Cultural Convergence and Divergence

Which of the following is the best example of cultural convergence?

• Different countries in Europe today have similar standards of living and systems of government.

• Some Turkish "guest workers" in Germany cannot read or write in German.

• People in the Sahel region of Africa are moving to nearby regions to escape dry conditions from drought.

• Some universities do not require students to study a foreign language.

Colombian Exchange: Which was a direct result of the initial contact between European cultures and Native American cultures in the 1490s?

• Most Spaniards migrated to the New World.

• Spanish settlers rejected Christianity for Native American religious beliefs.

• New diseases arrived in the Americas from which natives lacked immunity.

• Native Americans used Spanish settlers as a source of cheap labor.

Columbian Exchange: Which statement describes an impact of the Columbian Exchange?

• Cross-cultural contacts between South America and Europe declined.

• The transfer of new products and ideas encouraged economic growth.

• New diseases, brought to Europe from the Americas, led to massive deaths.

• Native Americans migrated to Europe to compete with European jobs.

Which example illustrates cultural convergence?

• People in many countries now enjoy eating American "fast food" and listening to American "pop" music.

• In 1991, the Soviet Union divided into separate countries.

• When the colony of India achieved independence in 1947, it formed the new countries of India and Pakistan.

• After World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union became rivals in the Cold War.

The tendency for culture groups to separate from others in order to protect or preserve their culture from influence or change

• Cultural Convergence

• Cultural Divergence

• Cultural Diffusion

• Cultural Interaction

The interaction of cultures as they come in contact with each other and accept aspects of culture from both groups; merging of cultural characteristics (sometimes with a loss of one culture's norms)

• Cultural Convergence

• Cultural Divergence

• Cultural Diffusion

• Cultural Interaction

Sunni and Shi’a Muslims

These groups disagree on religious issues which sometimes leads to religious violence

• Cultural Divergence

• Cultural Convergence

Voodoo is a religion in the Americas and the Caribbean thought to be a combination of various African, Catholic and Native American traditions.

• Cultural Divergence

• Cultural Convergence

There are distinct Muslim and Hindu areas in India.

• Cultural Divergence

• Cultural Convergence

Approximately 1.5 billion people speak the English language to some extent.

• Cultural Divergence

• Cultural Convergence