Cultures :: essays papers

CulturesCulture is something that is very stable but it is still something that is subject to switch over. There argon different causes to change including accidents or the unexpectedoutcome of events that are already in existence. Sometimes it is also the attempt to solve a perceived problem. convince can also be forced upon a group through intense contact between two societies. Adaption and progress are both consequences and non causes of change.The ultimate source of all change is mental institution. This is any new practice, tool, orprinciple that gains widespread acceptance within a group. A primary innovation is achange that involve the chance discovery of a new principle. A secondary innovationresults from the deliberate application of known principles. A neat example of primaryinnovation is the firing of clay which makes it permanently hard. Modeling the clay to be fired by known techniques into familiar objects. Primary mother other inventions and may prompt rapid cultural change.Diffusion is known as the borrowing of cultural elements from one society bymembers of another. Borrowing is so common that the North American anthropologistRalph Linton suggested that as much as 90% of a culture is accounted for by borrowing. The Pilgrims that settled in New Plymouth might arrest starved to death if it wasnt for the Indian Squanto which showed them how to grow crops. There is a creativeness behindthe borrowing, picking and choosing from multiple possibilities. Most of these choicesare made to be compatible with the already existing culture.Cultural loss has to do with the abandonment of some trait or practice with orwithout replacement. People think of change as an accumulation of innovations addingnew things to those that are already there. When reflected upon you come up with theconclusion that the existence of a new innovation leads to the loss of an older one. This in not only a feature of Western Civilization. In biblical times ch ariots and carts were in Widespread use but were replaced by camels because they worked better by the 6th century.Acculturation is the occurrence of two groups of different cultures coming intointensive firsthand contact with each other. An element of force is usually involved without delay or indirectly. There are other variables which include the degree of culturaldifference circumstances, intensity, frequency, and hostility of contact who is dominant and who is submissive and whether the nature of the flow is bilateral or nonreciprocal.