Any system of interpersonal and intercultural relationshipsposes topical questions for the researcher and stimulates the process ofidentifying relevant answers. Our attention is focused on the influenceof one culture on the other, i.e. on the phenomenon of acculturation. Thepurpose of the article is to provide a brief excursus into the history ofthe concept discussed.In general, acculturation (Latin acculturare from ad — towards, at,for and cultura — education, development, culture) presupposes the partialadoption of an alien culture by an individual, a group, or society.The concept applies primarily to knowledge, values, norms, skills, habits,techniques, beliefs, and language. Acculturation may lead either tothe enrichment or to the disappearance of a culture, i.e. to its assimilation. The term acculturation originated from British and American culturalanthropology. It was used to describe the effects of cultural interactionwith a new alien culture during the process of colonization in the late19th century (Powell, J. W. 1880, Boas, F. 1896, Thurnwald, R. 1932,Redfield, R. 1935, Herskovits, M. 1938, Linton, R. 1940).In the early 20th century, the term began to appear in American dictionariesand encyclopedias. The second half of the 1930s is characterizedby a heightened interest in the systematic study of acculturationprocesses, reflected in the works of many scientists, namely Herskovits,M., Redfield, R., and Linton, R. Memorandum for Acculturation (1936);Herskovits, M. Acculturation: The Study of Culture Contact (1938), Manand his Works: The Science of Cultural Anthropology (1948); Linton,R. Acculturation in Seven American Indian Tribes (1940), etc.Until the 1950s, the research in the field of acculturation was limitedto the studies of changes in cultural traditions under the influence ofWestern civilization. However, since the ’50s and ’60s, the research hassignificantly expanded its horizons. Franz Boas claimed that alien cultureinfluenced everyone’s development.In the context of globalization and mass migration, the scientific conceptof acculturation remains rather significant.

У статті вказано на важливу роль культури як у формуванні ідентичності кожної людини, так і в суспільстві загалом. Розглянуто значимість міжкультурних взаємозв’язків між домінантною культурою та культурою-реципієнтом у різні періоди суспільного розвитку. Здійснено короткий аналіз поняття акультурації в історичному аспекті та зазначено дослідників, чия наукова діяльність вплинула на формування сучасного погляду на акультурацію, її причин та наслідків.