 'global culture'? Is such a thing desirable?

Examine the international diffusion of three cultural traits (10 marks)

Diaspora Culture

Who are 'diasporas'?

• A population of a country who have migrated abroad and keep strong identity ties with the homeland.

• A permanently displaced and relocated collective.

• The forced or voluntary dispersal of any population sharing common racial, ethnic or cultural identity, after leaving their settled territory and migrating to new areas.

World's top 20 destinations for Chinese and Indian migrants

Complete the worksheet on the wikispace for Little India – London

• The degree of concentration of diasporas affects the strength of cultural retention

• The greater the degree of concentration, the more likely that the language of the country of origin will be used in social contact.

• What is ‘cultural imperialism’?• The practice of promoting the culture/language of one nation in

another. It is usually the case that the former is a large, economically or militarily powerful nation and the latter is a smaller, less affluent one.

• How many examples of ‘cultural imperialism’ should be referred to?• 3 examples would be good.

• What does the command term mean?• Discuss = offer a considered and balanced review that includes a range

of arguments, factors or hypotheses. Opinions or conclusions should be presented clearly and supported by appropriate evidence.

"Cultural imperialism is facilitated by growing access to electronic media." Discuss this statement. (15)