Final answer:
Ethnic religions can diffuse through expansion diffusion, which includes contagious and hierarchical diffusion or through relocation diffusion, which involves the physical movement of people. Factors like political power, social networks, and migration patterns are instrumental in the diffusion of ethnic religions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Conditions for Diffusion of Ethnic Religions:
Ethnic religions diffuse under certain conditions that include both expansion diffusion and relocation diffusion. Expansion diffusion occurs in two ways: contagious diffusion and hierarchical diffusion. Contagious diffusion is when a religion starts at a point and spreads outwardly, much like the spread of a disease. Hierarchical diffusion happens when influential leaders in a society adopt a religion and it filters down through various levels of society. Relocation diffusion, on the other hand, involves the physical movement of people from one place to another. When group members who follow an ethnic religion migrate, they bring their religious beliefs and practices with them, establishing them in new locations.
For example, when Islam spread to Indonesia, it was through relocation diffusion as traders and settlers brought their faith with them. This same type of diffusion occurred again when Islam spread to the United States. On the other hand, hierarchical diffusion was evident when rulers or elite classes converted to a religion and decreed it as the official religion of their land, ultimately affecting the wider populace. Other factors that can contribute to the diffusion of ethnic religions include the clustering of ethnic groups, which allows for mutual support and easier preservation of traditions, and the forced conversion of ethnic groups during colonization.Overall, political power, economic and social networks, and the migration patterns of people are key factors in the diffusion of ethnic religions. Spatial diffusion and the acculturation process also play significant roles in the spread of these religions.