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CO-OPTATION - 2 reference results
  • A co-option or more often co-optation is an election where members of a committee (or similar group) vote in order to fill a vacancy on that committee or group. Where a small committee is originally elected using a method of proportional representation a co-option may be thought unsuitable as the newly elected member will not necessarily represent the interests of the group represented by the vacating member.
  • Cooptation may also refer to the tactic of neutralizing or winning over a minority by assimilating them into the established group or culture. (see Philip Selznick, "TVA and the Grassroots" (1949))
  • In evolutionary biology, co-optation or exaptation describes the adaptation of an existing biological feature for a new purpose.
  • In sociology, co-option refers to a trend or idea being incorporated into mainstream culture. See also: Cultural appropriation

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