EN
The article aims to introduce and explore the concept of 'transculturation'. Unlike the affiliated concept of 'acculturation', capitalized widely in anthropology, sociology and other branches of social sciences, the concept of transculturation had until recently commanded little attention outside the limited area of Latin American studies. The concept, originally formulated in the 1940s by Cuban sociologist Fernando Ortiz, accentuates the mutual character of cultural interaction, the active participation of 'subordinate' groups in the process, as well as the unique character of the resulting cultural formation. That is, the processes of enforced cultural exchange (for example, through colonial expansion) are perceived as not only destructive, but also creative. While the concept of transculturation had commonly been applied within the frame of American or African history and anthropology, the present article proposes the advantages and possibilities of its use in the study of (Central) European millieu - be it in the study of German-Jewish-Czech interaction in the nineteenth century, or in the study of Protestant-Catholic cultural exchange after the year 1620.