LOCAL CULTURE, POPULAR CULTURE, AND CULTURAL LANDSCAPES Chapter 4

Chapter 4 concepts and vocab Cultural Landscape. a geographic area the includes cultural resources and natural resources associated with the interactions between nature and human behavior. Sequent-Occupance. Notion that successful societies leave their cultural imprints on a place each contributing to the cumulative cultural landscape. Carl Sauer.

Cultural ecology the study of how humans adapt to social and environmental factors in order to survive and prosper. ... Inclusive democracy Green Efficiency Sustainable ???? Debate on circumstance. Liberal/ Conservative

Example: many people connect Adobe-style housing with the Southwest and the native American culture (pueblos) The home, while a symbol of the culture, is a prime example of cultural ecology. The people who built the homes did so with the purpose of surviving the hot, dry climate. The bricks use abundant dirt as the staple of building. India revere their cows. They believe eating such a sacred animal to the paramount of terrible deeds. For some people in other cultures it seems quirky and strange, but for the Indian population the cow is sacred. Cows in India provide milk, a precious entity; in order to preserve a cow and ensure the milk is always available one must keep the cows alive and well cared for Examples

What Are Local and Popular Cultures? Local culture: A group in a particular place that sees itself as a community, shares experiences, customs, and traits, and works to preserve those traits and customs to distinguish the group from others Popular culture: A large, heterogeneous population, typically urban, with rapidly changing culture

Local Cultures Acceptance vs. rejection of popular culture traits Impact on the landscape Nonmaterial culture: Beliefs, practices, aesthetics, values Material culture: Constructed items, frequently expressing nonmaterial culture Establishment of neighborhoods, construction of places of worship and community centers

Popular Cultures Practiced by large, heterogeneous group Rapid spread of new traits, often by hierarchical diffusion from a hearth, through transportation, communication, and marketing networks Interaction between local and popular cultures Patronage by local cultures of popular culture services Adoption by popular culture of local culture traits

How Are Local Cultures Sustained? Assimilation policies: To force people of indigenous cultures to adopt dominant cultures Preservation of customs: Practices that people routinely follow Preserving boundaries to keep other cultures out Avoiding cultural appropriation to keep control over their own culture Importance of place

Rural Local Cultures Isolation Common economic activity among members Anabaptists Mennonites Amish Hutterites Makah Indians, Neah Bay, Washington Little Sweden, U.S.A.—Lindsborg, Kansas

Urban Local Cultures Ethnic neighborhoods within cities Creates a space to practice customs Can cluster businesses, houses of worship, schools to support local culture Migration into ethnic neighborhoods can quickly change an ethnic neighborhood

Commodification Process of making something that was not previously bought and sold a commodity in the marketplace Material culture objects for sale to outsiders Tourist value of culture as a whole Question of authenticity of places Mystical images Creation of identity from cultural traits

Irish Pub Company Pubs Irish Pub Company and Guinness Brewing Company created 5 models of pubs and export them around the world.

How Is Popular Culture Diffused? Distance-decay: More interaction between closer places than between more distant places Time-space compression: Interaction dependent on connectedness among places

Hearths of Popular Culture Traits Typically begin with an idea or good and contagious diffusion Creation or manufacture of popular culture by Companies (for example, MTV) Individuals (for example, Dave Matthews)

Stemming the Tide of Popular Culture Rapid diffusion of popular culture from major hearths United States Europe Japan Resistance Government subsidies: Media in local languages Dominant cultures of wealthy countries: Fundamentalism Minorities in wealthy countries: Cultural preservation Political elites in poorer countries: Nationalist ideologies Social and ethnic minorities in poorer countries: Greater autonomy

How Can Local and Popular Cultures Be Seen in the Cultural Landscape? Visible human imprint on the land Placelessness: Similarity of places of popular cultures everywhere

Convergence of Cultural Landscapes Diffusion of skyscrapers as a mark of a city

Convergence of Cultural Landscapes The widespread distribution of businesses and products

Convergence of Cultural Landscapes Borrowing of idealized landscape images

Cultural Landscapes of Local Cultures Persistence of local cultural landscapes Presence along “back roads” of wealthy countries