Independent University, Bangladesh

The School of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences

Department of Social Sciences and Humanities

National Culture and Heritage

Course ID : NCH 101

Course Instructor
Masood Imran
Professor
 Acculturation
◻ Acculturation is the process of social, psychological, and cultural
change that stems from blending between cultures. The effects of
acculturation can be seen at multiple levels in both the original (native)
and newly adopted (host) culture.
◻ Historically speaking, acculturation is a direct change of one's culture
through dominance over another's culture through either military or
political conquest.
◻ At this group level, acculturation often results in changes to culture,
customs, religious practices, diet, healthcare, and other social institutions.
Some of the most noticeable group level effects of acculturation often
include changes in food, clothing, and language.
◻ At the individual level, the process of acculturation refers to the
socialization process by which foreign-born individuals adopt the values,
customs, norms, attitudes, and behaviors of the dominant host culture. This
process has been linked to changes in daily behavior, as well as
numerous changes in psychological and physical well-being.
Acculturation….
 Acculturation Strategies

◻ There are large variations

to the way individuals cope
to acculturation. These
variations are deemed
acculturation strategies.
◻ According to Ferver et al.
(2002), assimilation,
separation, marginalization,
and integration are the four
acculturation strategies.
1. Assimilation
◻ Assimilation, briefly
defined, is a strategy in
which an individual places
devalues maintenance of
their original culture and
instead seeks interaction
with members of the host
society.
◻ When a person does not
wish to maintain his or her
cultural identity and take
up the cultural identity of
the dominant society
(Berry, 2006).
 2. Separation
◻ When an individual does not
become involved in the dominant
culture and instead focuses on his
or her own cultural heritage
(Berry, 2006).

◻ According to Sam (2000)

separation, briefly defined, is a
strategy in which an individual
places a higher value on
maintenance of his/her original
culture and seeks minimal contact
with other cultural groups,
particularly that of the host
society.
3. Marginalization
◻ Marginalization, briefly
defined, is a strategy
involves rejections of one’s
own original culture and
avoidance of interaction
with members of the host
society.
◻ When the individual has
little interest to keep his or
her own cultural heritage
as well as take up the
dominant cultural identity
(Berry, 2006).
4. Integration
◻ Integration, briefly
defined, entails a
positive attitude toward
maintenance of the
original culture and as
well as interaction with
members of the host
society (Sam, 2000).
◻ Immigrant’s preference
to maintain both ethnic
identity while interacting
with other groups (Berry,
2006).
Enculturation
Enculturation is the process by which people learn the dynamics of
their surrounding culture and acquire values and norms appropriate or
necessary in that culture and worldviews. As part of this process, the
influences that limit, direct, or shape the individual (whether
deliberately or not) include parents, other adults, and peers. If
successful, enculturation results in competence in the language, values,
and rituals of the culture.
◻ Conrad Phillip Kottak (in Window on Humanity) writes:

Enculturation is the process where the culture that is currently

established teaches an individual the accepted norms and values of
the culture or society where the individual lives. The individual can
become an accepted member and fulfill the needed functions and
roles of the group. Most importantly the individual knows and
establishes a context of boundaries and accepted behavior that
dictates what is acceptable and not acceptable within the framework
of that society. It teaches the individual their role within society as well
as what is accepted behavior within that society and lifestyle.
 Transculturation
◻ Transculturation is a term coined by
Cuban anthropologist Fernando
Ortiz in 1947 to describe the
phenomenon of merging and
converging cultures.
◻ Transculturation encompasses more
than transition from one culture to
another; it does not consist merely of
acquiring another culture
(acculturation) or of losing or
uprooting a previous culture
(deculturation). Rather, it merges these
concepts and additionally carries the
idea of the consequent creation of
new cultural phenomena
(neoculturation).
 Transculturation…
◻ The term encompasses the progression
from one culture to another, the
acquiring of another culture, as well as
the subsequent emergence of a new
cultural phenomenon. Transculturation
can result from colonialism, particularly
in the post-colonial period where the
indigenous people struggle to
re-acquire their sense of identity.
◻ A current example of transculturation in
modern day is the proliferation of
American cultural values to other areas
of the world in various aspects
including language, dress, and music.
The media has become the modern
agent of transculturation since it
transmits cultural information through
media such as movies and music.
 Culture Change
Culture change is a term used in public
policy making that emphasizes the
influence of cultural capital on
individual and community behavior. It
has been sometimes called repositioning
of culture, which means the
reconstruction of the cultural concept of
a society. It places stress on the social
and cultural capital determinants of
decision making and the manner in
which these interact with other factors
like the availability of information or
the financial incentives facing
individuals to drive behavior.
 Processes of Change
All Cultures are inherently predisposed to change and, at
the same time, to resist change. There are dynamic
processes operating that encourage the acceptance of
new ideas and things while there are others that
encourage changeless stability. It is likely that social and
psychological chaos would result if there were not the
conservative forces resisting change.
There are three general sources of influence or pressure
that are responsible for both change and resistance to it:
❑ Forces of work within a society
❑ Contact between societies
❑ Changes in the natural environment
Processes of Change…
 Processes of Change (within a society) …

◻ Within a society, processes leading to change include invention and

culture loss. Inventions may be either technological or ideological. The
latter includes such things as the invention of algebra and calculus or
the creation of a representative parliament as a replacement for rule
by royal decree. Technological inventions include new tools, energy
sources, and transportation methods as well as more frivolous and
ephemeral things such as style of dress and bodily adornment.
◻ Culture loss is an inevitable result of old cultural patterns being
replaced by new ones. For instance, not many Americans today know
how to care for a horse. A century ago, this was common knowledge,
except in a few large urban centers. Since then, vehicles with internal
combustion engines have replaced horses as our primary means of
transportation and horse care knowledge lost its importance. As a
result, children are rarely taught these skills. Instead, they are trained
in the use of the new technologies of automobiles, televisions, stereos,
cellular phones, computers, and iPods.
 Processes of Change (within a society) …

◻ Within a society, processes that result in the resistance to change include

habit and the integration of culture traits. Older people, in particular,
are often reticent to replace their comfortable, long familiar cultural
patterns. Habitual behavior provides emotional security in a threatening
world of change. Religion also often provides strong moral justification
and support for maintaining traditional ways. In the early 21st century,
this is especially true of nations mostly guided by Islamic Law, such as
Iran, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
◻ The fact that cultural institutions are integrated and often
interdependent is a major source of resistance to change. For instance,
in the second half of the20th century, rapidly changing roles
of North American and European women were resisted by many men
because it inevitably resulted in changes in their roles as well. Male and
female roles do not exist independent of each other. This sort of
integration of cultural traits inevitably slows down and modifies cultural
changes. Needless to say, it is a source of frustration for both those who
want to change and those who do not.
 Processes of Change (within a society) …

◻ There is one last process leading to change that occurs as an invention

within a society as a result of an idea that diffuses from another. This is
stimulus diffusion -a genuine invention that is sparked by an idea from
another culture. An example of this occurred about 1821 when a
Cherokee Indian named Sequoyah saw English writing which stimulated
him to create a unique writing system for his own people. Part of
hissyllable based system is illustrated below. Note that some letters are
similar to English while others are not.

◻ It is also likely that ancient Egyptians around 3050 B.C. invented their
hieroglyphic writing system after learning about the cuneiform writing
system invented by Sumerians in what is today Southern Iraq.
 Processes of Change (between societies) …

◻ Diffusion is the movement of things and ideas from one culture to

another. When diffusion occurs, the form of a trait may move from one
society to another but not its original cultural meaning. For instance,
when McDonald's first brought their American style hamburgers to
Moscow and Beijing, they were accepted as luxury foods for special
occasions because they were relatively expensive and exotic. In
America, of course, they have a very different meaning--they are
ordinary every day fast food items.
Direct diffusion, this occurs when societies come in direct contact with
one another.
Indirect diffusion, which occurs when the culture of one society is
transmitted to a second society, then through the second society to other
societies.
Forced diffusion occurs when one culture overpowers another culture
and forces its culture onto the conquered group.
Processes of Change (between societies) …

◻ Acculturation is what happens to an entire culture when alien

traits diffuse in on a large scale and substantially replace
traditional cultural patterns. After several centuries of
relentless pressure from European Americans to adopt their
ways, Native American cultures have been largely
acculturated. As a result, the vast majority of American
Indians now speak English instead of their ancestral
language, wear European style clothes, go to school to learn
about the world from a European perspective, and see
themselves as being a part of the broader American society.
As Native American societies continue to acculturate, most are
experiencing a corresponding loss of their traditional cultures
despite efforts of preservationists in their communities.
Processes of Change (between societies) …

◻ While acculturation is what happens to an entire culture

when alien traits overwhelm it, transculturation is what
happens to an individual when he or she moves to
another society and adopts its culture. Immigrants who
successfully learn the language and accept as their own
the cultural patterns of their adopted country have
transculturated. In contrast, people who live as socially
isolated expatriates in a foreign land for years without
desiring or expecting to become assimilated participants
in the host culture are not transculturating.
 Processes of Change (between societies) …

◻ There are processes operating in the contact between

cultures as well that result in resistance to change.
These are due to "us versus them" competitive feelings
and perceptions. Ethnocentrism also leads people to
reject alien ideas and things as being unnatural and
even immoral. These ingroup-outgroup dynamics
commonly result in resistance to acculturation and
assimilation.
Processes of Change (natural environment) …

◻ We now understand that this holistic approach to

understanding culture change must also include
consideration of changes in the environment in
which a society exists. For instance, environmental
degradation of fresh water supplies, arable land,
and energy sources historically have resulted in the
creation of new inventions, migrations, and even war
to acquire essential resources.
Cultural Shock
Culture Shock…
Culture shock is an experience a person may have when
one moves to a cultural environment which is different from
one's own; it is also the personal disorientation a person
may feel when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life due
to immigration or a visit to a new country, a move between
social environments, or simply transition to another type of
life. One of the most common causes of culture shock
involves individuals in a foreign environment. Culture shock
can be described as consisting of at least one of four
distinct phases: honeymoon, negotiation, adjustment, and
adaptation.
The 4 Stages of Culture Shock
[Link] Honeymoon Stage
The first stage of culture shock is often overwhelmingly positive during
which travelers become infatuated with the language, people and
food in their new surroundings. At this stage, the trip or move seems
like the greatest decision ever made, an exciting adventure to stay on
forever.
2. The Frustration Stage
Frustration may be the most difficult stage of culture shock and is
probably familiar to anyone who has lived abroad or who travels
frequently. At this stage, the fatigue of not understanding gestures,
signs and the language sets in and miscommunications may be
happening frequently. Small things — losing keys, missing the bus or
not being able easily order food in a restaurant — may trigger
frustration. And while frustration comes and goes, it’s a natural
reaction for people spending extended time in new countries.
The 4 Stages of Culture Shock
3. The Adjustment Stage
Frustrations are often subdued as travelers begin to feel more
familiar and comfortable with the cultures, people, food and
languages of new environments. Navigation becomes easier,
friends and communities of support are established and details
of local languages may become more recognizable during the
adjustment stage.
4. The Acceptance Stage
Generally — though sometimes weeks, months or years after
wrestling with the emotional stages outlined above — the final
stage of culture shock is acceptance. Acceptance doesn’t mean
that new cultures or environments are completely understood,
rather it signifies realization that complete understanding isn’t
necessary to function and thrive in the new surroundings. During
the acceptance stage, travelers have the familiarity and are
able to draw together the resources they need to feel at ease.
Cultural Lag
◻ The term cultural lag is used to describe the
situation in which technological advancements or
changes in society occur faster than the changes in
the rules and norms of the culture that go along
with those advancements or changes. This can lead
to moral and ethical dilemmas for individuals as the
new social norms are developed.
◻ Slowness in the rate of change of one part of a
culture in relation to another part, resulting in a
maladjustment within society, as from the failure of
the nonmaterial culture to keep abreast of
developments in the material culture.
Cultural Lag…
◻ Human behavior lagging behind technological
advances.
◻ Human lagging behind technological innovations.

◻ A group’s material culture usually changes first, with the

non-material culture lagging behind.
◻ Some cultural elements change more quickly than other;
might disrupt a cultural system.
Ex: - Medical procedures and Ethics;
-Mass production of automatic weapons;
-Cell phones streaming television;
-Artificial Reproductive Technology.
The End