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 - democracy, freedom of speech MATERIAL
ARTIFACTS
visible objects a group possesses and leaves behind for the future
POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS
- Supreme court, Congress

5. LIST EVERYTHING YOU CAN THINK OF THAT MAKES UP AMERICAN CULTURE

6. TYPES OF MATERIAL CULTURE
FOLK
POPULAR
Found in small, homogeneous, 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

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

8. 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)

9. Type 2
How would a folk song about agriculture in Southeast Asia spread/diffuse?
How would Justin Bieber’s music spread/diffuse?

10. 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

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

12. HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS IS?

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

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

15. 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.

16. A Mental Map of Hip Hop RUN DMC VIDEO
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.

17. We Italians 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 Italians destroy the sport with our boring style of play!!!

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

19. 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 and vary from place to place at the same time
Read the Himalayan art section on your own

20. 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…)

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

22. 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

23. 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 Northern Europe
- 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 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

26. WOULD YOU EAT THIS?

27. 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.

28. FOLK HOUSING Folk housing will display the following:
- distinctive building materials
- distinctive form and orientation (head and feet in Asia)
- influence of the environment (sloped roofs in cold, smaller windows in hot areas)

29. 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).

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

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

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

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

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

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

36. 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

37. 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 (location)
Higher incomes greatly influence clothing and changing styles (especially for women – why?)
Rapid communication/technology spreads fashion
Ironically, this has led to more awareness of folk clothing (can be used to preserve memories/promote tourism – p.128)

38. SOUTH AMERICAN PONCHO

39. NIGERIAN DASHIKI

40. ALEUT PARKA

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

43. 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 )

44. 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.

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

46. DIFFUSION OF POP CULTURE THROUGH…
internet
television

47. TV Distribution, 1954

48. TV Distribution, 1970

49. TV Distribution, 2003

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

51. Internet Users, 1995 per 1000 population

52. Internet Users, 2000 per 1000 population

53. Internet Users, 2004 per 1000 population

54. 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.

55. Chapter 04: Review

56. 04.01 An act repeatedly performed by an individual is a(n)
1. Cultural characteristic
2. Habit
3. Custom
4. Trait
5. Annoyance

57. 04.01 An act repeatedly performed by an individual is a(n)
1. Cultural characteristic
2. Habit
3. Custom
4. Trait
5. Annoyance

58. 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

59. 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

60. 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

61. 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

62. 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

63. 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

64. 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

65. 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

66. 04.06 Hog production is lowest in
1. North Africa
2. Europe
3. South America
4. East Asia
5. North America

67. 04.06 Hog production is lowest in
1. North Africa
2. Europe
3. South America
4. East Asia
5. North America

69. 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

70. 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

72. 04.08 In America, tequila is consumed primarily in the
1. Northwest
2. Midwest
3. Southwest
4. Southeast
5. Northeast

73. 04.08 In America, tequila is consumed primarily in the
1. Northwest
2. Midwest
3. Southwest
4. Southeast
5. Northeast

75. 04.09 Internet use is least prevalent in
1. North America
2. Europe
3. Japan
4. Central Africa
5. Russia

76. 04.09 Internet use is least prevalent in
1. North America
2. Europe
3. Japan
4. Central Africa
5. Russia