| Key Idea |
Culture originated from one or few major centers and spread worldwide. |
Culture traits originated in multiple locations independently and spread through migration & diffusion. |
Culture spreads through contact & borrowing rather than migration. |
| Major Proponents |
G. Elliot Smith, W.J. Perry |
Friedrich Ratzel, Leo Frobenius, Fritz Graebner, Wilhelm Schmidt |
Franz Boas, Alfred Kroeber, Clark Wissler |
| View on Cultural Evolution |
Strongly opposed evolutionism; argued that cultural traits spread through diffusion. |
Rejected unilinear evolution and Tylor’s Psychic Unity of Mankind. Culture is shaped by diffusion & environment. |
Criticized the extreme diffusionist approach; focused on regional histories and fieldwork. |
| Methodology |
Studied material artifacts & archaeological remains to trace diffusion. |
Classified cultures into Culture Circles (Kulturkreis) and studied historical diffusion. |
Relied on fieldwork, linguistic studies, and cultural area mapping. |
| Cultural Transmission Mechanism |
Large-scale migration of people carried cultural traits. |
Cultural traits diffused through overlapping cultural circles rather than one single source. |
Traits spread via direct cultural contact (trade, war, intermarriage). |
| Famous Concepts |
Heliocentric Diffusion (Egypt as the sole origin of civilization). |
Culture Circles (Kulturkreis), Formendedanke (Criteria of Form), Criteria of Quantity. |
Culture Area Approach, Age-Area Hypothesis. |
| Examples Used |
Argued that pyramids, sun worship, and mummification originated in Egypt and spread globally. |
Compared bows, arrows, myths, and social structures to find cultural connections. |
Studied Native American cultures, showing cultural diffusion without migration. |
| Criticism |
Overemphasized Egyptian influence and ignored independent cultural development. |
Failed to explain why diffusion happens; relied on museum-based studies rather than fieldwork. |
Ignored cultural universals and focused too much on diffusion instead of innovation. |
