Folk and Popular Culture

Chapter 4

Material Artifacts

• In Chapter 1, culture involved (1) values, (2) material artifacts, and (3) political institutions

• This chapter deals with the material artifacts—visible objects a group can possess and leave behind for the future

• Two facets of material cultures:• 1) Material culture deriving from the survival

activities of everyone’s daily life—food, clothing, and shelter

• 2) Culture involving leisure activities—the arts and recreation

Habit and Custom

Habit• A repetitive act that a

particular individual performs—a student uses certain highlighter colors for specific parts of notes• Does not imply the

act has been adopted by most of the society’s population

Custom• Custom – a repetitive act

of a group, performed to the extent that it becomes characteristic of the group—mums are worn for homecoming at high schools in Texas • Has been widely adopted

by a group of people • Custom denotes a

specific element of culture—Culture refers to a group’s entire collection of customs

Folk Culture and Popular Culture

Folk Culture• Traditionally

practiced primarily by small, homogeneous groups living in isolated rural areas

• Ex. Sarong in Malaysia; Sari in India

Sari

Folk Culture and Popular Culture

Popular Culture• Found in large,

heterogeneous societies that share certain habits despite differences in other personal characteristics

• The scale of territory covered by pop culture is typically much larger than that covered by folk culture

Social Media Sites

What Geographers Study

Spatial Distribution

• Study a particular social custom’s:• 1. Origin• 2. Diffusion• Integration w/ other

social characteristics

Relationship with the Environment

• Relation between the material culture and the physical environment

• Landscapes (built environments) constructed from cultures modifying the environment

Distribution

• Pop culture has a more widespread distribution than folk culture• Difference in interaction:

• Folk culture is in isolated locations; areas of close proximity but have little communication

• Pop culture is based on rapid simultaneous global connections through communication systems, transportation networks, and other modern technology

• Folk culture more likely to vary from place to place at a given time—pop culture more likely to vary from time to time at a given place

Globalization

• Pop culture is becoming more dominant, threatening the survival of unique folk cultures• Disappearing local folk customs reduces

local diversity• Quality of environment being

threatened by pop culture• Folk culture derived of local, natural

elements—sensitive to the protection and enhancement of the environment

Origin of Folk and Popular Culture

A Social custom originates at a hearth, a center of

innovation

Folk• Often have an

anonymous hearth, originate from anonymous sources, at unknown dates, through unidentified originators

• May also have multiple hearths, originating independently in isolated locations

Pop• Most often a product of

an MDC (W. Euro, N.A., and Japan)

• Often arise from a combo of advances in tech and increased leisure time

• Industrial tech allows for the mass, uniform reproduction of goods

Ex. Origin of Music

Folk Music• Tells a story or conveys info about daily

activities such as farming, life-cycles, or mysterious events such as storms or earthquakes

• Usually composed anonymously and transmitted orally• May be modified from one generation

to the next

• “ While seedlings for the summer crop are not old when they are three months of age, Seedlings for the winter crop are certainly not young when they are one-and-a-half months old”

* Chinese legend – music invented in 2697 BC when Emperor Huang Ti sent Ling Lun to cut bamboo poles that would produce a sound matching the call of the phoenix bird

Pop Music• Written by specific individuals for

the purpose for being sold to a LARGE # of people

• Pop music, as we know it, originated in 1900 to provide music for the variety shows (Music Hall; Vaudeville)• Tin Pan Alley in NY (named for

sound of pianos) sold printed music—disappeared when recorded music became more important

• Diffused worldwide during WWII• Armed Forces Radio Network• Pop musicians worldwide perform

songs in English* Let’s discuss Hip-Hop

Diffusion of Folk and Pop Culture

Folk• Transmitted from one

location to another slowly; on a small scale

• Primarily spread through migration (relocation diffusion)

Pop• Primarily spread quickly

through the use of modern communications and transportation

• Typically follows process of hierarchical diffusion—from hearths or nodes of innovation• Hollywood—film

industry• 5th Avenue—

advertising

Ex. Folk—The Amish

• Culture Generally:• Shun mechanical and electronic devices• Travel by horse and buggy; use hand tools• Distinct clothing, farming, religious

practices…• Mennonite Church

• Origin:• Swiss Mennonite Bishop—Jakob Ammann• 1600—Bern, Switzerland; Alace,France;

and Palatinate region of Germany

Amish

• Diffusion:• Migrated to other portions of NW Euro in 1700s• Came to N.A. in two waves

• 1) Settled in Pennsylvania in 1700s due to low land prices

• 2) Settled in Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa; Ontario, Canada due to low land prices in 1800s

• Maintaining Distinct Culture:• Communities are relatively isolated in rural areas• Current interregional migration due mainly to land

prices and urban sprawl • Lancaster County, PA—Many Amish are moving

away from the oldest community to obtain more land in Kentucky and escape tourists

Ex. Pop—Soccer

• Origin:• Folk—obscure

• Earliest documented contest in England in 11th century• After Danish invasion of England—workers encountered

Danish soldier’s head and started kicking it around (“Kick the Dane’s Head”)

• Eventually an inflated cow bladder replaced the human head

• Originally, large groups from villages tried to push the “ball” into the center of a rival village

• 12th Century—”Football” was confined to smaller areas with standardized rules

• King Henry II banned the game in the late 12th century—disrupted village life

• King James I legalized it in 1603• Distinctive English folk culture up to this point

Soccer• Transition to Pop Culture:

• 1800s—Football and recreation clubs founded in Britain—leisure time for factory workers (Sports taught in schools)

• People had more time to participate and observe• With higher incomes, spectators began to pay $ to attend

first-class matches• Football clubs began to hire professional players• 1863—Several clubs formed an association to standardize

rules and organize professional leagues (*This marks the transition)

• “Soccer”—Supporters formed the “Football Association”• “Association” was shortened to “assoc” Twisted to

“soccer”• Rugby originated in 1823 in Rugby, England when a school

football player picked up the ball and ran with it

Soccer

• Diffusion:• Late 1800s—British exported

association football around the world (Continental Europe Other countries)

• 1870s—Dutch students whom had been in Britain began to play

• 1893—English engineers working in Bilboa, Spain

• The British Empire• Today, new communication systems