The concept of Creolization is at the centre of this research programme. However, we recognize that there are a number of similar concepts that need discussion, comparison and evaluation, so we provide comments on Hybridity, Syncretism, Cultural Globalization, Mixed Race, Pluralism, Transnationalism, Cosmopolitanism and Multiculturalism below:

Creolization

This term describes the cross-fertilization which takes place between different cultures when they interact. The locals select particular elements from in-coming cultures, endow these with meanings different from those they possessed in the original culture and then creatively merge these with indigenous traditions to create totally new forms. The word is used in so many contexts that it is impossible to be comprehensive. For a brief discussion and some key quotations click on the link above.

Hybridity

This term, originally employed to name the cross-breeding of two different species, is used in contemporary cultural theory to define the process of resistance and contestation whereby mixed identities challenge and subvert the assimilative, essentialist dominant narrative. For a brief discussion and some key quotations click on the link above.

Syncretism

Invented by Plutarch in the first century AD, syncretism gained a negative connotation in the seventeen century when it was used to denote 'a jumble of theologies' (according to Charles Stewart). In colonial times many missionaries saw the selective appropriations of their doctrines by indigenous peoples in a similarly derogatory light. However, far-sighted early anthropologists were able to understand syncretism as a more complex form of cultural interaction and it is used more positively now. For a brief discussion and some key quotations click on the link above.

Cultural Globalization

The cultural aspects of globalization are currently at the centre of an intense debate. For some, increasing global connectivity and economic integration is leading toward a growing homogenization of culture, even a single or dominant world culture. Others stress the fact that globalization can also generate an opposite process of cultural heterogenization, particularism and cultural 'resistance'. For a brief discussion and some key quotations click on the link above.

Mixed Race

In social scientific terms the use of the expressions 'mixed heritage' or 'mixed identity' is generally preferred to the somewhat archaic notion of 'mixed race'. However, some social scientists and cultural studies theorists argue that because 'mixed race' (and similar terms in other languages) continue to have popular currency, that should be the starting point for a sociological analysis. In other languages, people of mixed heritage were/are referred to as 'métis' (French) , 'mestiço' (Portuguese), 'mestizo' (Spanish), 'kleurling' (Dutch/Afrikaans), etc.  For a brief discussion and some key quotations click on the link above.

Pluralism

For a brief discussion and some key quotations click on the link above.

Transnationalism

For a brief discussion and some key quotations click on the link above.

Cosmopolitanism

For a brief discussion and some key quotations click on the link above.

Multiculturalism

For a brief discussion and some key quotations click on the link above.