Cultural Diffusion

Cultural diffusion concerns the spread of culture and the many factors that account for it such as:

Migration

This is the process that sees people taking values and morals from one place to another. Cultural diffusion in the past was often associated with people moving, however in modern day the migration of businesses often introduces new ideas and reform into an already existing culture.

Adoption of cultural traits via trade and commerce

Cultures often adopt traits that they might see in a neighbouring region or even on the television. Take for instance in agriculture, one farmer might observe another technique or method and adopt it and pass the idea on to someone else.

Communication

Cultural traits in urban, built up areas often trickle down to surrounding settlements over time, this is notable with the process of modernisation where rural areas demand the same quality of life and amenities as those people living in the cities.

Website below for Cultural Diffusion basics:

http://education.nationalgeographic.com/archive/xpeditions/lessons/10/g68/culture.html?ar_a=1

To teach the concept of ‘cultural diffusion’ I would like to introduce students to a culture and take on a creative approach to show how the culture has changed and been influenced over time. For the student’s case study I would use the country of Australia. I would start off by looking at how the island was once the exclusive domain of an aboriginal cultural community. I would introduce to students a compilation of artwork and sources expressing their traditional way of life (bush craft, how they found food e tc). 

 I would then want the students to produce some Aboriginal inspired artwork of their own and possibly produce a brochure encouraging people to visit one of the remaining tribes, expressing what a tourist might expect to encounter there.  Finally, to show students how the process of cultural diffusion has imprinted Australia with a distinctly European culture I would find a tourist video clip or TV programme and ask them to note down the European influences they notice. These could then be collated in a class table at the end.

Website below for Australian culture diffusion: http://www.janesoceania.com/australia_aboriginal_art_culture_landscape/index1.htm