Internal cultural change refers to transformations that occur within a culture, driven by dynamics and forces originating from within the culture itself, rather than solely from external influences.
Cultures are dynamic entities, constantly undergoing shifts. According to the reference, cultures are internally affected by both forces encouraging change and forces resisting change. These internal forces are fundamental to understanding how a culture evolves from within.
Defining Internal Cultural Change
Internal cultural change is the process by which the values, beliefs, norms, practices, and social structures of a group or society evolve due to factors inherent to that group or society. Unlike cultural diffusion or acculturation, which involve external contact, internal change stems from internal pressures and developments.
Forces at Play
The reference highlights that the forces driving or inhibiting internal cultural change are related to social structures and natural events. These forces interact within the existing cultural framework.
- Forces Encouraging Change: These might include internal innovations, shifts in internal demographics (e.g., age distribution, migration within the group), emergence of new ideas or movements from within, internal conflicts, or adaptation to internal challenges.
- Forces Resisting Change: These often relate to the perpetuation of established traditions, power structures that benefit from the status quo, deeply ingrained customs, and collective memory.
These forces are involved in the perpetuation of cultural ideas and practices within current structures, which are themselves subject to change. This means that internal forces don't just alter practices; they also influence how existing practices are maintained, even as the underlying social structures that support them might be transforming.
How It Works
Internal cultural change is a complex interplay:
- Internal Dynamics: Changes in population, resource distribution, technology developed internally, or shifts in internal power structures create pressure.
- Idea Generation & Adoption: New ideas or practices emerge from within the group (e.g., a new artistic style, a different way of organizing a community event). Their adoption rate depends on internal factors like social networks and perceived benefits.
- Resistance & Adaptation: Existing norms and power structures may resist the new idea or practice. Change occurs through negotiation, conflict, or gradual adaptation.
- Structural Impact: Over time, accumulated changes in practices and norms can alter the social structures themselves (e.g., family organization, governance methods).
Examples of Internal Cultural Change
Understanding internal change often requires looking at long-term trends within a specific cultural group.
- Evolution of Language: The natural development of slang, regional dialects, or internal linguistic shifts within a language spoken by a closed community.
- Changing Social Norms: Shifts in attitudes towards marriage, child-rearing, or community roles driven by internal discussions, generational differences, or responses to internal economic changes.
- Innovation in Practices: Development of new farming techniques, architectural styles, or craft methods based purely on internal experimentation and needs.
- Religious or Philosophical Movements: The emergence of new interpretations or branches of existing belief systems from within a religious or philosophical tradition.
Contrast with External Change
It's crucial to distinguish internal change from external cultural change, which results from contact with other cultures (e.g., cultural diffusion, colonialism, globalization). While external influences are powerful, internal dynamics ensure that a culture is not merely a passive recipient of outside forces but actively shapes its own evolution based on its inherent characteristics and internal pressures.
| Aspect | Internal Cultural Change | External Cultural Change |
|---|---|---|
| Source | Forces originating from within the culture | Contact or influence from outside cultures |
| Drivers | Internal innovation, social dynamics, demographics, internal events | Diffusion, acculturation, conquest, globalization |
| Mechanism | Internal shifts in structures, ideas, practices | Adoption, adaptation, or imposition of external elements |
Internal cultural change is therefore a continuous process driven by the push and pull of forces inherent to a cultural system, constantly reshaping its ideas, practices, and structures from within.
