1. Chapter 4: Folk and Popular Culture
The Cultural Landscape:
An Introduction to Human Geography

2. Culture Combination of 3 things: Values Material artifacts
Political institutions
This chapter: material artifacts

3. Material Culture 2 categories: Folk culture Popular culture
Small, isolated, homogeneous groups in rural areas
Popular culture
Large, heterogeneous groups of people with common habits regardless of different personal characteristics
Geographers: interested in 2 aspects of culture:
Where cultures are located in space
How cultures interact with the environment

4. Where Do Cultures Originate and Diffuse?
Origin of folk and popular cultures
Folk culture = hearth area; originators are usually unknown
Popular culture = hearth areas in MDCs
MDC populations have disposable income & leisure time

5. Where Do Cultures Originate and Diffuse?
Origin of folk & popular music
Folk music
Tells a story or recounts important life events or activities
Is personal in nature
Popular music
Written by individuals for the purpose of selling to a large audience
Highly technical

6. Where Do Cultures Originate and Diffuse?
Diffusion of folk & popular culture
Folk culture
Diffuses slowly, mostly through migration, on small scales
Amish culture
Popular culture
Diffuses rapidly, by hierarchical diffusion, & over large scales
Sports

7. Why Is Folk Culture Clustered?
Influence of physical environment
Close connection to environment
Most are rural & agricultural
May ignore environmental conditions

8. Why Is Folk Culture Clustered?
Influence of the physical environment
Food preferences are adapted to environment
Food taboos may be very strong
Terroir = sum effects of local environment on a food item

9. Swine Stock
Figure 4-8

10. Why Is Folk Culture Clustered?
Influence of physical environment
Folk housing & the environment
Reflects cultural heritage, current fashion, function, & physical environment
Most common building materials = wood & brick
Minor differences in environment can produce very different house styles

11. Why Is Folk Culture Clustered?
Isolation promotes cultural diversity
Himalayan art
Beliefs & folk house forms

12. Why Is Popular Culture Widely Distributed?
Diffusion of popular housing, clothing, & food
Popular culture varies more in time than place
Food customs: consumption of snack foods & alcohol
Clothing styles: reflect occupation, not environment
Housing: reflects U.S. fashion trends since 1940s

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

14. Why Is Popular Culture Widely Distributed?
Electronic diffusion of popular culture
Watching television
Most popular leisure activity in MDCs
Diffusion from U.S. to rest of the world in 50 years
The Internet
Diffusion from U.S. to rest of the world in 10 years

15. Diffusion of Facebook
Figure 4-21

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

17. 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

18. The End.