Culture
Culture – the complex mix of
values, beliefs, behaviors, and
material objects that together form
a people’ way of life (Material/NonMaterial)
 Values – are culturally defined
standards that guide the way
people assess desirability,
goodness, and beauty, and that
serve as guidelines for moral living.
 Beliefs, Behaviors, Norms
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If you have ever studied the earth’s surface from an
airplane thousands of feet in the air, you have
observed the cultural landscape – the modification
of the natural landscape by human activities.
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Cultural Trait-A single
attribute of a culture is
called a Culture Trait and
a culture region consists
of countless numbers of
traits.
Cultural Complex
“American”
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Acculturation – when
smaller/weaker groups
take on traits of the
larger/dominant
culture. Can be 2-way
process – . Aztecs
acculturated into
Spanish culture, but
some Aztec traits
remained and became
Spanish culture.
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Assimilation – the
adoption of cultural
elements can be so
complete that two
cultures become
indistinguishable –
e.g. – jeans being
worn here in Japan
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Is traditionally
practiced by
small,
homogenous
groups living in
isolated rural
areas
 Wearing a sari in
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India
Small Scale
Slow Change due
to lack of
communication
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Found in large,
heterogeneous societies
that share certain habits
(like wearing jeans) despite
differences in personal
characteristics.
Varies from time to time at
any given place
Changes rapidly
Global V. Local
Environment (Native
Americans/Nature)
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Folk culture
 Anonymous or multiple hearths
 Relocation, not expansion
Popular culture
 Deliberate innovation, advanced economies
 Mass production
 Expansion (hierarchical or contagious)
Expansion
Relocation
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Hierarchical
Diffusion – spread
of an idea through
an established
structure usually
from people or
areas of power
down to other
people or areas
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Contagious
Diffusion – spread
of an
idea/trait/concept
through a group of
people or an area
equally without
regard to social
class, economic
position or position
of power.
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Stimulus Diffusion – the spread of an
underlying principle even though the
characteristic itself does not spread.
 OR
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Stimulus Diffusion - involves the
transfer of an underlying concept or idea,
without the specific accompanying traits
due to some cultural or other barrier to
the movement of the idea
Sequential diffusion process in
which the items being diffused
are transmitted by their carrier
agents as they evacuate the old
areas and relocate to new ones.
The most common form of
relocation diffusion involves the
spreading of innovations by a
migrating population.
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This occurs when the people
migrate and take their
cultural attributes with them.
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Folk Music
 Transmitted Orally
 Folk songs tell a story
or convey information
about daily activities
 Spirituals
▪ “Wade in the Water”
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Folk music of AfricanAmericans
Based on slavery,
religion
 Call-and-response
 Hidden messages
 Subject matter
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Hearth: Mississippi Delta
Relocation diffusion:
Memphis, Chicago, Texas,
St. Louis, Detroit, Piedmont
Contagious diffusion: radio,
TV
Popular culture: jazz, rockand-roll, hip-hop
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Original hearth: Africa?
Similar sounds, rhythms
Griot or traveling
storyteller/musician
Banjo/guitar, percussion
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Is written by specific
individuals for the
purpose of being sold
to a large number of
people
Broadcasting 1940s
Hip Hop: Why not
folk?
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Spread by contagious
diffusion
 Exchange students from
Netherlands
 English engineers to
Spain
 Expatriates throughout
British Empire
Rugby modified in U.S.:
American football
Rapid spread through
television
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English, Scots, Vikings,
Romans, Greeks, Egyptians,
Assyrians, Persians, Chinese,
Japanese, Native Americans
Folk origin: 11th century
England
Village-wide contests
Banned between late 1300s
and 1600
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Transition to popular
culture
Industrial Revolution:
more time, income
 Professional soccer
leagues (1863)
 Standardized rules
 Distinguished from
rugby