8/12/2017 Diffusionism and evolutionism theoretical perspectives

Ghost Writing Essays

Di usionism V Evolutionism
Compare any TWO of these theoretical perspectives: Evolutionism,
Diffusionism, Boasian anthropology, Functionalism and Structuralism. What
are their similarities and differences with respect to their explanations of
culture or society? In contrast to the predominantly gradual changes historical
societies experienced, the modern world is developing at a rapid rate. We are

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8/12/2017 Diffusionism and evolutionism theoretical perspectives

constantly adapting to quick and significant developments in the fields of

technology, science, politics and warfare.

In order to understand how the worlds cultures and societies are evolving with
these changes, Anthropologists continuously discuss and develop a number of
contrasting theories and ideas. Two important theoretical perspectives
anthropologists have established and debated are evolutionism and
diffusionism. INTENTION Dominant in 19th century anthropology,
evolutionism is a perspective which suggests that cultures develop in
complexity through time.

Diffusionism, on the other hand, suggests that cultures, their ideas, objects and
skills are transferred and spread from one area or society to another. Both are
concerned with societies and their cultures changing through time yet they each
provide contrasting ideas of how and why human development occurs. In this
essay, I will provide a brief summary of these two theoretical perspectives
before going on to compare their similarities and differences. Evolutionism, the
anthropological perspective we now know began to emerge around the 1860s.

Formerly a biological concept, the concept of evolution held that organisms,

animals and humans alike were intrinsically destined to increase in complexity
through time. In the middle of the 19th century, this belief grew to encompass
both social and cultural evolution likening itself to the anthropological
perspective we now speak of today. As defined by Alan Barnard, Evolutionism

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is an anthropological perspective which emphasises the growing complexity of

culture through time(Barnard, 2000/pg 8).

Some of the most influential thinkers concerned with evolutionism are Lewis
Henry Morgan, Vere Gordon Childe and Julian H. Steward. Each believed and
developed slightly different strands of evolutionism; unilinear evolutionism,
universal evolutionism and multilinear evolutionism. Unilinear evolutionism,
as its title suggests, states that all societies advance through the same states
experiencing equivalent events and changes in their development.

Universal evolutionism progressed on from unilinear evolutionism generalising

many previous unilinear points to more universal points. After problems in
unilinear evolutionism were brought forward and universal evolutionism
considered too vague, multilinear evolutionism came about adjusting the
unilinear belief that cultures and societies across the globe follow the same
pattern of events to the multilinear belief that societies do increase in
complexity through time but that they do so individually and distinct from one
another following different trajectories.

Diffusionism, the second theoretical perspective we will look at, assumes the
spread of cultural ideas, objects and skills between individuals, communities
and cultures either within a single culture or between two or more separate
cultures; It is a perspective which emphasises the transmission of ideas from
one place to another. (Barnard, 2000.

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8/12/2017 Diffusionism and evolutionism theoretical perspectives

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Pg8) Diffusionism first came into being in the eighteenth century after Sir
William Jones noticed similarities in a number of languages in use in different
parts of the world. Diffusionism is said to have properly entered anthropology
later in the 19th century with German-Austrian diffusionists such as Friedrich
Ratzel with his argument that whilst individual objects of culture diffused,
whole cultures were moved and expanded through migration.

Since then, diffusionism has been a major point of discussion in anthropology

and in the early 20th century became particularly apparent in British
anthropology. The primary and perhaps most obvious similarity between
Evolutionism and Diffusionism is in the explanations which they offer. While
both perspectives differ in their answers, their similarities exist in the question
they seek to answer.

They are based upon historical assumptions and are both to be considered
diachronic perspectives; Sometimes, the larger perspective which embraces
both evolutionism and diffusionism is called the diachronic one(indicating the
relation of things through time)(Barnard, 2000/pg 8) Unlike other theoretical
perspectives such as structuralism, relativism and functionalism which explain
cultures developments distinct from any scale of time, both evolutionism and
diffusionism seek to explain how cultures and societies progress through time.

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8/12/2017 Diffusionism and evolutionism theoretical perspectives

Evolutionists write of how societies become more complex within themselves.

Over time, societies alter themselves to adjust to their current surroundings and
adapt to enable their race to continue to thrive and exist in whatever situations
they are up against. Evolutionists believe it is over time and time alone that
societies realise the adaptions which need to be made and over time that
societies develop in complexity. Similarly, Diffusionists consider the spread of
cultural beliefs and objects between individuals as well as across cultures to be a
process which may only occur over time.

If two distinct cultures have been developing in different areas with no access to
one another it would, of course, take time for these cultures to grow and
diverse. Migrations would have to happen or cross cultural communications
would have to take place in order for cultural items to spread. In terms of
diffusion of cultures within a society, time would inevitably have to pass in
order for these cultures to spread and diverge with others. In both evolutionism
and diffusionism, it is necessary for time to pass.

In recent years, the sudden developments in technology make travel and

communication in the 21st century so much easier than in previous years.
Walking down any urban street in a British city we can see the foreign
influences in our restaurants and cafes. This is a relatively fast development but
nonetheless one which has occurred with the passing of time. Being diachronic
meant that evolutionists, in particular, unilinear evolutionists were concerned
with order. They continuously strived to discover a linear sequence of events.

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This was a restrictive way of looking at culture and society and veered it
vulnerable to subsequent counter arguments brought about by new, often
contrasting evidence. Also being diachronic in nature, diffusionists assumed a
certain pattern of events throughout time but, unlike evolutionism, they
accepted that simultaneous spread of cultures could happen in different parts of
the world but at different times. As cultures spread from one to another with no
order, Diffusionism was less restricted to a linear sequence of events.

So we have established the diachronic nature of both diffusionism and

evolutionism. We will now consider areas in which these theoretical
perspectives differ. Two contrasting assumptions were made by both
diffusionists and evolutionists alike. As stated by Alan Barnard,
Anthropologists may assume wither human inventiveness or human
uninventiveness(Barnard, 2000, pg 5). In terms of theoretical perspectives,
those assuming human inventiveness would be akin to evolutionists and the
latter to diffusionists.

Evolutionists, believing that societies increase in complexity independent from

one another, assume that human beings are continuously inventing ideas,
beliefs and objects. Unlike in diffusionism, where an item is invented, then
spread across cultures, evolutionism states that items are invented and

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8/12/2017 Diffusionism and evolutionism theoretical perspectives

reinvented in all different cultures and societies across the globe and
throughout history. Evolutionist thinkers believe that societies develop in such
similar ways that they each, independently from one another go through
parallel progressions.

Humans, in different cultures and areas invent these ideas and are capable of
doing so. In Diffusionism, on the other hand, cultural ideas and objects are said
to have been invented once only. Societies develop only through the spread of
these ideas and values. In conclusion, Diffusionism and evolutionism aim to
answer the same questions. How does society progress? Both perspectives take
different views on the development of cultures and societies though they both
explain how societies develop though a diachronic perspective.

They are both concerned with how societies progress through time and ages.
Evolutionism assumes humans are inventive. It assumes that societies discover
and create their own individual religions, tools, ideas and characteristics apart
from other societies. Diffusionism differs from this as it assumes we are
uninventive and all characteristics of cultures and societies are invented only
once, only to be spread and diffused through populations and time to create the
new cultures we see developing today.

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