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European colonies in the Americas and Asia

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Compare and contrast the legacies of cultural syncretism in Africa and the Americas with the resistance to cultural change Westerners encountered in China and India. What cultural factors caused the differences in outcomes? What legacies have the differences in types of encounters and degrees of cultural change left today? Had syncretism not occurred in the Americas, how might modern culture be different? If cultural syncretism had taken root during early encounters in China or India, how might they be different today?

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In essence cultural syncretism involves the combining of different cultures and ways of thinking, as well as making earnest efforts at the reconciliation of key differences between between the differing cultures involved in syncretism. The legacies of cultural syncretism in Africa and the Americas, are much different than what Westerners experienced with China and India. (James Wortham,PH.D)

There was an immense technological gap between the Africans and Western Europeans upon initial contact. This technological gap gave the Western Europeans a great military advantage over many of the Africans that they encountered. So in essence, military might was instrumental in the initial cultural syncretism between Africans and European explorers/conquerors, which made this syncretism between Africans and Europeans a bit one-sided. Due to the overwhelming superiority of European military might and technological advantages, they were able to impose European customs and culture onto the Africans much more than the Africans were able to influence Europeans to adapt their culture, customs, and belief systems. The European languages, religion, mores, and lifestyle, became a tremendous part of the African way of life, which resulted in the different European languages and religions that are practiced in different regions of Africa. Europeans who settled in Africa in lieu of returning home, began to incrementally adopt some of the African culture in order to assist them in surviving in a sometimes very harsh environment. In addition to military dominance and other factors, medicines, ...

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