Historical Causes of Diffusion
Introduced| English |
|---|
| colonialism/ˈkɒləʊnɪəlɪzəm/ |
| imperialism/ɪmˈpɪərɪəlɪzəm/ |
| Silk Road/sɪlk rəʊd/ |
How culture spread in the past
- For centuries, culture spread through empire, trade, and migration.
- Colonialism 殖民主义 is when a power controls a distant territory and settles it.
- Imperialism 帝国主义 is the broader policy of extending power over other lands.
A power controlling and settling a distant territory, spreading its language and religion, is...
Colonialism spread culture by conquest and settlement.
Select all historical causes of diffusion.
Colonialism, trade, and religion are historical; the internet is contemporary.
Empire carried culture
- Colonial powers spread their language, religion, and laws across the world.
- This is why, for example, Spanish and Portuguese dominate Latin America.
- Diffusion by empire was often forced, not chosen.
How did it spread historically?
Sort each example by its historical cause of diffusion.
Historical diffusion by empire was always a free, voluntary exchange of ideas.
It was often forced by conquest, suppressing local cultures.
Trade and religion
- Trade routes like the Silk Road 丝绸之路 carried goods and ideas.
- Merchants and missionaries spread religions along these routes.
- Historical diffusion built today's global patterns of language and faith.
The ancient trade route that carried goods and ideas between Asia and Europe was the ____ Road.
The Silk Road carried both goods and cultural ideas.
Match each cause to an example.
Colonialism = settlement; trade = routes; imperialism = extending power.
Historical diffusion was often not a free exchange. Colonialism spread language and religion by conquest and force, frequently suppressing local cultures. Acknowledge the power and coercion behind the map, not just the "spread of ideas".
Why do most people in Brazil speak Portuguese? Because Portugal colonised Brazil and imposed its language, religion, and laws. That single historical process of colonialism still shapes the cultural map of a whole continent today.
Historically, culture spread by colonialism (settling and controlling distant land), imperialism (extending power), trade (routes like the Silk Road), and religion. This spread was often forced, and it built today's global patterns of language and faith.