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The Transfer and Transformation of Ideas and Material Culture - Softcover

 
9781585440795: The Transfer and Transformation of Ideas and Material Culture
Softcover
ISBN 10: 1585440795 ISBN 13: 9781585440795
Publisher: Texas A & M University Press, 1988

Synopsis

In a process called diffusion, people of any one culture may copy from those of another rather than constantly "reinventing" ideas and technologies. They copy things as diverse as pots, plants, plans, books, and automobiles; the techniques for constructing or replicating such artifacts; institutions, whether ecclesiastical, managerial, ceremonial, military, or economic; and ideas or complexes of ideas, including religious beliefs and political ideologies. In the process they transform these things, sometimes beyond recognition. How important, then, are these diffusion processes in determining the overall shape of cultures? Under what conditions do they operate? When will they be resisted?

This volume offers exciting multidisciplinary perspectives on the questions of diffusionism and its critiques. Well-known scholars from the fields of geography, anthropology, and sociology consider the spread and modification of ideas and material culture over space and time.

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About the Author

Peter J. Hugill is associate professor of geography and D. Bruce Dickson is associate professor of anthropology at Texas A&M University.

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Publisher
Texas A & M University Press
Publication date
1988
Language
English
ISBN 10 
1585440795
ISBN 13 
9781585440795
Binding
Paperback
Number of pages
308
Editor
Hugill Peter J., Dickson D. Bruce