TRANSCULTURATION: CHARACTERISTICS, CAUSES, CONSEQUENCES, EXAMPLES - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The transculturación is the reception by a people or social group of cultural forms from other people, leading to the almost complete replacement of their own. In other words, transculturation is a gradual process in which one culture adopts the traits of another until it reaches acculturation.

Generally, transculturation usually occurs when a "more developed" culture exchanges its features with another "less developed" one, the latter being the one that absorbs or adopts foreign cultural elements. Many consider that transculturation occurs without conflict but it tends to generate social problems, especially in the host culture.

One of the generators of transculturation has been globalization. Source: pixabay.com

The first time the term transculturation was used was in 1940 -in the area of ​​anthropology- and it was devised by the writer and ethnologist Fernando Ortiz. This can be seen in the essay Cuban counterpoint of tobacco and sugar, in which the author carried out an analysis of the cultural changes that were taking place in Cuba.

The cultural changes caused by transculturation are usually linked to those that occurred in the history of humanity, since they pose how the episteme of a civilization functioned before and after receiving the change. For example, one of the most important cultural changes was the shift from agricultural to industrialized society.

For many experts, transculturation is not an easy process to explain or address, since those who participate in this process are complete societies that have their own worldview; This makes it a very complex event since it is a collective and not an individual phenomenon.

In fact, in some cases the transculturation process can become painful since it involves the loss of identity and submission to the other; It is a culture that imposes its traditions and customs on another, so that the latter ends up losing what characterized or distinguished it from the world.

Currently one of the main factors of transculturation is globalization because it has made possible the opening of borders within the framework of the free market between countries, which makes the more developed cultures expand rapidly. The consequence can be loss of values ​​and traditions that characterize each country.

characteristics

It involves two cultures

For transculturation to take place it is necessary for two different cultures to come into contact. Generally, the most advanced culture - in technological and political terms - is the one that prevails over the other; the latter acts as a receiving agent.

Two possible origins

Currently, transculturation takes place as a consequence of high waves of migration and the spread of globalization.

However, in the past, transculturation originated during periods of colonization, when the settlers imposed their traditions on the natives of the place.

Direct or indirect process

The phenomenon of transculturation can be direct or indirect. This is because the new culture could be adopted by the host community with consent or on a mandatory basis (ie, it was imposed).

Gradual phenomenon

The process of transculturation occurs gradually, which means that the changes appear gradually and may take a few years to establish.

In fact, when the degree of transculturation is low, the host culture can preserve some elements of its episteme, even if they are the main aspects.

On the other hand, in a high degree of transculturation the process is radical and the host culture ends up assimilating the identity of the external culture, causing its own to disappear.

Relationship of oppressors and oppressed

For many authors, transculturation represents a phenomenon in which the actants are the oppressed and the oppressors; that is, this process necessarily involves two figures and one is subjugated by the other.

This type of position is defended by Fernando Ortiz, who in his work Cuban Counterpoint of Tobacco and Sugar explains how indigenous and African cultures assimilated to the traditions of the whites on Cuban soil.

Likewise, in 1965 this vision was recovered by the Venezuelan writer Mariano Picón Salas, who approached it from a historicist perspective.

Later, in 1982, the Uruguayan writer Ángel Rama decided to return to the concept of transculturation in order to explain the incorporation by Latin American authors of indigenous, rural or popular elements in their literary works.

Rama concluded that writers on the continent mix these elements with Western artistic inclinations, such as the avant-garde of Europe. The author established that it was a cultural syncretism in which the transculturation had not been complete but partial.

Causes

Previously, transculturation occurred due to conquests and colonization. For example, during the rise of the Roman Empire, the barbarian peoples that were under the rule of the emperor ended up assimilating the Roman traditions and laws.

The same happened with the American countries, whose natives had to adapt to western customs. Currently, transculturation occurs due to other factors, among which we can especially highlight the following:

Globalization and the media

The globalization that develops through the free market between countries, together with the global connection through the media and social networks, are contributing notably to transculturation.

In our days it is almost impossible not to hear about the news, events and new trends that are developing in other nations.

This causes communities to increasingly want to be part of the new technological and traditional advances, leaving aside old traditions and customs that corresponded to their culture.

High levels of migration

One of the challenges facing governments around the world today corresponds to the strong waves of migration. These occur due to various factors, either due to the mismanagement of totalitarian governments, warlike environments or climatic difficulties.

Migration favors transculturation since the groups that emigrate must put aside their culture to assimilate to that of the foreign country to which they arrive.

In addition, people from the foreign country can also assimilate the customs of those who enter the country or community.

tourism

In some circumstances tourism contributes to transculturation, especially if it is a group of tourists who break into spaces where excursions are infrequent.

For example, some travelers have the habit of visiting remote populations of indigenous or African communities, which allows contact with two completely different cultures.

Likewise, this also occurs in highly touristy countries or regions since the flow of people is so massive that the natives of the place end up absorbing different cultures of different groups.

Consequences

Loss of identity

One of the most notable consequences of transculturation is the loss of identity because many peoples end up assimilating completely to the culture that was introduced into the community.

On many occasions, despite assimilating into the imposed culture, individuals do not feel completely part of the new culture, so in the end they do not belong to either the receiving group or the invasive group. This causes identity problems or conflicts.

An example of this can be seen in Puerto Rico, where most of the people have assimilated into American culture but do not feel entirely like North Americans.

Uprooting

Along with the loss of identity comes the feeling of uprooting. This means that people who have assimilated into another culture do not feel part of anything, which prevents them from cultivating patriotic and nationalistic sentiments.

Examples

Colonial period

One of the most notable examples of transculturation occurred during the period of the Spanish colonies in the Latin American territories.

In some countries, this process was so notorious that today there are few vestiges of native cultures; however, there are still some countries that managed to preserve certain indigenous traditions.

In countries like Colombia and Venezuela, transculturation was stronger due to the geographic location of these nations. Within this territory the Africans, the indigenous and the Spanish converged, which generated a cultural hybridization.

At present, indigenous communities in these countries are very scarce and almost no one speaks a language other than Spanish. The native traits that were managed to maintain are limited to some gastronomic customs and certain words.

Other Latin American countries such as Bolivia and Ecuador managed to preserve a little more the traditions of the indigenous population, so that today you can still find regions where some aborigines who maintain their dialects and customs are sheltered.

Asia and the West

Another example of transculturation can be seen in Asian countries, which through the free market opened their cultural and political borders to the West.

These countries with millenary traditions absorbed technological advances and became the competition of the Old Continent.

References

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4. SA (sf) Transculturation. Retrieved June 27, 2019 from Wikipedia: es.wikipedia.org
5. Sancler, V. (sf) Transculturation. Retrieved on June 27, 2019 from Euston: euston96.com