Diffusionism

Diffusionism in the social sciences of anthropology and cultural geography is a theory about the spread of ideas, technologies, and practices from one culture to another. Human beings invent things or behaviors. It has been long noted that some cultures use similar tools, art techniques, or cultural practices. The question has naturally arisen whether these similarities are due to the spread (diffusion) of ideas, or whether they arose spontaneously as independent inventions in different locations. In diffusionism, features of one culture spread to another culture over geographic distances because of mutual contact. An example of cultural diffusionism is the use of the hammock. For centuries, European sailors slept on the decks, piles of ropes, or on whatever could be tolerated in the ships they sailed. ...