Concepts in Culture

Term Definition

Cultural accommodation Foreign cultures are accepted locally

Cultural pluralism Minority cultures coexist in the society but cultures do

not mix

Enculturation This is a process where the individual unconsciously

absorbs the culture since individuals are bombarded by
the culture all around them. Example: family, education,
religion, media and justice systems

Transculturation This was a term created by Cuban anthropologist

Fernando Ortiz in 1947 to describe the phenomemom of
merging and mixing cultures.

He was writing to describe what happened under

colonialism when the Spanish invaded Cuba and
exploited the Amerindians.

Transculturation is about one group acquiring the culture

of another group by having one group stripped of their
culture to forcefully adopt another. For example the
Amerindians and Africans were stripped to adopt a
European culture.

Deculturation This is where one group loses their culture after coming
into contact with another group. Deculturation is being
dehumanized by being stripped of their culture
Acculturation This is when the culture of a group is modified by
borrowing elements of another groups culture. In this
case, one groups culture is considered to be superior.
Example: Europeans and Africans

Interculturation Merging of cultures where each borrows from the other

Creolisation According to Edward Kamau Brathwaite, Creolisation is

a concept where a person is seasoned into a culture that
has undergone acculturation and interculturation to form
a creole culture. Example: creole food, religions,
language, festivals, people

Cultural erasure Culture is lost

Cultural retention Culture was never lost

Cultural renewal Traditional cultures being brought back

Ethnocentrism The belief that his culture is superior to the others.

Example: European on the plantations believed that their
culture was superior

Eurocentrism The belief that ones culture is superior to the others

Example: other persons believing that the European
culture was superior