Chapter 4

Folk and Popular Culture

Terms

Habit – a repetitive act of an individual.

Custom – a repetitive act of a group.

Folk Culture – traditionally practiced by a small

homogeneous groups living in isolated rural areas.

Popular Culture – found in large heterogeneous societies,

that share things despite differences in personal

characteristics.

Key Issue #1

Where do Folk and Popular Cultures Originate and Diffuse?

Origins and Diffusion of Folk &

Popular Cultures

Origin of folk and popular cultures

Origin of folk music

Origin of popular music

Diffusion of folk and popular cultures

The Amish: Relocation diffusion of folk culture

Sports: Hierarchical diffusion of popular culture

Music

Folk songs tell a story, many times while people are working.

Popular music is created by specific individuals in order to

make money.

Folk music can become popular music.

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.

Diffusion of Cultures

Folk Culture is diffused primarily through migration. The

diffusion is small and slow.

Popular Culture is transmitted by the media (TV, Radio,

Internet).

Amish Culture example in book.

Amish Settlements in the U.S.

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

Soccer

Origins of soccer unknown, myth has it begun by soldiers

kicking the head of a dead soldier.

Globalized through European Colonization.

All countries have their own favorite sport.

Cricket – British dominated countries

Ice Hockey – Canada, Russia

Football - US

Lacrosse - Canada

World Cup

Fans

French, German, and Italian

fans at 2006 World Cup

(eventually won by Italy).

Key Issue #2

Why is folk culture clustered?

Clustering of Folk Cultures

Isolation promotes cultural diversity

Himalayan Art

Influence of the physical environment

Distinctive food preferences

Folk housing

U.S. folk house forms

Isolation Promotes Cultural Diversity

The more you are isolated, the more unique your culture is.

This makes sense when you think about how culture diffuses.

Himalayan Folk Cultural Regions

Fig. 4-4: Cultural geographers have identified four distinct culture regions based on

predominant religions in the Himalaya Mountains.

Influences of Physical Environment

The environment has a huge influence on actions of people.

Food Preferences – Seafood, Fruits and Vegetables, Chico’s.

Food Diversity – among people from the same customs, what

you eat tells us about yourself. The differences between poor

and rich, also between acculturated and non-acculturated.

Food Taboos – Otters in Japan, Chicken and Goats in Chad,

Pork when you are angry. Pigs in Islam. Cows in Hindu. Insects

in the US.

Senegal Family Lunch

Traditional

Vegetable

Garden,

Istanbul

Fig. 4-5: The bostan, or

traditional vegetable garden,

provides fresh vegetables in a

large city such as Istanbul

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.

Food Taboos

Turtle in the US.

Dogs and Cats in the US.

Cows in India

Horses in the US.

Pork in Islam countries.

Meat on Fridays (Catholic)

What is Taboo at Riverside HS?

Get in Groups of 4.

Illustrate a Taboo act by a student.

Write a one paragraph explanation on why it is taboo.

Housing

Folk Housing – you build according to what you are building

from and what you are building for.

Customs, religions and work habits.

Styles also change over time and as well as culture.

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).

House Types in Western China

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

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

Dunhuang House, western China

Dunhuang houses have walled central courtyards, covered with an open air grape arbor.

Yinchuan House, China

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

Liz Lewis:

…from

outsiders

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?

Wide Dispersion of Popular Culture

Diffusion of popular housing, clothing, & food

Popular housing styles

Rapid diffusion of clothing styles

Popular food customs

Television and diffusion of popular culture

Diffusion of television

Diffusion of the internet

Government control of television

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.

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.

Clothing

Jeans – Levi Strauss

Nike’s

“Name” Brands

Mall?

What do clothes tell us about people?

Popular Food Consumption

Alcohol and Fresh Produce depends on what is produced

locally.

Wine Production varies by where grapes are farmed.

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

Wine Production per year

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

environment and social customs.

Mass Media

Television is the single largest distributor of culture and

information.

Government Controlled Television is circumvented by

Satellite TV.

Diffusion of TV

1954 - 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.

Liz Lewis:

1995-2004

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

Key Issue #4

Why Does Globalization of Popular Culture Cause Problems?

Impacts of the Globalization of

Popular Culture

Threats to folk culture

Loss of traditional values

Foreign media dominance

Environmental impacts of popular culture

Modifying nature

Uniform landscapes

Negative environmental impact

Threat to Folk Culture

Loss of Traditional Values

Clothing

Roles of Women Read page 138, India’s Marriage Dowries.

Threat of Foreign Media Imperialism

Entertainment

News Media

Local stories still dominate

Geisha

Kyoto, Japan

Environmental Impact

Modifying Nature – Golf Courses

Uniform Landscapes – All restaurants look the same.

Fast Food

Stores

Negative Environmental Impact –

Demand for natural resources

Pollution

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.

Route 66, U.S.

McDonald’s in Beijing, China