Culture has several definitions in the Merriam-Webster dictionary. One of these definitions is “the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group”. (1. Merriam-Webster, 2010, par # 5 b) Anthropologists seek to understand all facets of culture. They do this through the use of several theories. Two of these theories are cultural materialism and diffusionism.
Anthropologists use cultural materialism along with cultural evolution and cultural ecology to under the similarities and differences between various societies. Infrastructure, structure and superstructure are used to clarify changes that are made in a society. Infrastructure is thought of to have “technological, economic and reproductive (demographic) factors mold and influence the other two aspects of culture”. (2. Buzney, 2009, par # 1) Structure is made up of a family and friends system as well as a political economy. Superstructure is the ideology and symbolized parts of a society.
Through these structures anthropologists search to understand how each structure affects the other structures. The technology, economy and demographic factors of the infrastructure are thought to affect both the structure and superstructures. The system made up of relationships and political economy influence superstructure but has no real affect on the infrastructure. The ideas and symbolized parts of a society through superstructure affect both the infrastructure and the structure.
Diffusionism on the other hand is “the spread of cultural attributes from one culture to another through contact between different cultural groups”. (3. Encyclopedia.com, 2010, par # 1) The theory of diffusionism was popular in the early 20 th century by two groups of anthropologists. The two groups had different opinions. The German group led by Wilhelm Schmidt and Fritz Graebner believed that the traits spread out from a number of cultural centers. In the British group it is thought that the traits came from only one cultural center.
The British group’s theory is called heliocentric diffusion while the German theory is called cultural centers. These scholars studied both literate and non-literate societies. It is also considered that these traits were spread through migration, trade and war. There were other theories on the topic of diffusionism. The research Lewis Henry Morgan did showed that society changed through independent invention as well as diffusions.
Anthropologists use cultural materialism and diffusionism to explain facets of human existence. Cultural materialism provides how through three different structures affect everyone’s lives. Diffusionism sought to explain how similar traits can be found all over the planet. Both theories have helped change anthropology. They also have shaped the way anthropologists do their work in the 21 st century.
Resources http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culture
http://www.as.ua.edu/ant/cultures/cultures.php
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O88-diffusion.html