Acculturation

Stakes

Under the influence of the current culturalist, the culture (in particular during and at the beginning of the 20th century) was perceived like an entity quite distinct from the others, delimited well by “borders”. Consequently, any contact of a culture with another risk to deteriorate the purity of it. In this case, the process of acculturation is perceived like an attack with the authentic culture.

In fact, the cultures are built in contact with the others and tight, are not insulated by quite tight borders. There are thus no pure cultures and of other métissées. All are it more or less to differing degree.

Acculturation is thus a permanent, continuous and not occasional phenomenon. It is even a phenomenon universal and constitutive of the cultures.

The cultures depend on the social reports/ratios which the men between them maintain. However those are often power struggles. The various cultures thus will be the ones compared to the others in strong position or of weakness. But the strongest groups socially are not always able to be essential on the weakest groups. The cultures are thus whole in permanent construction, with phenomena of structuring, destructuration. There are not inevitably a donneuse culture and another usherette. Acculturation is never with one way.

In this context, how the migrant populations can be integrated? Can they keep their cultures of origin? In fact it is impossible, any transplanted culture cannot remain identical to itself. The immigrant populations invent new cultural models (like the Blacks in the United States). There are often initially mistrust or opposition vis-a-vis the culture of the host country, then adoption of elements of this culture or on the contrary sometimes rejection (one speaks then about against acculturation) to reaffirm certain features of the culture of origin. Often the process is complex, makes at the same time mixtures, reinterpretations assimilations etc… One speaks then about syncretism which is the interbreeding of cultural features.

Forms of acculturation

Roger Country house, French sociologist, distinguishes several types of acculturation:

a spontaneous acculturation when the cultures are in free contact,
an acculturation forced, organized, imposed by a group as at the time of colonization or slavery for example
an acculturation planned, controlled, with an aim of building in the long run a proletarian culture for example in the ex socialist countries or a national culture.

Gilles Léothaud distinguishes several forms from acculturation:

the acculturation, which includes the dynamic processes by which a company evolves/moves in contact with another, borrowing and adopting elements of its culture.
the enculturation, or the training by an individual of knowledge had by his own group. It appears in particular when a country teaches with all its inhabitants, including the ethnic minorities, the language and the majority culture. One thus includes/understands the double danger which watches for the musics of these minorities when the country itself is subjected to a process of acculturation!
the endoculturation which indicates the transmission of the knowledge to the young people by the old ones or the family. It is with this initial phase of the enculturation that is often created the first phases of fractures between generations. The tradition considered exceeded is opposed to the attraction for a dominant culture.
the transculturation takes place when changes occur under the effect of internal factors, without the notable influence of external contacts.
the deculturation is a loss of all the values of reference, without assimilation in against part of those of the others. It touches the most antiquated companies, most vulnerable, settings in brutal contact with the Occidental culture.
against-acculturation is the fact of more solid groups which in a more or less violent way, express a feeling of rejection, even of hostility towards the culture which seeks to dominate them. It appears sometimes by a fold on oneself.
the reculturation, finally, which is seen in companies already strongly acculturées, and which involves an opposite movement of return to the sources, search and rebuilding for a lost inheritance. The process led to results more or less " authentiques".

Confusions

Confusion between acculturation and assimilation: The latter constitutes only one extreme case of acculturation. The assimilation is the total disappearance of the culture of a group which assimilates and interiorizes the culture of the other group with which it is in contact.

Confusion between acculturation and ethnocide: The ethnocide is the systematic destruction of the culture of a group i.e. elimination by all the average ones not only of its lifestyles, but also of its ways of thinking. The ethnocide is thus a voluntary and programmed deculturation. Acculturation is as for it a authorized phenomenon. (Denys Cuche).

Examples

These processes are not specific to the ethnomusicology, certainly, but this one is a direct witness. Many current studies give an account of these changes induced by the presence increasingly marked of the Western influence throughout the world. Musicalement, the evolution is made in the direction of the occidentalization of language (harmonization, setting with the equal temperament, etc), not for one supposed " supériorité" of this Western language, but rather by the power of the media which convey it. These processes met by the researchers on their ground make them raise the question even direction of their work and return to the question of " the authenticité". (cf the chapter on " what remains T it to study, with collecter").

Vis-a-vis an obvious transformation of the repertories, the school of " the ethnomusicology d'urgence" recommended by Gilbert Rouget in France (in Le Monde of the Tuesday the 30th sept.1997) is opposed to the school " métissages".

The question of the contacts between ethnicities or various companies, of the interactions and the consequences of these exchanges is treated in many works of anthropology. The idea that the diversity and the cultural authenticity of an ethnicity would be the consequence of its insulation opposes to that which defends the natural existence of the exchanges; exchanges which would reinforce even the " culturation".

Fredrik Barth, Norwegian anthropologist (in " ethnics groups and bondaries" , Oslo), distinguishes 3 types of reactions on behalf of companies confronted with the domination of another:

the group tries to be incorporated in the model industrial and cultural, while trying to safeguard what can the being. It is the integration and often the disappearance of its cultural particularisms.
the group seeks to be integrated economically but seeks to preserve in an energetic way its cultural identity.
the group tries to accentuate its difference while developing, for better protecting itself, and takes part in exchanges.

Sources

Concept of culture in social sciences Denys Cuche (the Discovery, 1996,2001. ISBN 2-7071-3443-0)

Among the very many articles, one will be able to read that of Margaret J. Kartomi " the processes and results off musical culture: discussion off terminology and concepts" has; (in ethnomusicology, may 1981). Kartomi clearly analyzes the terms and the concepts.

It is important to supplement the traditional concept of acculturation by that of antagonistic acculturation highlighted by Georges Devereux. This concept was taken again besides in the historical socio plan by Jacques Demorgon which showed that it led to the concept more including and more operational of interculturation. One will be able to refer, in particular with the interculturation of the world (2000) and with the intercultural history of the companies . information world (2002). Or in Complexité of the cultures and the intercultural one. Against the thoughts (2004). Or finally with Critical of the intercultural one. The horizon of sociology (2005).

These four works published at Anthropos Economica, Paris.

See too

Culture
Intercultural Inculturation
intercultural Mediation
Multicultural
Transculturation

External bonds

Random links: