CHAPTER 4: FOLK AND POPULAR CULTURE

5. Popular and folk culture

III. Cultural Patters and Processes

Key Issue 1—Where Do Folk and Popular Cultures Originate and Diffuse?

B. Cultural differences

This chapter deals with the artificial artifacts of culture. It will focus on two basic categories, folk and popular culture, their origins, diffusion, and spatial distribution. Popular culture has a more widespread distribution than folk culture, and its globalization causes problems that are addressed here.

A. Concepts of culture1. Traits and complexes

Folk culture refers to the cultural practices and small, homogeneous groups living in traditional societies.

Folk cultures originate in multiple hearths because of their isolation.

Nonmaterial aspects of folk culture include songs, stories, and belief systems.

Distinctive architecture and other material artifacts such as tools, musical instruments, and clothing contribute to the uniqueness of folk cultures.

Popular culture, on the other hand, refers to the cultural practice of large, heterogeneous societies that share many habits and characteristics.

Folk cultures are usually isolated and rural, with subsistence economics.

The elements of popular culture look similar in different places, and result in a relatively uniform landscape.

Artifacts include music, food and entertainment, fashion, recreation, and various forms of art.

Popular culture is easily diffused around the world, largely through hierarchical diffusion.

2. Diffusion

The Amish culture in the United States is a good example of the diffusion of a folk culture.

The globalization of soccer is an example of the transformation and diffusion of an English folk culture to a popular culture.

Folk culture diffuses slowly, an a small scale, usually through relocation diffusion.

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.

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.

Amish Settlements in the U.S.

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

World Cup Fans

French, German, and Italian fans at 2006 World Cup (eventually won by Italy).

Key Issue 2—Why Is Folk Clustered

1. Values and preferences

5. Folk Culture

D. Cultural landscapes and cultural identity

2. Symbolic landscapes and sense of place

B. Cultural Differences

Folk cultures are practiced by many different groups living in relative isolation.

Thus their cultural identity landscapes will be very diverse.

They are especially susceptible to the various ways in which the physical environment can limit their activities and diffusion, because of their low level of technology.

For example, there are many different types of Himalayan art in a relatively small geographic area because of the harsh physical environment and limited interaction.

Cultural traits such as food, clothing, and housing are influenced by physical geography.

Folk cultural traits such as housing are especially responsive to the environment because of their low level of technology and utilization of available resources.

C. Environmental impact of cultural attitudes and practices

The resultant landscapes exemplify distinctive and unique senses of place.

Housing provides another good example of the diversity of folk culture that results from the interaction of cultural and physical geography.

The sum of the effects of the local environment on a specific food item is called a terroir.

It is commonly used to describe the way in which soil, climate, and other physical features influence the character of distinctive wines.

This is called a taboo.

Restrictions on certain behaviors, like the consumption of particular foods, can also be imposed by social customs.

Himalayan Folk Cultural Regions

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

Senegal Family Lunch

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.

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).

Kashgar House, western China

Kashgar houses have second floor open-air patios

Turpan House, western China

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

Yinchuan House, China

Yinchuan houses are built around large open courtyards which provide seclusion from ouside.

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.

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.

Key Issue 3—Why Is Popular Culture Widely Distributed?

For example, as a result of the diffusion of popular culture, there is less regional differences in housing, clothing, and food in more developed countries.

5. Popular Culture

2. DiffusionA. Concepts of culture

B. Cultural differences

Popular culture diffuses rapidly where high levels of technology allow people to acquire material possessions.

The increasingly global world allows for the rapid diffusion and acceptance of material and nonmaterial elements of popular culture.

Television has played a major role in the diffusion of popular culture, especially since World War Two.

However it may also lead to negative impacts such as sex crimes against women.

It is leading to the advancement of women through education and economic and social opportunities.

The traditional role of women in developing countries is changing as a result of the diffusion of popular culture.

4. Gender

Key Issue 4—Why Does Globalization of Popular Culture Cause Problems?

1. Values and preferences

D. Cultural landscapes and cultural identity

The diffusion of popular culture threatens the survival of folk culture.

The creation of uniform landscapes through the diffusion of popular culture can negatively impact the environment by depleting natural resources and polluting the landscape.

For example, the Western dominance of the television industry, especially the news media, threatens the independence of less developed countries.

C. Environmental impact of cultural attitudes and practices

Golf courses remake the environment as do some types of commercial agriculture, and demand for some products puts a strain on natural resources.

It is one example of cultural imperialism, which is where people may lose their folk culture because of the influence of material elements of popular culture from more developed countries.

Popular cultures such as fast-food generate more waste and thus lead to the pollution of the environment.

U.S. House Types, 1945-1990

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.

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.

Per Capita Consumption of Canadian Whiskey

Per Capita Consumption of Tequila

U.S. House Types by Region

Fig. 4-1.1: Small towns in different regions of the eastern U.S. have different combinations of five main house types.

Wine Production per year

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

Diffusion of TV1954 - 2003

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

TV Distribution, 1954

TV Distribution, 1970

TV Distribution, 2003

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.

Internet Users, 1995 per 1000 population

Internet Users, 2000 per 1000 population

Internet Users, 2004 per 1000 population

Internet shop, India

Internet Use by

Food Seller in China

GeishaKyoto, Japan

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.

McDonald’s in Beijing, China

Route 66, U.S.

Aboriginal Performance, Australia