An anthropological or cultural theory proposing that cultural traits and ideas spread from one place to others through contact and exchange rather than developing independently.
From diffusion + -ism (suffix forming doctrines or schools of thought). This term emerged in early 20th-century anthropology as scholars debated how cultures change and interact.
Diffusionism was once a dominant theory in anthropology, but modern scholars recognize that cultures often independently invent similar solutions—agriculture, writing, pottery wheels—without needing contact.
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