diffusionist
/dɪˈfjuʒənɪst/
noun
- A person who believes that cultural traits and technologies spread from one society to another, rather than being invented independently in each place.
- The debate between diffusionists and independent inventionists continues in archaeology.
- Many early anthropologists were diffusionists who traced the movement of ideas across continents.
- The diffusionist argued that agriculture spread from the Middle East to Europe.
adjective
- Relating to the theory that cultural elements spread from one society to another.
- Her diffusionist approach explains why similar myths appear in distant cultures.
- The textbook presents a diffusionist model of technological change.
- Diffusionist theories were popular in the early 20th century.