Migration, acculturation, and the maintenance of between-group cultural variation.

ABSTRACT: How do migration and acculturation (i.e. psychological or behavioral change resulting from migration) affect within- and between-group cultural variation? Here I address this question by drawing analogies between genetic and cultural evolution. Population genetic models show that migration rapidly breaks down between-group genetic structure. In cultural evolution, however, migrants or their descendants can acculturate to local behaviors via social learning processes such as conformity, potentially preventing migration from eliminating between-group cultural variation. An analysis of the empirical literature on migration suggests that acculturation is common, with second and subsequent migrant generations shifting, sometimes substantially, towards the cultural values of the adopted society.

SUBMITTER: Mesoudi A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6191118 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature