Vocab Terms Acculturation Assimilation Commodification Cultural Appropriation Placelessness

Acculturation Process in which one culture substantially changes through interaction with another (one-way transfer) Examples? Immigrants/language

Assimilation The process through which people lose originally differentiating traits, such as dress, speech particularities or mannerisms, when they come into contact with another society or culture. Often used to describe immigrant adaptation to new places of residence. Examples? Native Americans

Cultural Appropriation The process by which other cultures adopt customs and knowledge and use them for their own benefit Concern of local cultures Examples?

Commodification The process through which something (a name, a good, an idea or even a person) that previously was not regarded as an object to be bought or sold becomes an object that can be bought, sold and traded in the world market Examples? Tourist buses “observing” Amish culture, trekking with “traditional” Nepalese guides on spiritual journeys through the Himalayas Often followed by questioning authenticity (reality vs. stereotype being presented)

Placelessness The loss of uniqueness of place in the cultural landscape so that one place looks like the next Examples? Strip malls