1. the theory that cultural traits, technologies, or ideas spread from one society to another through contact and exchange rather than developing independently
Usage: anthropology; academic
2. the historical approach emphasizing the spread and transmission of cultural elements across regions and time periods
Usage: history; academic

Examples

• Diffusionism explains how agricultural techniques spread from the Fertile Crescent to Europe and Asia.
• Early anthropologists used diffusionism to account for similarities in pottery styles across distant cultures.
• The debate between diffusionism and independent invention shaped twentieth-century anthropological theory.
• Scholars criticized diffusionism for underestimating the creativity and innovation of non-Western societies.
• Diffusionism suggests that the wheel's invention in one region led to its adoption worldwide through trade routes.
• Modern archaeology combines diffusionism with evidence of local adaptation and independent development.