1. Why is Folk Culture Clustered?
Key Issue #2
Why is Folk Culture Clustered?

2. Why Is Folk Culture Clustered?
Isolation promotes cultural diversity
Examples:
Himalayan art
Beliefs and folk house forms
Sacred spaces
U.S. folk housing

3. Himalayan Folk Cultural Regions
Fig. 4-5: Cultural geographers have identified four distinct culture regions based on predominant religions in the Himalaya Mountains.

4. Why Is Folk Culture Clustered?
Influence of the physical environment
Folk culture = close connection to the environment
Most folk cultures are rural and agricultural
Clothing is often tied to environmental conditions
Example: Wooden clogs in the Netherlands
Folk cultures can ignore environmental conditions

5. Why Is Folk Culture Clustered?
Influence of the physical environment
Food preferences and the environment
Food preferences are adapted to the environment
Example: In Asia, rice is grown in milder, wetter environments whereas wheat is grown in colder, drier environments
Food taboos may be especially strong
People avoid certain foods because of negative associations with that food
Terroir = the sum effects of the local environment on a particular food item

6. Istanbul Vegetable Garden
Figure 4-6

7. Hog Production and Food Cultures
Fig. 4-6: Annual hog production is influenced by religious taboos against pork consumption in Islam and other religions. The highest production is in China, which is largely Buddhist.

8. Why Is Folk Culture Clustered?
Influence of the physical environment
Folk housing and the environment
Housing = a reflection of cultural heritage, current fashion, function, and the physical environment
Two most common building materials = wood and brick
Minor differences in the environment can produce very different house styles

10. Home Locations in Southeast Asia
Fig. 4-7: Houses and sleeping positions are oriented according to local customs among the Lao in northern Laos (left) and the Yuan and Shan in northern Thailand (right).

11. House Types in Four Western Chinese Communities
Figure 4-9

12. Why Is Folk Culture Clustered?
Influence of the physical environment
U.S. Folk House Forms
Fred Kniffen identified 3 major hearths of folk house forms in the U.S. that have influenced homes throughout the U.S.
New England
Middle Atlantic
Lower Chesapeake

13. Hearths of House Types

14. Diffusion of New England House Types
Fig. 4-10: Four main New England house types of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries diffused westward as settlers migrated.

15. Why Is Popular Culture Widely Distributed?
Key issue #3
Why Is Popular Culture Widely Distributed?

16. Why Is Popular Culture Widely Distributed?
Diffusion of popular housing, clothing, and food
Popular culture varies more in time than place
Food customs: consumption of large quantities of snack foods and alcohol
Clothing styles: reflect occupation rather than environment
Housing: reflects fashion trends since the 1940s in the United States

17. Consumption of Canadian Whiskey and Tequila
Figure 4-14

18. Wine Production per Year
Fig. 4-13: The distribution of wine production shows the joint impact of the physical environment and social customs.

19. U.S. House Types (1945–1990)
Figure 4-16

20. Why Is Popular Culture Widely Distributed?
Electronic diffusion of popular culture
Watching television
The most popular leisure activity in MDCs
Diffusion from the United States to the rest of the world = 50 years
The Internet
Diffusion from the United States to the rest of the world = 10 years

21. Diffusion of TV
Figure 4-18

22. Diffusion of Facebook
Figure 4-21

23. Distribution of Internet Hosts
Fig. 4-15: The U.S. had two-thirds of the world’s internet hosts in Diffusion of internet service is likely to follow the pattern of TV diffusion, but the rate of this diffusion may differ.

24. Why Does Globalization of Popular Culture Cause Problems?
Key issue #4
Why Does Globalization of Popular Culture Cause Problems?

25. Why Does Popular Culture Cause Problems?
Threats to folk culture
Loss of traditional values
Media imperialism
Satellites
Limit to government control of information

26. Why Does Popular Culture Cause Problems?
Environmental impact of popular culture
Modifying nature
Golf courses
Uniform landscapes
Negative impacts
Increased demand for natural resources
Pollution

27. Golf Courses in Metropolitan Areas
Fig. 4-16: The 50 best-served and worst-served metropolitan areas in terms of golf holes per capita, and areas that are above and below average.