What is Acculturation?

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

Coined in 1880 by American geologist John Wesley Powel, sociologists understand acculturation as a two-way process and is most significantly used in relation to cultural exchange between a minority and majority group. 

e.g., A suitable example would be the integration of Black Americans within the white American society. Assimilation of many American Indian groups into the white culture of America in the nineteenth century. In India, it is seen in various architectural forms (Christian Churches in Kerala have marks of Hindu architectural styles), food items, sculptures, etc.

Acculturation has an impact on many aspects of life, including diet, fashion, art, architecture, work culture, and literature. The process can occur at the individual and group levels, as well as between groups that are not in society’s majority or minority.

What are the Outcomes of Acculturation?

Assimilation

It is the process by which groups adopt a new culture that almost completely replaces their original culture, leaving only traces behind.

It occurs when the importance of one’s culture is minimal and ‘fitting in’ is highly valued, deeming it necessary for survival in a new cultural space.

This is more likely to happen in societies that are “melting pots,” where new members are absorbed.

Separation

It refers to the process by which an individual or group comes into contact with a new cultural group but does not embrace aspects of the new culture in order to preserve their own unique identity without being “contaminated” by the values and norms of another culture.

Integration:

Individuals or groups who integrate adapt to a new culture while retaining their original culture. It occurs when cultural adoption is deemed important for the smooth operation of society. In a multicultural society with a high proportion of minority groups, such a strategy is used. Individuals or groups who employ this strategy can easily switch between the values and norms of the various cultures they have assimilated in order to interact with groups from both cultures.

Marginalization:

It happens when people/groups barely interact with a new cultural group. This strategy results in the person or group being isolated/ pushed to the margins of society and forgotten by the rest. Due to the barriers that are created between the two cultural groups in a society where cultural exclusion is practiced, it becomes almost impossible to interact and integrate with a different cultural group.

Transmutation:

It is the process of emphasizing both the preservation of one’s own culture and the adoption of aspects of a new culture. It differs from integration in that the cultures are blended together to form a new one (instead of integrating and switching between the codes and conducts of two different cultures). As a result, a unique synthesis of two cultures produces a new one that is accepted by both individuals/groups.

Acculturation is an unavoidable social process, as migration and interactions with people from other cultures have always been a part of civilization’s evolution. Acculturation enables us to learn and understand new aspects of different cultures while also appreciating their differences.

Resentment toward other cultures, as well as the belief that one’s own heritage is superior, can lead to the marginalization and separation of different cultures, ultimately disrupting a society’s functioning. A peaceful society requires a harmonious exchange of cultures among various groups.