Pages 112-125Introduction1. Terrorism – an attempt to end the onslaught of Western-dominated

popular culture.2. Culture = values, material artifacts, and political institutions.3. Habit – a repetitive act that an individual performs 4. Custom – repetitive act of a group and it becomes a characteristic of the

group.5. Folk culture – traditionally practiced by a small, homogenous group

living in isolated rural areas.6. Popular culture – large, heterogeneous societies that share certain habits

despite differences in other personal characteristics.7. Scale – Pop culture is much lager than folk culture.8. Geographers look at where folk/pop culture are located in space9. Connections – pop culture is spread through modern transportation,

communications, etc. – Globalization

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

Origins1. Folk – anonymous – anonymous hearths2. Popular – result of MDCs – technology allows mass,

uniform reproduction – CD’s, etc. 3. Folk Music – tells a story about daily life – 2697 BCE?4. Pop Music – written by individual to be sold to many –

1900’sa. Music Hall – UKb. Vaudeville – USc. Japan, Russia, Poland – write songs in Englishd. Hip Hop – folk or pop music?

Diffusion of Folk/Pop Cultures1. Local issues diffused rapidly through music and internal diffusion2. Folk Culture diffuses more slowly from location to another, mostly by migration3. Amish – 1600s in Switzerland; early 1700s moved to Pennsylvania a. Isolation helped retain traditional valuesb. Every son is given a farm when an adult – forced to move to KY – cheaper4. Sports – hierarchical diffusion – folk custom then migrated – soccer/football

a. 11th Century England – “Kick the Dane’s Head”b. Transfers from folk to pop culture in 1800sc. Clubs form in churches and provide leisure activity for workersd. 1863 – pro leagues – assoc becomes “soccer”e. Further diffusion through British Empire f. World Cup is most watched event in the world

5. Lacrosse- Iroquois Confederation of Six Nations – 1636?a. Bump hips to lacrosse – bishop’s crosier or staff

Key Issue 2: Why IS Folk Culture Clustered?Himalayan Art – Isolation Promotes Diversity1. Tibetan Buddhists – paint divine figures like monks or saints2. Hindus – create scenes of everyday life3. Muslims – paint regions plants and flowers4. Animists – paint designs and symbols from their religion5. Folk customs are influenced by religion and environment Physical Environment1. Customs like food, clothing and shelter are influenced by

climate2. Reliant on environment due to low level of

technology/agricultural3. Different folk societies prefer different foods and houses

Food1. People adapt their food preferences to the

environment2. Northern Europe – abundant wood – slow cooking

stew3. Asia – quick cooking of rice and bean sprouts result

from lack of fuel for cookinga. Food habits strongly influenced by traditionb. What is eaten establishes social, religious, and ethnic membership

4. Results in terroir – grounded or sense of place5. Food habits have become last vestige of folk

customs 

Food Attractions & Taboos1. People may desire or avoid certain foods based on beneficial or

harmful traitsa. Abipone Indians in Paraguay – eat jaguars to make them strong, brave, swift

2. Refusal to eat certain plants or animals – negative forces or tabooa. Japan – avoid otters because they are forgetfulb. Chad – avoid chicken or goat – help escape pain during childbirth

3. Hebrews cannot eat animals who don’t chew or have cloven feet or fish lacking fins or scalesa. Pigs are used for sedentary farming and not nomadic – Kosher Lawsb. Pigs will compete with humans for water, can’t work, provide milk or wool

4. Social values determine diet – different income + similar climate = different fooda. Americans avoid insects despite nutritional value

Houses

1. Influenced by environment and ethnicity.

2. In the US – pioneers took their house style w/ them to new location

a. Vary more in time than in place

3. Housing faces south to take advantage of the Sun’s heat

a. Smaller windows in hot climates

Pages 126-135Key Issue 3: Why Is Popular Culture Widely Distributed? 1. Diffuses rapidly across earth with a variety of physical

conditions2. High level of economic development needed to acquire

material possessionsHousing1. 1945-60: minimal traditional

a. One story, front gable, few decorative details2. 1950-60: ranch

a. One story, long side parallel, sprawl of urban areas3. 1950-70: split level

a. Attached garage, family room, kitchen in mid-level

Clothing1. Pop Culture reflects occupations rather than

particular environment2. 2nd influence is income 3. Improved communications – fashion tastes

change quickly4. Used to be a year to get new styles, now 6 weeks

and cheaper5. Jeans – Levi Strauss – image of youthful

independencea. Asians pay $100-$1000 for 501 button flyb. Button fly environmental in US?c. Sold on black market in Soviet Union

Food1. Pop culture typified by larger quantities of alcoholic

beverages and snack foods a. High income and national advertisingb. Southerners prefer pork rinds? Northerners prefer popcorn & chips?c. Texans prefer tortilla chips?

2. Wine – needs special soil, climate to grow grapesa. Moderately cold, rainy winters; long, hot summersb. Hillsides to maximize sunlight and drainagec. Taste determined by boron, manganese, or zinc in soil

3. Hindus and Muslims don’t drink alcohola. Diffusion determined more on customs and less on environment

Television & Internet 1. TV is the most important mechanism by which

popular culture is spread2. TV and Internet followed same pattern of

diffusion.3. US in 1954 – 86% of worlds TV’s4. By 1970 ½ of the world didn’t have any TV’s5. Internet diffusion in 5 years:

a. US 9% to 44%; world 40 million to 400 millionb. World usage doubles from 2000 to 2004c. US at 63% of total population today

6. TV diffusion 50 years, internet diffusion 10 years

Government Control1. Direct control typical of LDCs like China and India2. Govt. controls TV to block programs critical of policies

(censorship)a. Allows totalitarian government to control daily life

3. Now, w/ satellite disks, TV can be instruments of political change.a. China, Saudi Arabia ban dishesb. Dishes may have caused the collapse of communism – CNN, MTV

4. Now fax, portable video, cell phones, etc. are doing the same thing

Pages 135-141Key Issue 4: Why Does Globalization of Popular Culture

Cause Problems?

Loss of Traditional Values 1. Diffusion of pop culture may threaten the survival of

folk culture & environment2. Diffusion of pop culture from MDC’s to LDC’s spreads

Western ideals3. LDC’s adopt/imitate foreign symbols of success4. Clothing – traditional vs. Western suits – symbol of

authority and leadership.a. Muslims strongly oppose Western values – especially women’s rights.

Women1. Subservience of women to men is a folk

custom2. Taliban – women couldn’t attend school, work

outside the home, get health care, or drive a cara. Could leave home only if covered completely by clothing and escortedb. Beaten or shot if wearing nail polish, revealing her face, or walking alone

3. Increase in prostitution? Objects that money can buy

Media1. Some LDC’s feel pop culture of MDC’s is threat

to their independence2. LDC’s feel television spreads cultural

imperialism from MDC’s3. TV shows upward mobility, freedom for women,

youthfulness, violence, Porky Pig?4. Costs force dominance of Western news coverage

– AP and Reuters5. Otherwise, media is dominated by the

government6. LDC’s claim they don’t show progress – health

care, birth control, construction, etc.

Modifying Nature1. Pop culture – modify he environment for leisure or sale of products

a. Golf courses2. Pop culture wants a uniform landscape – “product recognition”

a. Fast food – low costs to attract children b. People who move or travel – easy recognition

3. Japan – diffused electronics and cars where they look like all other products

4. Creates large demand large supply of natural resourcesa. Extinction of mink, lynx, kangaroo, whale?b. Demand is smaller in folk culturesc. 22 lbs of grain to produce 2.2 lbs of beef

5. Solid waste – more cans, paper, plastic, etc.6. Only getting worse with the spread of pop culture