Acculturation-The Hindu-24-08-2022

GS-1
SOCIETY
CONTEXT :
More will migration and interaction will lead to acculturation.

PRELIM:

(NOTE:-From a prelim point of view, you need to clear the concept of acculturation. but for mains it is important in the basis of this topic .)

What is Acculturation?

Acculturation is an inevitable social process, as migration and interactions with different cultures have always been part of the evolution of civilisation.


MAINS :
(NOTE: For Mains, it is important for GS-1 as well as essays.)

The concept of acculturation was coined in 1880 by American geologist John Wesley Powel in a
report for the U.S. Bureau of Ethnology.

“John Wesley Powel defined acculturation as the psychological changes induced in people due to cross-cultural imitation, resulting from the interaction with different cultures.”

Acculturation is defined as the process in which a person or group from one culture comes in contact with another culture, adopting the values and practices of the other while still retaining their own distinct identity.

According to sociologists understand acculturation is a two-way process, wherein the minority culture adopts aspects of the majority to fit in and the culture of the majority is also influenced by that of the minority. Acculturation affects various aspects of life, including dietary patterns, fashion, art, architecture, work culture, and literature. The process can occur at both individual and group levels, as well as between groups that may not be the majority or a minority in society.

What is the difference between acculturation, assimilation, and amalgamation?
Acculturation : The process of change in beliefs or traditional practices that occurs when the cultural system of one group displaces that of another.
E.g Japanese people dressing in Western clothing is an example of acculturation
Assimilation : The process through which individuals and groups of differing heritages acquire the basic habits, attitudes, and mode of life of an embracing culture.
E.g A woman from the United States or Western Europe who moves to or visits a country where it traditional for women to wear head coverings may adapt to that cultural norm for dress in setting where it would be expected or appropriate.
Amalgamation : The process of blending of cultures, rather than one group eliminating another (acculturation) or one group mixing itself into another (assimilation).
E.g The Urdu language, a blend of Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Hindi, is a beautiful example of the amalgamation and transmutation of cultures.