1. Plural of diffusionism; theories or doctrines that explain cultural, linguistic, or technological similarities among different societies as the result of diffusion (spread) from a common source rather than independent invention.
Usage: academic; anthropology; historical

Examples

• Early diffusionisms in anthropology attributed many cultural practices to migration and contact rather than parallel development.
• Scholars debated whether diffusionisms or independent invention better explained similar agricultural techniques across continents.
• The rise of diffusionisms challenged the notion that isolated societies developed identical technologies by chance.
• Modern anthropologists often reject strict diffusionisms in favor of more nuanced models of cultural change.