Diffusion
The movement of people, ideas, or things from one location outwards towards other locations
Independent Invention
A cultural innovation that is developed in two or more locations by individuals or groups working independently of each other
Relocation Diffusion
The spread of an innovation or other element of culture that occurs with the bodily relocation/migration of the individual or group responsible for the innovation
Expansion Diffusion
The spread of innovations within an area in a snowballing process so that the total number of knowers or users becomes greater and the area of the occurrences grows
Hierarchical Diffusion
A type of expansion diffusion in which innovations spread from one important person to another, or from one urban center to another, temporarily bypassing other persons or rural areas
Contagious Diffusion
A type of expansion diffusion in which cultural innovation spreads by person to person contact without regards to social status
Stimulus Diffusion
A type of expansion diffusion in which a specific trait fails to spread, but the underlying idea or concept is accepted
Time-Distance Decay
The decrease in acceptance of a cultural innovation with increasing time and distance from its origins
Absorbing Barriers
A barrier that completely halts diffusion of innovations and blocks the spread of cultural elements
Permeable Barriers
A barrier that permits some aspects of an innovation to diffuse through hit, but weakens and slows the continued spread
Circulation
A term that implies an ongoing set of movement of people, ideas, or things that have no particular center or periphery
Migration
A large scale movement of people between different regions of the world
Transnational Migrants
Groups of people who maintain ties to their homelands after they have migrated
Globalization
The binding together of all the lands and peoples of the world into an integrated system driven by capitalistic free markets, in which cultural diffusion is rapid, independent states are weakened, and cultural homogenization is encouraged
Human Development Index
Statistics that includes life expectancy, adult literacy, educational participation, and gross domestic product, to create a measure of development
Uneven Development
Inequitable distribution of resources, where some countries have higher HDIs than others
Mobility
The relative ability of people, ideas, or things to move freely through space