Vol 11, No 1, 2012 pp. 89-102
UDC 316.732
A CRITICAL REVIEW OF THE RELEVANT INTERPRETATIONS OF THE PROCESS OF ACCULTURATION
Jelena Petković
University of Niš, Faculty of Philosophy, Serbia
E-mail: jelena.petkovic@filfak.ni.ac.rs
Acculturation, as a very complex cultural occurrence and one of the most significant dynamic processes in culture, attracts the attention of theoreticians and researchers of various gnoseological vocations. This has over time led to a significant increase in the number of studies, debates and much research devoted to the reflection on and definition of this phenomenon.
Considering the fact that there are no single determinants and widely accepted theoretical viewpoints, this paper contributes to a broader critical review of the theoretical understanding of the process of acculturation. At the beginning of this paper we would like to emphasize that the significance of cultural contacts and meeting points, and give the etymological determination of the concept of acculturation and indicate the numerous concepts which are compatible with it. The paper will pay special attention to the differences in understanding this process, which stem from various professional backgrounds (anthropological, sociological, cultural, historical, psychological) and various theoretical approaches (functionalism, culturalism, the theory of "cultural circles", cultural conflicts, the theory of globalization), where theoretic controversies are also included in understanding the process of acculturation, which have originated from the differences in the understanding of the basic conditions, causes and consequences of this process.
Key words: culture, acculturation, dynamic processes in culture.
KRITIČKI PREGLED ZNAČAJNIH TEORIJSKIH SHVATANJA PROCESA AKULTURACIJE
Akulturacija, kao vrlo složena kulturna pojava i jedan od najznačajnijih dinamičkih procesa u kulturi, privlači pažnju teoretičara i istraživača različitih gnoseoloških vokacija. To je vremenom uslovilo nagli porast broja studija, stručnih rasprava i istraživanja koja se bave promišljanjem i definisanjem ovog fenomena.
Budući da ne postoje jednoznačna određenja i usaglašena teorijska gledišta, ovaj rad pruža doprinos obuhvatnijem kritičkom prikazu teorijskih shvatanja procesa akulturacije. Na početku rada naglašava se značaj kulturnih kontakata i dodira, daje se etimološko određenje pojma akulturacija i ukazuje na brojne, njemu kompatibilne pojmove. U radu se naročito naglašavaju razlike u shvatanju ovog procesa, proizašle iz različitih profesionalnih orijentacija (antropološke, sociološke, kulturološke, istorijske, psihološke), različitih teorijskih pristupa (funkcionalizam, kulturalizam, teorija "kulturnih krugova", kulturnih konflikata, teorija globalizacije), pri čemu se razmatraju i teorijske kontroverze u shvatanju procesa akulturacije proizašle iz razlika u viđenju osnovnih uslova, uzroka i posledica ovog procesa.
Ključne reči: kultura, akulturacija, dinamički procesi u kulturi
