Cultural Geography – Popular
Culture As Global Culture
Except as noted, all photos by Dale Lightfoot
Dale Lightfoot's Cultural Landscapes
From Around The World
Oklahoma State University
Geography Department
Globalization
• Popular customs are found in large,
heterogeneous societies that share certain habits
despite differences in personal characteristics.
Popular customs are based on global interaction
and modern technology, and are most often a
product of economically developed countries. As
the world family draws ever closer through instant
communications and rapid transportation, popular
culture increasingly welds itself into an evolving
global culture.
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Hong Kong (China)
• Pac-man in
Hong Kong.
3
South Korea
• Baseball has become more popular in Korea than
in the United States, where the game originated.
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China
• Playing "Chinese checkers" in...China (how do
you think the game got its name?).
5
China
• You can use your American Express card for an
acupuncture session in China.
6
Hong Kong (China)
• An automatic teller
machine (ATM)
disbursing cash in
Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Are there glazed pigs
hanging next to your
local ATM?
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South Korea
• A Korean Buddhist
monk walking in the
comfort of Reebok
shoes. This is clearly
non-traditional monkwear, but Reeboks are
manufactured in South
Korea and quite
inexpensive there.
Notice that he wears a
traditional coat.
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Armenia
• Increasingly throughout the developing world, folk dress
has given way to a western-inspired form of homogenized
global dress. These young women in Armenia are typical
of the younger generation around the world who dress in
the same fashion as their North America and European
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peers (preferably with English writing visibly displayed).
South Korea
• Stylish doghouses in Kyongju, South Korea, with
roofs patterned after local Buddhist architecture.
10
Israel
• A contemporary store in Jerusalem, capitalizing on
this central location of religious activity and
pilgrimage; in the birthplace of Judaism,
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Christianity, and Islam.
Morocco
• A familiar feature on the landscape of any urban
area (telephone booth), though the "telephone"
script may vary (Tangier, Morocco).
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Mexico
• The satellite dish -- both cause and consequence of
a merging global culture -- may be found in any
urban or remote rural area of the world. This one is
tuned into American programs coming across the
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border from Boquillas del Carmen, Mexico.
Jordan
• "Microsoft...working for the Arab world," and ANY
world that is computer literate (Amman, Jordan).
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Yemen
• Carrying a chicken
home for lunch. While
(fortunately) not
exactly a global
culture, the trade in
modern weapons in a
less regulated
environment -- such as
Yemen (shown here) -has spawned open
markets for guns and a
culture that wears the
Kalashnikov as
outwear.
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Yemen
• Weapon stall at the
open-air arms Souk
(market), north of
Saada, Yemen.
16
Israel
• An odd combination of
food culture, unless you
live in Tiberias, Israel
and enjoy Chinese
food.
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Honduras
• Forget generic animals and geometric shapes;
Barney and Pocahontas are now among the most
popular piñata figures in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. 18
(Bart Simpson reigns supreme in Mexico!).
Guatemala
• Garfield and Mickey Mouse adorn an exterior wall of this
store in San Pedro village, Guatemala.
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Jordan
• Giant Safeway store, Amman, Jordan.
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South Korea
• Del Monte logo, Chinhae, South Korea. Many
brands and products found in American
supermarkets are also found all over the world.
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China
• Kodak billboard in Guangzhou, China.
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Egypt
• A Marlboro billboard provides shady relief from the
sun for gellabiya-clad men waiting for a bus along 23
the Red Sea coastal highway, Egypt.
Russia
• Basken Robins "31 flavors" ice cream store,
Moscow, Russia.
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Guatemala
• Judging by the various products being advertised, this
scene could have come from a typical American city. This
is actually the main shopping district of downtown
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Guatemala City, Guatemala.
Germany
• "Our world in not for sale". Not everyone is happy with the
homogenization of world culture and the influence of global
companies and capital. This anti-globalization rally in Berlin,
Germany is one of many such protests held around the
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world in recent years.