Table of Contents
Definition of Amalgamation
(noun) The act or process through which a dominant group combine with a subordinate group to form a new group.
Example of Amalgamation
- Mexico is the confluence of Native American and Spanish cultures.
Amalgamation Pronunciation
Syllabification: a·mal·ga·ma·tion
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /uh-malguh-mAY-shuhn/
- British English – /uh-malguh-mAY-shuhn/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /əˌmælgəˈmeɪʃən/
- British English – /əˌmælɡəˈmeɪʃən/
Usage Notes
- Plural: amalgamations
- Amalgamation creates a “melting pot” and is achieved partly through miscegenation, which is intermarriage between different ethnicities.
- The process of amalgamation often takes several generations.
- Also called hybridization.
Additional Information
Related Terms
- assimilation
- cultural contact
- culture
- enculturation
- expulsion
- genocide
- race
- segregation
- social acceptance
- socialization
Works Consulted
Griffiths, Heather, Nathan Keirns, Eric Strayer, Susan Cody-Rydzewski, Gail Scaramuzzo, Tommy Sadler, Sally Vyain, Jeff Bry, Faye Jones. 2016. Introduction to Sociology 2e. Houston, TX: OpenStax.
Hughes, Michael, and Carolyn J. Kroehler. 2011. Sociology: The Core. 10th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Merriam-Webster. (N.d.) Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/).
Oxford University Press. (N.d.) Oxford Dictionaries. (https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/).
Princeton University. 2010. WordNet. (https://wordnet.princeton.edu/).
Random House Webster’s College Dictionary. 1997. New York: Random House.
Schaefer, Richard. 2013. Sociology: A Brief Introduction. 10th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Scott, John, and Gordon Marshall. 2005. A Dictionary of Sociology. New York: Oxford University Press.
Turner, Bryan S., ed. 2006. The Cambridge Dictionary of Sociology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. (https://en.wikipedia.org/).
Cite the Definition of Amalgamation
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2015. “amalgamation.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved April 20, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/amalgamation/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
amalgamation. (2015). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/amalgamation/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2015. “amalgamation.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed April 20, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/amalgamation/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“amalgamation.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2015. Web. 20 Apr. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/amalgamation/>.