The process by which a person or group from one culture comes to adopt the practices and values of another culture, usually through prolonged contact.
From acculturate + '-ation' (suffix forming nouns of action). Coined in the early 20th century by American anthropologists to describe cultural change processes observed in indigenous populations.
Acculturation is different from assimilation—you can acculturate (learn new culture) without assimilating (giving up your original identity), which is why many communities maintain unique cultural identities even after centuries in a new place.
Acculturation research in 20th-century anthropology often embedded Western assimilationist assumptions, with male anthropologists documenting 'culture change' while overlooking women's roles as cultural transmitters and negotiators. Frameworks frequently centered male economic and political integration while rendering women's adaptive labor invisible.
When discussing cultural adaptation, acknowledge women's agency in negotiating and transmitting culture, not merely absorbing it. Use 'cultural exchange' or 'cultural negotiation' to avoid one-directional power assumptions.
["cultural exchange","cultural negotiation","cultural adaptation"]
Women anthropologists (Margaret Mead, Zora Neale Hurston) fundamentally reshaped acculturation studies by documenting women's active roles in cultural transmission and resistance, challenging early male-centered frameworks.
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