Migrationism is an approach to explaining changes in past societies based on the theory that movements of people from one region to another can account for changes in the culture of the second region. The word culture comes from the Latin root colere (to inhabit, to cultivate, or to honor). ...
It was a popular explanation for changes in artefact styles amongst processualistarchaeologists during the 1960s and 1970s when earlier invasionist approaches were being discredited. Invasion hypotheses became increasingly seen as being too difficult to apply generally as they suggested a permanently warlike prehistory, a view which archaeological finds were beginning to disprove. This article is about the archaeological concept of artifacts (or artefacts). ... Processual archaeology arguably had its genesis in 1958 with Willey and Phillips work, Method and Theory in American Archeology when the pair stated that American archeology is anthropology or it is nothing (Willey and Phillips, 1958:2). ... Archaeology or sometimes in American English archeology (from the Greek words αρχαίος = ancient and λόγος = word/speech) is the study of human cultures through the recovery, documentation and analysis of material remains, including architecture, artefacts, biofacts, human remains, and landscapes. ...
Migrationism was seen as a more reasonable explanation, involving long term, more gradual folk movements over distance. It is generally seen as being a slow process, involving family groups moving into new areas and settling amongst the native population. This would provide an opportunity for the transfer of ideas with the new arrivals interbreeding with the pre-existing inhabitants. Going further, the eventual growth or dominance of the immigrant population can explain evidence of social tension.
Other models of explaining social change revolve around 'packages' of ideas travelling over distances through social and economic links rather than people themselves moving. Any of the three explanations can be valid however, depending on the context.
Migrationism is an approach to explaining changes in past societies based on the theory that movements of people from one region to another can account for changes in the culture of the second region.
Migrationism was seen as a more reasonable explanation, involving long term, more gradual folk movements over distance.
It is generally seen as being a slow process, involving family groups moving into new areas and settling amongst the native population.
Invasion theory or Invasionism is a method of explaining changes in past societies that relies on the idea of external conquest to provide the catalyst for new ideas appearing in a culture, the arrival of novel artefact types or building styles appearing in the material record for example.
Invasionism was a popular approach to explaining social change amongst archaeologists until the 1960s when approaches that treated prehistory as being less bellicose were increasingly adopted, such as migrationism.
It is connected with early twentieth century ideas of diffusionism and hyper-diffusionism which often hinged on Biblical mass folk movements and successive waves of invaders providing infusions of new ideas in different regions.
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