Difference between revisions of "Acculturation" - New World Encyclopedia

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Pocahontas, in England, as Mrs John Rolfe, 1616: engraving after Simon Van de Passe

History and Definition

J.W. Powell is credited with coining the word "acculturation", first using it in an 1880 report by the US Bureau of American Ethnography. In 1883, Powell defined "acculturation" as the psychological changes induced by cross-cultural imitation. Generally speaking acculturation is the exchange of cultural features, which is a result of a continuous firsthand contact between different cultural groups. Either one or both groups and their original cultural patterns may change a bit, but the groups overall remain distinct.

Probably one of the first academic accounts of the process of acculturation appears in Plato's Laws, written in the 4th century B.C.E. In Laws Plato argued that humans have two tendencies – to travel and to imitate strangers. Both activities introduce new cultural practices. Being a Greek, Plato argued that this should be minimized to the degree possible, for the sake of preserving a superior, Greek culture. For the same purpose, i.e. stabilization of own cultural practices and reduction of acculturative changes, were written some famous early codes of law, for example, the Old Testament Laws of Moses, or the Babylonian Law of Hammurabi.

In the traditional definition of the term, acculturation is the process of obtainment of a foreign culture by an individual or a group of people who were born in a different cultural sphere. The term however needs to be differentiated from the term enculturation, which is applied when infants or very young children are born in a new culture, and simply learn that culture as their own. Enculturation thus can also be called socialization.

The new applications of the term relate to the modern multicultural societies, where a child of an immigrant family might be encouraged to acculturate both the dominant as well as the ancestral culture, either of which may be considered "foreign", but in fact, they are both integral parts of the child's development. According to the new definitions of the term, acculturation process can be either on a group or an individual level.

Group-Level Acculturation

On the group level, acculturation process can be seen as a massive intake of another culture's traits and incorporating them as part the own culture. This kind of process usually happens when foreign culture is perceived as more advanced, either technologically or in any other sense, then the culture of the origin. For example, the Chinese written language Hanzi was taken, with various degrees of modification, by places that previously had no written records – in Japan as Kanji, in Korea as Hanja, and in Vietnam as Chu Nom. In addition, Chinese vocabulary had also been taken and adopted, for example, in the CJKV language family of computer science.

However, sometimes the acculturation has irreversible impact of damaging the recipient culture, as in the cases of many indigenous peoples, such as First Nations of Canada, Native Americans in the United States of the United States, Taiwanese aborigines, and Australian Aborigines, who have mostly lost their traditional culture (most evidently language) and replaced by that of the dominant new culture. Such later detrimental case is related to assimilation, which results in a loss of all or many characteristics of the culture of origin. A region where assimilation is occurring is sometimes referred to as a melting pot.

The result of a group-level cultural interaction can be seen in the example of “pidgin” language. “Pidgin” is a mixed language that has developed to help communication between members of different cultures in contact. This usually occurs in situations of trade or colonialism. Pidgin English, for example, is a simplified form of English. It blends English grammar with that of a native language. This was first used in Chinese ports and similar pidgins have developed in Papua New Guinea and West Africa.

In situations of continuous contact, cultures exchange and blended foods, recipes, music, dances, clothing, tools, and technologies.

Individual-Level Acculturation or Transculturation

Transculturation, or an individual-level acculturation, is happening on a smaller scale, with a less visible impact. This most often occurs to first-generation immigrants, for whom transculturation is most difficult, due to the lack of precedents in the family. The speed of transculturation varies, depending on the recipient's interest and motivation. Inevitably, with each generation, the dominant culture becomes more and more the dominantly acculturated one for the immigrants' descendants.

Another common, but less lasting effect of individual-level acculturation occurs when a traveler spends some time in a foreign place, away from the own culture. For example, s/he may pick up some regional vocabulary (especially if the languages are in the same family of languages), or may habituate to some local traditions.

External links

Examples of traditional definition: Palomar Community College
- Part II

Catalog of acculturation theories

Kottak, Conrad Phillip (2005) Windows on Humanity, pages 209, 423. McGraw Hill, New York.

From Paris to Cairo: Resistance of the Unacculturated

Credits

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 [[Image:Pocahontas original.jpg|thumb|260px|[[Pocahontas]], in England, as Mrs [[John Rolfe]], 1616: engraving after Simon Van de Passe]]
-'''Acculturation''' is the obtainment of [[culture]] by an individual or a group of people. The term originally applied only to the process concerning a foreign culture, from the acculturing or accultured recipient point of view, having this foreign culture added and mixed with that of his or her already existing one acquired since birth.
-'''Acculturation''' is the exchange of cultural features which result when groups come into continuous firsthand contact. Either or both groups of the original cultural patterns may be changed a bit, but the groups remain distinct overall. Differs from '''diffusion''' and can be voluntary or forced. It is a second mechanism of cultural change. Acculturation involves different levels of destruction, survival, domination, resistance, modification, and adaptation of native cultures following interethnic contact.
-However, the term now has come to mean, in addition, the [[child]]-acquisition acculturation of native culture since infancy in the household.  A child's learning of its first culture is also called '''enculturation''' or merely '''socialization'''.
+== History and Definition ==
-The traditional definition sometimes differentiates between acculturation by an individual ('''transculturation''') and that by a group - usually very large (acculturation).
+J.W. Powell is credited with coining the word "'''acculturation'''", first using it in an 1880 report by the US Bureau of American Ethnography.  In 1883, Powell defined "acculturation" as the psychological changes induced by cross-cultural imitation. Generally speaking acculturation is the exchange of cultural features, which is a result of a continuous firsthand contact between different cultural groups. Either one or both groups and their original cultural patterns may change a bit, but the groups overall remain distinct.
-The old and the new additional definitions have a boundary that blurs in modern [[multicultural]] societies, where a child of an immigrant family might be encouraged to acculturate both the dominant also well as the ancestral culture, either of which may be considered "foreign", but in fact, they are both integral parts of the child's development.
+Probably one of the first academic accounts of the process of acculturation appears in Plato's ''Laws'', written in the 4th century B.C.E. In ''Laws'' Plato argued that humans have two tendencies – to travel and to imitate strangers. Both activities introduce new cultural practices. Being a Greek, Plato argued that this should be minimized to the degree possible, for the sake of preserving a superior, Greek culture. For the same purpose, i.e. stabilization of own cultural practices and reduction of acculturative changes, were written some famous early codes of law, for example, the Old Testament ''Laws of Moses'', or the Babylonian ''Law of Hammurabi''.
-== Group foreign-origin acculturation ==
+In the traditional definition of the term, acculturation is the process of obtainment of a foreign culture by an individual or a group of people who were born in a different cultural sphere. The term however needs to be differentiated from the term '''enculturation''', which is applied when infants or very young children are born in a new culture, and simply learn that culture as their own. Enculturation thus can also be called '''socialization'''.
-Massive intake of another culture's traits is the most classical and narrow definition of "acculturation". Such acculturation may be adequately adapted into another's, modernizing and advancing it through the inflow of technology or the enrichment of literature. For example,
+The new applications of the term relate to the modern multicultural societies, where a child of an immigrant family might be encouraged to acculturate both the dominant as well as the ancestral culture, either of which may be considered "foreign", but in fact, they are both integral parts of the child's development. According to the new definitions of the term, acculturation process can be either on a group or an individual level.
-* The [[Chinese written language]] (Hanzi) was taken, with various degrees of modification by places that previously have no written records: [[Japan]] (as [[Kanji]]), [[Korea]] (as [[Hanja]]), and [[Vietnam]] (as [[Chu Nom|Ch&#7919;-nôm]]). In addition, Chinese vocabulary had also been taken throughout the history. They have therefore developed a linguistic affinity in several, though not nearly all, aspects — called the [[CJKV]] language family in [[computer science]].
+== Group-Level Acculturation ==
+On the group level, acculturation process can be seen as a massive intake of another culture's traits and incorporating them as part the own culture. This kind of process usually happens when foreign culture is perceived as more advanced, either technologically or in any other sense, then the culture of the origin. For example, the Chinese written language Hanzi was taken, with various degrees of modification, by places that previously had no written records – in Japan as Kanji, in Korea as Hanja, and in Vietnam as Chu Nom. In addition, Chinese vocabulary had also been taken and adopted, for example, in the CJKV language family of computer science.
-But sometimes, the acculturation has irreversible impact of damaging the recipient culture, as in the cases of:
+However, sometimes the acculturation has irreversible impact of damaging the recipient culture, as in the cases of many indigenous peoples, such as First Nations of Canada, Native Americans in the United States of the United States, Taiwanese aborigines, and Australian Aborigines, who have mostly lost their traditional culture (most evidently language) and replaced by that of the dominant new culture. Such later detrimental case is related to '''assimilation''', which results in a loss of all or many characteristics of the culture of origin. A region where assimilation is occurring is sometimes referred to as a melting pot.
-* Many [[indigenous people]]s, such as [[First Nations]] of [[Canada]], [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] of the [[United States|USA]], [[Taiwanese aborigines]], and [[Australian Aborigine]]s — have mostly lost their traditional culture (most evidently language) and replaced by that of the dominant new culture.
+The result of a group-level cultural interaction can be seen in the example of “pidgin” language. “'''Pidgin'''” is a mixed language that has developed to help communication between members of different cultures in contact. This usually occurs in situations of trade or colonialism. ''Pidgin'' English, for example, is a simplified form of English. It blends English grammar with that of a native language. This was first used in Chinese ports and similar ''pidgins'' have developed in Papua New Guinea and West Africa.
-Such later detrimental case is related to [[assimilation (sociology)|assimilation]].
+In situations of continuous contact, cultures exchange and blended foods, recipes, music, dances, clothing, tools, and technologies.
-The term has most often described Westernization Natives having adopted to Western cultures.
+== Individual-Level Acculturation or Transculturation ==
-''pidgin'' is a mixed language that has developed to help communication between members of different cultures in contact. This usually occurs in situations of trade or colonialism. ''Pidgin'' English is a simplified form of English. It blends English grammar with that of a native language. This was first used in Chinese ports and similar ''pidgins'' have developed in Papua New Guinea and West Africa.
+'''Transculturation''', or an individual-level acculturation, is happening on a smaller scale, with a less visible impact. This most often occurs to first-generation immigrants, for whom transculturation is most difficult, due to the lack of precedents in the family. The speed of transculturation varies, depending on the recipient's interest and motivation. Inevitably, with each generation, the dominant culture becomes more and more the dominantly acculturated one for the immigrants' descendants.
-In situations of continuous contact, cultures have exchanged and blended foods, recipes, music, dances, clothing, tools, and technologies.
-== Transculturation ==
-''Main article: [[Transculturation]]''
-Transculturation, or individual foreign-origin acculturation, is on a smaller scale with less visible impact.
-This most often occurs to first-generation immigrants, for whom transculturation is most difficult, due to the lack of precedents in the family. The speed of transculturation varies, depending on the recipient's interest and the presence of a motivation.
-Another common, but less lasting, acculturation effects occur after a traveller spent a while in a foreign place. S/he may pick up some regional vocabulary, especially if the languages are in the same family.
-== Native-origin acculturation ==
-A child may learn one or more traditions(multicultural family of immigrants) from birth, usually from the [[family]] (blood or [[adopt]]ed), in particularly the [[parent]]s.
-Inevitably, with each generation, the dominant culture becomes more and more the dominantly accultured one for the immigrants' descendants.
-== History of Acculturation ==
-Early written codes of law, for example, the Old Testament law of Moses, or the Babylonian law of Hammurabi, acted to stabilize cultural practices and reduce acculturative changes.  Probably the first academic account of acculturation appears in Plato's Laws, written in the 4th century B.C.E., in which he argued that humans have a tendency to imitate strangers and a tendency to like to travel, both of which introduce new cultural practices. Plato argued that this should be minimized to the degree possible.
-J.W. Powell is credited with coining the word "acculturation," first using it in an 1880 report by the US Bureau of American Ethnography.  In 1883, Powell defined "acculturation" to be the psychological changes induced by cross-cultural imitation.
+Another common, but less lasting effect of individual-level acculturation occurs when a traveler spends some time in a foreign place, away from the own culture. For example, s/he may pick up some regional vocabulary (especially if the languages are in the same family of languages), or may habituate to some local traditions.