AP® Human Geography review sheet from Aim for Five (aimforfive.com/geo/units/3/3-8)
Unit 3 · Topic 3.8
3.8 Effects of Diffusion
When cultures come into contact, they change each other. Acculturation, assimilation, syncretism and multiculturalism are four different outcomes, and the exam expects you to tell them apart.
Key terms
- acculturation
- assimilation
- syncretism
- multiculturalism
Acculturation
Acculturation is when a group adopts some traits of another culture, usually the majority culture, while keeping important parts of its own. An immigrant family might speak English at work and school, follow local sports and holidays, and still speak their home language, cook traditional food and practice their religion at home. It's a mix of adapting and keeping.
Assimilation
Assimilation is when a group takes on the majority culture so fully that its original culture largely disappears and it is no longer distinct. A common pattern for immigrants: the first generation keeps its language, the second is bilingual, and the third often speaks only the majority language.
Assimilation can be voluntary or forced. Starting in the late 1800s, the U.S. and Canada removed many Indigenous children to boarding and residential schools that banned their languages and religions, aiming to erase their cultures. Canada's last residential school closed in 1996. Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which reported in 2015, described the residential school system as cultural genocide. Many communities are now working to revive the languages and traditions these policies targeted.
Syncretism
Syncretism is the blending of traits from different cultures to create something new. Religion has many examples. Mexico's Día de los Muertos combines Indigenous traditions of honoring ancestors with the Catholic holidays of All Saints' and All Souls' Days. Haitian Vodou blends West African religious traditions with Catholicism, and Cuban Santería blends Yoruba traditions with Catholicism. Food and music are full of syncretism too, like Tex-Mex cuisine or Afro-Cuban jazz.
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is when many cultural groups live together in one society and keep their distinct identities, often with official support. Canada adopted multiculturalism as official policy in 1971 and passed the Canadian Multiculturalism Act in 1988. Cities like Toronto and London are often described as multicultural, with large communities from around the world keeping their languages, religions and festivals.
Supporters say multiculturalism respects identity and enriches society. Critics worry it can slow integration or weaken shared national identity. On the exam, describe the idea and its effects, not which view is right.
| Outcome | What happens to the original culture | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Acculturation | Mostly kept, with new traits added | Immigrants who are bilingual and keep home traditions |
| Assimilation | Largely lost | Third-generation descendants who speak only the majority language |
| Syncretism | Blended into something new | Día de los Muertos |
| Multiculturalism | Kept, side by side with others | Canada's official policy |
Worked examples
Try each one yourself first, then open the solution.
- Example 1
Distinguishing acculturation and assimilation
Maria's grandparents moved from Guatemala to the U.S. and spoke only Spanish. Her parents speak Spanish at home and English at work. Maria speaks only English and doesn't celebrate her grandparents' traditional holidays. Explain which process each generation shows.
Show the solutionHide the solution
- Step 1: Grandparents: they kept their original culture, so they show little change yet.
- Step 2: Parents: they adopted English and other U.S. traits while keeping Spanish and traditions at home, which is acculturation.
- Step 3: Maria: her family's original language and traditions have largely disappeared, which is assimilation.
- Step 4: Note the time pattern: assimilation often unfolds across generations.
Answer: Maria's parents show acculturation, adopting English while keeping Spanish and traditions. Maria shows assimilation, since the original language and customs have largely disappeared for her.
Common mistakes
- Using acculturation and assimilation as synonyms. In acculturation the original culture survives; in assimilation it fades away.
- Calling any mixture multiculturalism. Multiculturalism keeps cultures distinct side by side; syncretism blends them into something new.
- Describing forced assimilation casually. Use precise, respectful language about policies like residential schools.
On the exam
- Multiple-choice questions often describe a family or community and ask which effect of diffusion it shows.
- Have one specific example of syncretism, such as Día de los Muertos, ready for free response.
Connected topics
Videos
Check yourself
4 questions on 3.8 Effects of Diffusion. Pick an answer to see if you got it, and why.
"A great general has said that the only good Indian is a dead one, and that high sanction of his destruction has been an enormous factor in promoting Indian massacres. In a sense, I agree with the sentiment, but only in this: that all the Indian there is in the race should be dead. Kill the Indian in him, and save the man."
Pratt founded the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania in 1879. Native American children were sent there and to many other boarding schools far from their families, where they had to use English names, speak English and dress in European American styles.
Richard Henry Pratt, U.S. Army officer, speech, 1892; note on Carlisle written for this practice set
The policy Pratt describes is best classified as an attempt at
Which of the following was a long-term effect of the boarding school policy described in the passage?
Santería, practiced in Cuba and elsewhere, blends the beliefs of the Yoruba people of West Africa with elements of Roman Catholicism, such as linking Yoruba spirits with Catholic saints. This is an example of
A family that moved from Ghana to London learns English, follows British news and supports a local football club, but still cooks Ghanaian food at home and attends a church where services include Twi hymns. The family's experience best illustrates
0 of 4 answered