1. FOLK AND POPULAR CULTURE
CHAPTER 4
FOLK AND POPULAR CULTURE

2. WHAT IS CULTURE?
Describe, in as much detail as possible, a typical Friday (from the time you get out of bed until you go to bed)

3. CULTURE….
…The body of customary beliefs, social forms and material traits that together constitute a group of people’s distinct traditions (uggghhh)
basically it is the way of life of a group of people (their collection of customs)

4. CULTURE COMBINES…. VALUES MATERIAL*** POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS ARTIFACTS
visible objects a group possesses and leaves behind for the future
- survival and leisure activities????
POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS

5. TYPES OF MATERIAL CULTURE
FOLK
POPULAR
Found in small, homogenous, isolated groups
tends to be more isolated and rural
More likely to vary from place to place at a given time
Found in large, heterogeneous societies
Practiced by more people over a larger portion of the Earth’s surface
More likely to vary from time to time at a given place

6. Where do Folk and Popular Cultures Originate and Diffuse?
ISSUE #1
Where do Folk and Popular Cultures Originate and Diffuse?

7. Origins of Folk & Popular Cultures
Hearths of folk culture may be anonymous and multiple
ex. Folk music and agricultural connections in Vietnam
Hearths of popular culture tend to be located in MDCs
ex. Popular music and production for sale to mass audience (hip hop music, fast food/McDonalds)

8. Type 1
How would a folk song about agriculture in Southeast Asia spread/diffuse?
How would Justin Bieber’s music spread/diffuse?

9. Diffusion of Folk & Popular Cultures
Diffuses more slowly and on a smaller scale
Primarily through migration/relocation diffusion
Also through word of mouth (orally)
Ex - Amish
Diffuses faster and to more places
Pattern of hierarchical diffusion from node on down
Spreads through modern communications and transportation
EX – Organized Sports/Soccer

10. HOW DO YOU KNOW WHO/WHAT THIS IS?

11. HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS IS?

12. Amish Settlements in the U.S.
Fig. 4-3: Amish settlements are distributed through the northeast U.S.

13. LIST…
2 examples of folk culture
2 examples of popular culture

14. Tin Pan Alley & Popular Music
Fig. 4-1: Writers and publishers of popular music were clustered in Tin Pan Alley in New York in the early 20th c. The area later moved north from 28th St to Times Square.

15. A Mental Map of Hip Hop
Fig. 4-2: This mental map places major hip hop performers near other similar performers and in the portion of the country where they performed.

16. We destroy the sport with our boring style of play!!!
World Cup Fans
French, German, and Italian fans at 2006 World Cup (eventually won by Italy, which broke Mr. Oswald’s heart!).
We destroy the sport with our boring style of play!!!

17. Why is Folk Culture Clustered?
ISSUE #2
Why is Folk Culture Clustered?

18. ISOLATION PROMOTES CULTURAL DIVERSITY
Unique folk customs are a result of a group’s long-term isolation from other groups (even those close to them)
This is why folk customs are clustered vary from place to place at the same time
Read the Himalayan art section on your own

19. Himalayan Folk Cultural Regions
Fig. 4-4: Cultural geographers have identified four distinct culture regions based on predominant religions in the Himalaya Mountains.
- Shows how folk custom are influenced by both cultural institutions (religion) and by environmental processes (climate, landforms, vegetation…)

20. TYPE 1
List as many ways you can think of that the physical environment/climate affect culture. You can give specific examples if that helps.

21. INFLUENCE OF THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
Environment is one, not the only, factor that influences culture !!!!!!!
(cultural values also play a part)
Due to lack of technology, folk societies are even more influenced by the environment
Environment and cultural values have a strong impact on food and shelter in folk cultures
Environ-ment

22. DISTINCTIVE FOOD PREFERENCES
Folk food habits derive from the environment (why? – people eat mostly plants and animals)
People adapt their diets based on their environment
ex. abundant wood supply leads to slow stewing in NE)
- know terroir – pp

24. Traditional Vegetable Garden, Istanbul
Fig. 4-5: The bostan, or traditional vegetable garden, provides fresh vegetables in a large city such as Istanbul

25. Food habits are also affected by cultural traditions….
Different groups with different traditions will have unique diets that are not solely a result of the environment (soups in Transylvania, seating patterns at tables…)
Food attractions and taboos will also play a major role in diet
a kitchen is often a BIG clue to the family’s ethnicity

26. FOOD ATTRACTIONS and TABOOS
Some foods are eaten based on appearance or qualities (real or perceived)
Exs. Abipone Indians eat jaguars and bulls
Mandrake root in Mediterranean associated with sexual prowess
Some foods are avoided due to negative forces, characteristics, or associations
- Muslims don’t eat pork
- Hindus don’t eat cows
- Mbum Kpau women in Chad avoid goats and chicken before getting pregnant

27. WOULD YOU EAT THIS?

28. Hog Production & 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.

29. FOLK HOUSING Folk housing will display the following:
- distinctive building materials
- distinctive form and orientation
- influence of the environment

30. 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).

31. House Types in Western China
Fig. 4-8: Four communities in western China all have distinctive house types.

32. Kashgar House, western China
Kashgar houses have second floor open-air patios

33. Turpan House, western China
Turpan is located in a deep valley with little open land. Second stories are avoided because of strong winds

34. Dunhuang House, western China
Dunhuang houses have walled central courtyards, covered with an open air grape arbor.

35. Yinchuan House, China Liz Lewis: …from outsiders
Yinchuan houses are built around large open courtyards which provide seclusion from ousi

36. U.S. FOLK HOUSE FORMS
Older houses display local folk-culture traditions (why?)
Much more difficult to detect distinctions in modern homes (why?)
Kniffen’s nodes of U.S. folk homes:
New England
2. Middle Atlantic
3. Lower Chesapeake

37. U.S. FOLK HOUSE FORMS cont.
Know the different types for each:
4 types of NE home
“I” house in MA
1-story w/ chimney in LC

38. Diffusion of House Types in U.S.
Fig. 4-9: Distinct house types originated in three main source areas in the U.S. and then diffused into the interior as migrants moved west.

39. Diffusion of New England House Types
Fig. 4-10: Four main New England house types of the 18th & 19th centuries diffused westward as settlers migrated.

40. Why is Popular Culture Widely Distributed?
ISSUE #3
Why is Popular Culture Widely Distributed?

41. POP CULTURE IS WIDELY DISTRIBUTED BECAUSE…
It diffuses very quickly across Earth, unlike folk culture
- this diffusion relies on people having high economic development to acquire the material aspects of pop culture (what does this mean?)
- Remember: pop culture varies from time to time at the same place
‘50s
today

42. DIFFUSION OF POPULAR HOUSING, CLOTHING & FOOD
Differences in these categories vary much less now in MDCs than they used to (why?)
List 5-7 characteristics of a suburb (what do people wear, eat, types of buildings, types of activities, forms of transportation……)

43. POPULAR HOUSING STYLES
Newer homes reflect how customs vary more in time than place
Years right after WWII = modern style
Since 1960s = neo-eclectic
See “popular housing” graphic organizer and page 128

44. U.S. House Types,
Fig. 4-11: Several variations of the “modern style” were dominant from the 1940s into the 1970s. Since then, “neo-eclectic” styles have become the dominant type of house construction in the U.S.

45. Write the first thing that comes to mind in terms of clothing for a …..

46. CONSTRUCTION WORKER

47. LAWYER

48. MOVIE STAR

49. WAITER/WAITRESS

50. CLOTHING STYLES Rapid communication/technology spreads fashion
Clothing habits reflect:
Income
Social forms (job characteristics)
MDCs of NA/WE
Clothing usually reflects occupation rather than environment
Higher incomes greatly influence clothing and changing styles (especially for women – why?)
Rapid communication/technology spreads fashion
Ironically, has led to more awareness of folk clothing (can be used to preserve memories/promote tourism – p.128)

52. - Read section about Jeans (pp.128-129)

53. Is it the shoes?

54. POPULAR FOOD CUSTOMS
High consumption of alcohol and snack foods are indicative of popular food customs
Consumption does vary regionally within MDCs :
local production(ex. Whiskey consumption in the U.S.)
Cultural background (Mexican food in Texas)
Generally speaking, consumption of alcohol and snack foods depends on :
High income
National advertising
The environment can also play a role in the distribution of pop. Culture food customs (read section on wine – pp )

55. Alcohol Preferences in the U.S.
Fig. 4-12: Per capita consumption of Canadian whiskey (left) and tequila (right) show different source areas and histories of diffusion.

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

57. DIFFUSION OF POP CULTURE THROUGH…
internet
television

58. USING PP. 131 and 134…
Explain the trend of TV usage around the world from
Explain “ “ internet usage “ “ from
List 2 similarities between the evolution of TV and Internet usage around the globe
“ “ differences “ “
5. True/False: The diffusion of Internet service/usage is following a similar pattern to that of TV diffusion

59. TV Distribution, 1954

60. TV Distribution, 1970

61. TV Distribution, 2003

62. Diffusion of TV
Fig. 4-14: Television has diffused widely since the 1950s, but some areas still have low numbers of TVs per population.

63. Internet Users, 1995 per 1000 population

64. Internet Users, 2000 per 1000 population

65. Internet Users, 2004 per 1000 population

66. Distribution of Internet Users, 1995 - 2003
Fig. 4-15: Internet users per 1000 population. Diffusion of internet service is following the pattern of TV diffusion in the 20th century, but at a much faster rate.

67. Why Does Globalization of Popular Culture Cause Problems?
ISSUE #4
Why Does Globalization of Popular Culture Cause Problems?

68. TYPE 1
List as many reasons you can think of as to why the spread of popular culture causes problems

69. MAJOR PROBLEMS IT CAUSES…
THREAT TO FOLK CULTURE
NEGATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
POP CULTURE
FOLK CULTURE

70. THREAT TO FOLK CULTURE
When people turn away from folk culture in favor of pop. culture they may also turn away from their traditional values (= great tension)
May lead to dominance of Western culture (can lead to anger towards the West)
Wearing of Western style clothes as opposed to traditional local clothing can cause great rifts in a society (Muslim clothing v. “skimpy” clothing like bikinis)
-article about bikini in Dubai
Right to wear or disrespectful???????

71. THREAT TO FOLK CULTURE cont…
Diffusion of pop. Culture can have positive benefits for women in LDCs
ex. Women under the Taliban in Afghanistan
Can also have negative impact on them
- International prostitution

72. THREAT TO FOLK CULTURE cont…
Leaders of LDCs often fear the role of foreign media in their countries
Some see it as a threat to their independence
U.S., UK, and Japan dominate TV in LDCs (new form of imperialism???)
Programming may be adjusted to deal with these concerns
No Porky Pig in Muslim countries

73. Examples of media and spread of PC in China
Nobel Prize
Twitter
High School Students
China’s biggest search engine

74. THREAT TO FOLK CULTURE cont…
Diffusion of information on a global scale is dominated by U.S. and UK
News media in most LDCs is dominated by the gov’t (not the case in MDCs)
Many African and Asian nations criticize Western concept of freedom of the press as promoting Western values and have unbalanced reports
interception
Nobel prize
twitter

75. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Pop. Culture spreads with less consideration for environment than folk culture
Spatial organization of PC reflects distribution of social/economic features
Due to globalization, pop. Culture is increasingly uniform and creates more uniform landscapes

76. MODIFYING NATURE
Folk Culture springs from the environment, PC modifies it
Ex. Golf courses are aspects of PC that modify the environment

77. 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.

78. UNIFORM LANDSCAPES Spread of PC leads to uniform landscapes
Spatial expression of PC in one area will be very similar to another
Fast food restaurants
This spread of common landscapes has diffused from NA to rest of the world

79. McDonald’s in Beijing, China

80. NEGATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
DEPLETION OF NATURAL RESOURCES
POLLUTION
Demand for resources such as:
Petroleum
Animal skins
Animal meat
PC generates incredible amounts of waste that strain the environment:
Liquid
Gas
Solids (cans, bottles…)

81. Chapter 04: Review

82. 04.01 An act repeatedly performed by an individual is a(n)
1. Cultural characteristic
2. Habit
3. Custom
4. Trait
5. Annoyance

83. 04.01 An act repeatedly performed by an individual is a(n)
1. Cultural characteristic
2. Habit
3. Custom
4. Trait
5. Annoyance

84. 04.02 Popular culture is practiced
1. Only where folk culture is absent
2. By large heterogeneous groups
3. By individuals only
4. Only in the more developed countries
5. At specific places

85. 04.02 Popular culture is practiced
1. Only where folk culture is absent
2. By large heterogeneous groups
3. By individuals only
4. Only in the more developed countries
5. At specific places

86. 04.03 Folk culture is most likely to spread by
1. Hierarchical diffusion
2. Contagious diffusion
3. Stimulus diffusion
4. Copycat diffusion
5. Relocation diffusion

87. 04.03 Folk culture is most likely to spread by
1. Hierarchical diffusion
2. Contagious diffusion
3. Stimulus diffusion
4. Copycat diffusion
5. Relocation diffusion

88. 04.04 Modern communications methods have _________ of social customs.
1. Slowed the dissemination
2. Had little effect on the spread
3. Increased the global uniformity
4. Led to the fragmentation
5. None of these

89. 04.04 Modern communications methods have _________ of social customs.
1. Slowed the dissemination
2. Had little effect on the spread
3. Increased the global uniformity
4. Led to the fragmentation
5. None of these

90. 04.05 Folk songs 1. Focus on daily activities
2. Cannot become part of popular culture
3. Are inseparable from the acoustic guitar
4. Have so far been of little cultural significance in the United States
5. Are often difficult to interpret

91. 04.05 Folk songs 1. Focus on daily activities
2. Cannot become part of popular culture
3. Are inseparable from the acoustic guitar
4. Have so far been of little cultural significance in the United States
5. Are often difficult to interpret

92. 04.06 Hog production is lowest in
1. North Africa
2. Europe
3. South America
4. East Asia
5. North America

93. 04.06 Hog production is lowest in
1. North Africa
2. Europe
3. South America
4. East Asia
5. North America

95. 04.07 Wine production typically requires all of the following, except
1. Well-drained soils
2. Supportive customs
3. Proximity to water
4. Cool summers
5. Cool winters

96. 04.07 Wine production typically requires all of the following, except
1. Well-drained soils
2. Supportive customs
3. Proximity to water
4. Cool summers
5. Cool winters

98. 04.08 In America, tequila is consumed primarily in the
1. Northwest
2. Midwest
3. Southwest
4. Southeast
5. Northeast

99. 04.08 In America, tequila is consumed primarily in the
1. Northwest
2. Midwest
3. Southwest
4. Southeast
5. Northeast

101. 04.09 Internet use is least prevalent in
1. North America
2. Europe
3. Japan
4. Central Africa
5. Russia

102. 04.09 Internet use is least prevalent in
1. North America
2. Europe
3. Japan
4. Central Africa
5. Russia

104. 04.10 Similar restaurants, gas stations, and stores throughout the United States
1. Illustrate how popular culture can create a uniform landscape
2. Show how folk culture can diffuse
3. Are a prime example of globalization
4. Increase cultural awareness
5. None of these

105. 04.10 Similar restaurants, gas stations, and stores throughout the United States
1. Illustrate how popular culture can create a uniform landscape
2. Show how folk culture can diffuse
3. Are a prime example of globalization
4. Increase cultural awareness
5. None of these