WORLD GEOGRAPHY
Sept. 30, 2014
Today
Culture
- Local culture, popular culture, cultural landscapes
Culture defined
Culture is…
Sum total of knowledge, attitudes, habitual
behavior patterns shared and transmitted by the
members of society.
Elements of culture
- Language
- gender roles
- Religion
- architecture
- Customs and practices
 norms
- Clothing/fashion
- Cuisine/food
- Music
Korea: Then vs. Now
Elements of culture
- Language
 English words
(loan words)
- Slang
- Religion
- Customs and practices
 less traditional
- Clothing/fashion
 designer fashion
(foreign brands)
- Cuisine/food
- Music
 Hip hop
K-pop
- gender roles
- architecture
Cultural effects of migration
Example: Migrants develop communities in foreign countries.
Little Havana – Miami, USA
Cultural effects of migration
Example: Migrants develop communities in foreign countries.
Little India – Georgetown, Malaysia
Cultural effects of migration
Example: Migrants develop communities in foreign countries.
China Town– New York, U.S.A.
Cultural effects of migration
Example: Migrants develop communities in foreign countries.
Korea Town – Toronto, Canada
Cultural effects of migration
Example: Migrants develop communities in foreign countries.
Itaewon – Seoul, South Korea
Cultural effects of migration
- Language
- Food
- Music
- Religion
Mind association
- What place do you think of when you see each of these
images?
Mind association
Mind association
- What place do you think of when you see each of these
images?
Fashion
“Cute” culture
Local & Popular Cultures
Local culture: A group in a particular place that sees itself
as a community, shares experiences, customs, and traits,
and works to preserve those traits and customs to
distinguish the group from others.
Popular culture: A large, heterogeneous population,
typically urban, with rapidly changing culture.
Local cultures
Acceptance vs. rejection of popular culture traits
Impact on the landscape
- Nonmaterial culture: Beliefs, practices, aesthetics, values
- Material culture: Constructed items, frequently expressing
nonmaterial culture
Establishment of neighborhoods, construction of places of
worship and community centers
Example – the Amish
- Originated in Europe
- Anabaptists: separated from Catholic and Protestant
Christianity.
- Live in their own farm-based communities
 Maintain own culture: religion, education, technology
Example – the Amish
Example – the Amish
Popular cultures
Practiced by large, heterogeneous group
Rapid spread of new traits, often by hierarchical diffusion
from a hearth, through transportation, communication, and
marketing networks
Interaction between local and popular cultures
• Patronage by local cultures of popular culture services
• Adoption by popular culture of local culture traits
Commodification
Process of making something that was not
previously bought and sold a commodity in the
marketplace
- Material culture objects for sale to outsiders
- Tourist value of culture as a whole
Question of authenticity of places
- Mystical images
- Creation of identity from cultural traits
Merchants of Cool: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVEZWVipjo
Irish Pub Company Pubs
Irish Pub Company and Guinness Brewing Company created 5
models of pubs and export them around the world.
Outback Steakhouse
TGI Friday’s
Hard Rock Cafe
Diffusion of Popular Culture
Distance-decay: More interaction
between closer places than between
more distant places.
Time-space compression: Interaction
dependent on connectedness
among places.
Next Tuesday’s class
Group discussions:
- Find a partner.
- Choose an element of popular culture (anything)
- Prepare a brief (3 -5 minute) mini-presentation about:
1. Your topic’s origin/background
2. How it came into popular culture
3. How it affects current popular culture
Next class (Tuesday)
Group discussions:
Topics are first come, first serve (no repeat topics).
The sig-up sheet is on my office door.
- It will come down Monday afternoon, so make sure to sign
up before then.
Before next class
Do the short reading (cultural landscape)