Diffusion Types Analysis - Essay Example

There are different types of diffusion which include; relocation, contagious, stimulus, and hierarchical.

            North Africa and Southwest Asia are considered as the great ancient civilizations in the world based on their basins and river valleys. This is a region with three major sources of religions as Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. In this realm, Islam is the most recent religion to arise. This religion has transformed, energized, and unified a vast region extending up to Europe. Boundaries in this realm comprise transition zones. This realm too has witnessed diffusion of political uprisings that was aimed at ousting autocratic regimes.  This realm is very diverse in terms of culture hearths where the region is the center of civilization, source of innovations, ideas, and ideologies that have changed other parts of the world. Culture in this region has diffused to a great extent and to other areas.

            Contagious diffusion is a more rapid and a widespread form of diffusion that spreads very fast through a population. It may start with one person or from one place to another. The spread of Islam in North Africa and Southwest Asia clearly demonstrates contagious diffusion as it only started in one village then spread to the other village and across other parts of the world. The former uprising in Libya, Tunisia, and Egypt also started with a few people in one region but spread throughout the country.

            Hierarchical diffusion can be referred to as the spread of an idea from one individual(s) or power or nodes of stamped authority to other places or persons. This diffusion may result in important identities in a society like elite persons or political leaders. This type of diffusion can be depicted from the spread of Islam after kings, chiefs, and other high profile officials were converted to Islamic. They then propagated the acquired faith downwards via their bureaucracies even to the far-flung subjects.

Islam majorly spread through the movement of people through crusades and as they were fleeing from the Jews during the holy war.