Cultural transformations in Algerian society A reading of the phenomenon of acculturation

Abstract

History provides many conditions for contact between different cultures, whether positive such as commerce and expeditions or negative as wars and invasions. The Algerian society as well as the other Arabic societies have since the early epochs witnessed several interculturalisms, that are still apparent within elements of heritage shared by the subsequent civilizations. The latter have been linguistic, religious, social, and cultural and have justified belonging to the East, not only geographically but culturally as well. So there are two cultural attitudes in contention: one that sees progress is conditioned by the development and maintaining of the Arab-Islamic Arabic identity ;and  the second sees that the way to reach progress is through the integration into the culture of the other. Both attitudes miss the mark of scientific objectivity in response to assimilation into the other: The solution we advocate is a revival of popular cultures and folklore, pride in one’s national identity and its diversity, and also an openness to world cultures, the aim being openness and specificity where the latter is manifest in practice and produces difference and change.