Folk and Popular Culture
Geographers study where folk and popular cultures are located and the reasons why their
distributions are different.
What is Culture?
Culture is a learned behavior of people. It is constantly changing and easily lost because it
exists only in our minds.
Culture includes: Belief systems languages, Social relationships, Institutions and
organizations, Material goods - food, clothing, buildings, tools, and machines.
Key components of culture
Culture consists of four elements that are "passed on from generation to generation by
learning alone": values norms institutions artifacts.
Values—comprise ideas about what in life seems important. They guide the rest of the
culture.
Norms—consist of expectations of how people will behave in various situations. Each
culture has methods, called sanctions, of enforcing its norms.
Institutions Institutions are the structures of a society within which values and norms are
transmitted.
Artifacts—Things, or aspects of material culture—derive from a culture's values and
norms. Clothing Buildings Tools etc.
Key terms
Habit—Is a repetitive act that a particular individual performs: Ex. smoking
custom—Is a repetitive act of a group performed to the extent that it becomes a
characteristic of the group Ex. Americans wearing jeans to class everyday
Material Culture
The tangible possessions of a culture. Material culture Material culture falls into two basic
categories that differ according to scale Folk culture popular culture
What is folk culture?
Folk culture refers to the localized lifestyle of a subsistence or inward looking culture. It is
usually handed down through oral tradition and with a strong sense of community. Folk
culture is traditionally practiced primarily by small homogenous groups living in isolated
rural areas Folk customs have; Anonymous sources, are practiced by small homogeneous
groups living in relative isolation,
What is popular culture?
Popular culture is found in large heterogeneous societies popular customs are invented,
and associated with societies possessing modern communications systems. Popular
culture is based on a rapid simultaneous global connection through communication
technology
Any difference?
The differences between folk and popular customs are associated with levels of
development
Where do Folk and Popular culture originate and diffuse?
Origin of folk culture
They have anonymous hearths and sources, Unknown dates, Unidentified originators,
Multiple hearths, Originate independently in isolated places.
Origin of Popular Culture
It is a product of the economically more developed countries.
They arise from a combination of advances in industrial technology and increased leisure
time
Origin of Folk music
Folk songs are composed anonymously and transmitted orally.
The content of folk song is derived from events in daily life that are familiar to the majority
of the people.
Popular Music
Popular music is written by specific individuals for the purpose of being sold to a large
number of people. It displays a high degree of technical skills and is frequently capable of
being performed only in a studio with electronic equipment Origin of Popular music It
originated around 1900.The first music industry was developed in New York along the 28th
streets between fifth avenue and Broadway, to provide songs for the music hall and
vaudeville. This area later came to be known as Tin Pan Alley.
Diffusion of American popular music started during the World War II. English became the
language of popular music.
Hip Hop
A more recent form of popular music. Originated in the south Bronx, New York, in the late
1970’s.It spread to Oakland and Atlanta in the late 1980s.Then to large cities in the South,
Midwest and West
Diffusion of folk and Popular culture
Diffusion of Popular culture The spread of popular culture follows the process of
Hierarchical diffusion from hearths or nodes of innovation. Diffuses rapidly and extensively
through the use of modern communications and transportation systems
Hearth of Popular Culture
In the United States nodes or hearths of innovation for popular culture include: Holly
wood, California for the film industry, Madison Avenue in New York for advertising
agencies
Diffusion of Folk Culture
Primarily through migration rather than electronic communication Effected through
relocation diffusion.
The Amish population in the United States numbers only 70,000 (0.03%), their culture
remain visible on the landscape of about 17 states. Their culture was diffused through
migration
Sports:
Many sports originated as isolated folk customs. Then diffused through the migration of
individuals.
Origin of soccer
After Danish Invasion of England between 1018 and 1042. “Kick the Danes head”Early
football game resembled a mob scene.The transformation of football from an English folk
custom to global popular culture began in the 1800s.The word soccer originated after
1863, when supporters of the game formed the Football Association. Association was
shortened to “assoc”.Assoc became twisted around into the word soccer
Why is Folk Culture clustered?
Isolation promotes cultural diversity, Influence of physical environment, Isolation
Promotes Cultural diversity. Unique regions of folk culture arise because of the lack of
interaction among groups. Folk culture is more likely to be influenced by the local
environment
The Four Distinctive Religions in the Himalayan Mountains Tibetan Buddhism, Hinduism,
Islam and Animist are classic example of cultural isolation.
Influence of the Physical Environment
Concept of Environmental Determinism Customs such as food, clothing, and shelter are
influenced by the prevailing climate, soils, and vegetations.Ex. Residents of artic climates
may wear fur-lined boots, which protect against cold People living in warm and humid
climate may not need any footwear if heavy rainfall and time spent in water discourage
such use.
Food preferences
Food habits are strongly influenced by cultural tradition. What is eaten establishes one’s
social, religious and ethnic membership. People adopt their food preferences to conditions
in the environment. Quick-frying food in Italy resulted in part from fuel shortage. In
northern Europe, an abundant wood supply encouraged slow stewing and roasting of food
over fire
Food attractions
Jaguar and bulls are eating by the Abipone Indians of Paraguay to make them strong, brave
and swift
Taboos
Taboos are restrictions on behavior imposed by social customs. Plants or animals that are
thought to embody negative forces in the environment.
Ex. Ainus in Japan avoid eating otters because they are believed to be forgetful animals
Folk Housing
The type of building materials used to construct folk houses is influenced partly by the
resources available in the environment Building material In relatively hot, dry climate such
as the U.S Southwest, Mexico, northern China and part of the middle East, bricks are made
by baking wet mud. Stone is used to build houses in part of Europe and South America
Distinctive house forms and orientation
The form of houses in some societies might reflect religious values. Ex.—The East wall of a
house is considered sacred in Fiji, as the northwest wall part of China US folk House
forms Fred Kniffen identified three major hearths or nodes of folk house forms in the
United States New England Middle Atlantic Lower Chesapeake Diffusion of House Types in
U.S.
Why is popular culture widely distributed?
Facilitated by modern communication, especially television Diffusion of popular clothing
and food.
In the more developed countries of North America and Western Europe,
clothing habits generally reflects occupation rather than particular environments.
Ex. A lawyer or business executive tend to wear a dark suit, light shirt or blouse, and
necktie or scarf, where as a factory worker wears jeans and a work shirt
Popular culture clothing
Jeans is an important symbol of the diffusion of Western popular culture. Jeans became an
obsession and a status symbol among youth in the former Soviet Union when the
Communist government prevented their imports. Ironically jeans were brought into the
Soviet Union by the elite, including diplomats, bureaucrats, and business executivesespecially those who were permitted to travel to the west
Tidbits
Popular culture flourishes where people in a society have sufficient income to acquire the
tangible elements of popular culture and the leisure time to make use of them. The
consumption of large quantities of alcoholic beverages and snack foods are characteristics
of food customs of popular societies.
Popular food customs
American choose particular beverages or snacks in part on the basis of preference for what
is produced, grown, or imported locally. Ex. Rum consumption is heavily concentrated in
the East Coast, where it arrives from the Caribbean Cultural background also affect the
amount and types of alcohol and snack foods consumed. Because Baptists are
concentrated in the Southeast and Mormons in Utah, these regions have relatively low
consumption rate of alcohol. Texans prefer tortilla chips because of the large number of
Hispanic Americans there
The Role of Television in Diffusing Popular Culture
Television is a significant popular culture for two reasons Most popular leisure activity in
most developed countries Most important mechanism by which knowledge of popular
cultures, such as professional sports, is rapidly diffused across Earth Diffusion of TV, 1954–
1999 Distribution of Internet Hosts
Why does Globalization of popular culture cause problems?
Threat to folk culture loss of traditional values
Change in traditional role of women
Threat to foreign media imperialism
Environmental Impact (Modifying nature-golf courses)
Negative Environmental impact (Increase demand for natural resources)