The impact of diversity on institutional longevity

In contemporary societies, culturally diverse families and blending processes are expected outcomes when accommodating different cultural backgrounds. Manifestations of creolization processes are studied within the context of Thanksgiving celebrations, as the authors analyze how family diversity leads to blending processes that spur innovative outcomes and institutional change, and inevitably contribute to institutional longevity. Photographic and menu data, gathered from 76 Thanksgiving celebrations across three types of households, are supplemented with data from over 30 depth interviews. It is in this context of ritualized consumption that the authors examine what happens when resilient consistency meets increasing diversity and inevitable change. Findings indicate that family composition, shared conceptualizations and context matter and provide a different perspective on the links between diversity, tradition, creolization and institutional longevity.