Cultural divergence

Religion is a part of many people's lives. Religion can be very influential to a culture with the values and moral standards outlined in the belief system.

Sometimes religious beliefs can clash with popular culture, forcing the faithful members of certain cultures to practice cultural divergence. A good example of this is the Amish culture in the United States.

The Amish are a type of Christian religious group. Part of the belief of this culture is that they must reject modern conveniences and luxuries.

Amish Transportation

Image of a horse pulling a small carriage there is a couple seated inside and a child is standing.
Source: Lancaster County Amish 03, Wikimedia

The Amish are mostly farmers and woodworkers. The Amish have their own communities that are fairly separate from modern towns and cities. They grow and make just about everything they need for living themselves.

Amish Farming

Image of two horses pulling a plow with an Amish woman seated on top. The plow has 4 tires.
Source: Amish family, Lyndenville, New York, Wikimedia

You can see in this picture, the Amish have adopted some modern technology, like the tires on this farm machine.

Amish Girls in Traditional Dress

Image of two women, dressed in traditional Amish dresses, who are walking down a road. Women are walking away from the camera.
Source: Lancaster County Amish 02, Wikimedia

The Amish have their own schools and churches within their communities. Outsiders are not free to join, as they worry about the influence of modern society, which they see as sinful, on their community. The separation the Amish keep between themselves and other communities is an example of cultural divergence.

Activity: Use your knowledge of the Amish to test your understanding of cultural divergence based on religion.

Interactive exercise. Assistance may be required.

Cultural convergence

Popular culture is wide spread, global scale, and a mixture of many different cultures in one place.
One of the most important parts of culture is food! Food is also one of the first parts of culture to be shared and to spread. Food is a big part of holidays, traditions, religions, and everyday life for all cultures.

The United States has more cultures than any other nation on Earth! This nation of immigrants was built of cultures from all over converging here, and living together.

Example 1

Image of the front of a TACO Bell Restaurant.
Source: Tacobellsunnywale, Wikimedia

Mexican style food is popular all over the U.S.

What is actually popular is "Mexican-American" food.

It is based on Mexican food, but with some changes to appeal to more people's taste.

Taco Bell food is based on foods found in Mexican culture, but the menu items are modified to appeal to the tastes of more people in the United States. The change of Taco Bell's menu items is an example of cultural convergence.

Activity: Compare the pictures of the tacos below. Note the differences and similarities between them. Then answer the multiple choice questions to test your understanding of cultural convergence with food.

Taco Bell Tacos
Image of three Taco Bell tacos; the tacos are crispy tortillas, with ground beef, lettuce, and cheese and topped with a sauce. The tacos are laid on a taco wrapper.
Source: Taco Bell tacos, Wikimedia
Tacos Being Prepared by a vendor in Mexico
Image of a person assembling a taco made of flour tortillas, grilled meat, beans and onions.
Source: Taco de suadero, Wikimedia
Interactive exercise. Assistance may be required.

There are examples of American cultural convergence in other countries. McDonald's serves food that is considered American, but the menu changes in other countries to appeal to the tastes of each countries' cultures.

Example 2 – McDonald's Restaurant

To be successful in other cultures, McDonald's has adapted its menu to the types of foods and tastes of the people in the cultures they serve.

This photo shows a McDonald's location in Israel.
Image of a McDonald's restaurant
Source: McDonald's in Israel, Wikimedia
This photo shows the sign for a Kosher McDonald's.
Image of McDonald's sign for Kosher McDonald's in Israel.
Source: McKosher, Wikipedia

Examples of changes McDonald's adapting the menu items for local cultural tastes:

McDonald's in Japan
Image of a MEGA Teriyaki Burger
Source: McDonald's MEGA Teriyaki 2007, Wikimedia
This is the "MEGA Teriyaki" at McDonald's in Japan. It's basically a "Big Mac" but with teriyaki sauce instead of the 'secret sauce' used in the U.S.
McDonald's in China
Image of a boxed meal, a box of fries, and cup
Source: McDonald's Chinese New Year set meal, Wikimedia
This is a special meal offered at McDonald's in China to celebrate Chinese New Year. It includes a grilled chicken burger, curly fries, and a placemat with predictions for all 12 Chinese astrology animal signs.