Americans have become fond of Chinese food and the Japanese have made baseball a national pastime. What is another name for this cultural borrowing between distinctly different social groups?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Diffusion refers to the spread or borrowing of cultural elements from one society to another. In this case, we see examples of American culture borrowing from Chinese culture (food) and Japanese culture (baseball), which can be described as diffusion. Compartmentalization refers to the separation of something into distinct parts or categories and is not applicable in this context. Synthesis refers to the combination of different elements to create something new, which is not necessarily the case here. Discovery refers to finding or uncovering something previously unknown, which is not applicable in this context.

Americans Have Become Fond of Chinese Food and the Japanese