FOLK AND POPULAR
CULTURE
ORIGINS AND DIFFUSION OF FOLK AND
POPULAR CULTURES
 Origin

of folk and popular cultures
Origin of folk music
Anonymous hearths, transmitted orally
 About everyday life, things that are familiar to group
 Country music hearts-Upper south


Origin of popular music
Mass electronic production
 Tin Pan Alley and Hip Hop in New York

 Diffusion


of folk and popular cultures
The Amish: Relocation diffusion of folk culture
Sports: Hierarchical diffusion of popular
culture
TIN PAN ALLEY AND POPULAR MUSIC
Fig. 4-2: Writers and publishers of popular music were clustered in Tin Pan
Alley in New York City in the early twentieth century. The area
later moved north from 28th Street to Times Square.
 Diffusion
of folk and popular cultures
Popular culture is spread by hierarchical
diffusion (Hollywood, New York)
 Folk culture is spread by relocation diffusion


Examples
The Amish: Relocation diffusion of folk culture
70,000, 17 states
 Migrated from Switzerland, France and Germany because
of low land prices


Sports: Hierarchical diffusion of Soccer
11th century in England, spread outward because of
increased leisure time
 Each country has preferred sports (Cricket, Hockey, Martial
Arts and Lacrosse)
 T.V. and internet allow global spectators

CLUSTERING OF FOLK CULTURES
 Isolation

Himalayan art styles that show differences
among geographically close culture groups


promotes cultural diversity
Tibet, Nepal, Hindus and Animist art styles
Influence of the physical environment on food
People hold on to old food habits after assimilating
 People adapt their food preferences based on
environment
 Soybeans, quick frying and stewing/roasting
 Certain foods are avoided or desired
 Bulls, mandrake, otters, potatoes, or goats
 Transylvanian food diversity
 Romanians, Jews, Armenians and Hungarians

HIMALAYAN FOLK CULTURAL REGIONS
Fig. 4-5: Cultural geographers have identified four distinct culture
regions based on predominant religions in the Himalaya
Mountains.

Folk Housing is a product of both cultural
traditions and environmental conditions
Houses are made from nearby materials and
influenced by social factors
 Environment influences floor plans based on climate
 Social conditions affect the floor plan of houses



Fiji, China, Middle East, India, Africa, Madagascar, Java
U.S. Folk House Forms
3 hearths-New England, Mid Atlantic, Lower
Chesapeake
 New England-Saltbox, Two-Chimney, Cape Cod and
Front Gable & wing
 Middle Atlantic- “I” house
 Lower Chesapeake- steep roof and chimneys

HOUSE TYPES IN WESTERN CHINA
DIFFUSION OF NEW ENGLAND HOUSE TYPES
Fig. 4-10: Four main New England house types of the eighteenth and
nineteenth centuries diffused westward as settlers migrated.
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.
WIDE DISPERSION OF POPULAR CULTURE
 Diffusion
food

Popular housing styles


Transition from space to time, housing reflects fashion
Rapid diffusion of clothing styles


of popular housing, clothing, and
Clothing reflects occupation and income
Popular food customs

Alcohol and snacks
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
 Television

and diffusion of popular culture
Diffusion of television
Introduced in the 1930s
 By 1950 ¾ of homes had a TV
 4 major categories of countries


Diffusion of the internet
Highest number of internet hosts are in MDCs
 Will diffuse faster than TV


Government control of television
People turned on the TV and watched what the
government wanted them to see
 Singapore banned satellites but wants MTV and HBO
to have their Asian headquarters there
 Satellites hastened the fall of the Communism

DISTRIBUTION OF INTERNET HOSTS
Fig. 4-15: The U.S. had two-thirds of the world’s internet hosts in 2002.
Diffusion of internet service is likely to follow the pattern of TV
diffusion, but the rate of this diffusion may differ.
IMPACTS OF THE GLOBALIZATION OF
POPULAR CULTURE

Threats to folk culture

Loss of traditional values
Wearing clothing from an MDC is controversial
 Fundamentalist Muslims oppose western clothing
 Threatens subservient role of women


Foreign media dominance


MDCs new form of Imperialism
Environmental impacts of popular culture
Modifying nature-golf courses
 Uniform landscapes-every town looks the same
 Negative environmental impact


Increased demand of natural resources and pollution