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Homophily, Cultural Drift, and the Co-Evolution of Cultural Groups

Author

Listed:
  • Damon Centola

    (Institute for Quantitative Social Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA)

  • Juan Carlos González-Avella

    (Institute for Cross-Disciplinary Studies and Complex Systems, Campus Universitat de les Illes Balears, Palma de Mallorca, Spain)

  • Víctor M. Eguíluz

    (Institute for Cross-Disciplinary Studies and Complex Systems, Campus Universitat de les Illes Balears, Palma de Mallorca, Spain)

  • Maxi San Miguel

    (Institute for Cross-Disciplinary Studies and Complex Systems, Campus Universitat de les Illes Balears, Palma de Mallorca, Spain)

Abstract

Studies of cultural differentiation have shown that social mechanisms that normally lead to cultural convergence—homophily and influence—can also explain how distinct cultural groups can form. However, this emergent cultural diversity has proven to be unstable in the face of cultural drift—small errors or innovations that allow cultures to change from within. The authors develop a model of cultural differentiation that combines the traditional mechanisms of homophily and influence with a third mechanism of network homophily, in which network structure co-evolves with cultural interaction. Results show that in certain regions of the parameter space, these co-evolutionary dynamics can lead to patterns of cultural diversity that are stable in the presence of cultural drift. The authors address the implications of these findings for understanding the stability of cultural diversity in the face of increasing technological trends toward globalization.

Suggested Citation

  • Damon Centola & Juan Carlos González-Avella & Víctor M. Eguíluz & Maxi San Miguel, 2007. "Homophily, Cultural Drift, and the Co-Evolution of Cultural Groups," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 51(6), pages 905-929, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:jocore:v:51:y:2007:i:6:p:905-929
    DOI: 10.1177/0022002707307632
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Durrett, Richard & Levin, Simon A., 2005. "Can stable social groups be maintained by homophilous imitation alone?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 57(3), pages 267-286, July.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Andrew Dickens, 2022. "Understanding Ethnolinguistic Differences: The Roles of Geography and Trade," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 132(643), pages 953-980.
    3. Andrew Buskell & Magnus Enquist & Fredrik Jansson, 2019. "A systems approach to cultural evolution," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 5(1), pages 1-15, December.
    4. Jungwon Yeo & Claire Connolly Knox & Kyujin Jung, 2018. "Unveiling cultures in emergency response communication networks on social media: following the 2016 Louisiana floods," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 52(2), pages 519-535, March.
    5. Giovanni Luca Ciampaglia, 2018. "Fighting fake news: a role for computational social science in the fight against digital misinformation," Journal of Computational Social Science, Springer, vol. 1(1), pages 147-153, January.

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