Name two types of barriers to cultural diffusion.

• A. Physical barriers and cultural barriers
• B. Economic barriers and political barriers
• C. Time-distance decay and globalization
• D. Urbanization and innovation

Answer: (A)

Barriers to diffusion are things that slow or prevent the spread of cultural traits from one place to another. The two most straightforward types are physical barriers and cultural barriers. Physical barriers—like mountains, seas, deserts, or vast distances—make travel, communication, and interaction harder, so ideas and practices diffuse more slowly or not at all. Cultural barriers arise from differences in language, religion, customs, and social norms; even when contact occurs, these differences can prevent adoption or cause ideas to be rejected.

Time-distance decay describes how diffusion becomes less likely as distance and time increase, and globalization tends to promote diffusion rather than block it, so they aren’t barriers. Urbanization and innovation describe processes that can spread traits rather than impede them.