Folk and Popular Culture
Chapter 4
Introduction
• Why do people living in different locations have such
different social customs?
• How are social customs related to the cultural
landscape?
• Folk culture- culture traditionally practiced by a small,
homogeneous, rural group living in relative isolation
from other groups
• Popular culture- culture found in a large,
heterogeneous society that shares certain habits despite
differences in other personal characteristics
Origins of Folk and Popular Culture
• Social customs originate at a hearth (center of
innovation)
• The hearths of folk customs are often unknown (who,
when, and where)
• Popular culture is usually a product of MDCs, esp.
North America, Western Europe, and Japan
• Ex.’s pop music and fast food
– MDCs have technology to mass produce and the leisure
time to enjoy pursuits other than food production
Folk vs. Popular Music
• Difference b/w folk and popular music exemplify the
differences b/w folk and pop culture
• Folk music usually has unknown origins and tells stories
of everyday daily activities such as farming, or
mysterious events such as earthquakes
• Popular music is written and produced by specific
individuals to be mass produced and sold
– Org. around 1900 in NYC
– Really began to spread around the world during WWII
– Hip Hop is popular music that has a folk appeal to it
Diffusion of Folk and Popular
Cultures
• Popular culture usually spreads thru hierarchical
diffusion
• In the US the nodes would be Hollywood, and Madison
Avenue in NYC
– Diffuses rapidly because of modern communication and
transportation
• Folk culture is transmitted more slowly thru relocation
diffusion (product of migration)
– Hip hop considered pop rather than folk because it diffuses
thru electronics
The Amish: Relocation Diffusion of
Folk Culture
• Have distinctive clothing, farming, and religious
practices
• Leave a distinctive mark on the cultural
landscape
• First came to US in 1700s, most to Penn., but
also to OH, IL, and Iowa
• Diffused slowly to other parts of the US in
search of cheap farmland
• Now have distinctive settlements in 17 states
Sports: Hierarchical Diffusion of
Popular Culture
• Unfortunately and
inexplicably , soccer is the
World’s most popular sport
• Early form originated around
the eleventh century in
England
• Changed from folk culture to
popular culture in the 1800s
• Clubs were founded by
factories and churches to
provide recreation for
workers
continued
• 1863 rules were standardized in Great Britain
and soccer became a part of pop. Culture
• Soccer was exported to Europe in 1870 and later
to parts of the British Empire
• All organized spectator sports are part of pop.
Culture today
Isolation Promotes Cultural Diversity
• Folk customs develop through centuries of
relative isolation from customs practiced by
other groups
– Ex. Himalayan Art
• Read about it p. 120
Influence of the Physical
Environment
• Environmental determinism
– Belief that physical environment caused all human
activities
• Not accepted as true today –possibilism
• Environment is only one of several controls
over social customs
continued
• Customs such as provision of food, clothing , and
shelter are clearly influenced by the climate, soil, and
vegetation of a place
• Folk cultures are particularly influenced by the
environment because they lack technology to overcome
it
• Broad differences in folk culture arise in part due to
physical conditions
• Food and shelter can be used to demonstrate the
influence of cultural values and the environment on the
development of folk culture
Distinctive Food Preferences
• Folk food habits derive from the environment
• We eat plants and animals that live and grow in the
areas we live
• In areas where cooking fuel is scarce, cultures come up
with clever ways to use the food without much cooking
• Terroir- the contribution of a location’s distinctive
physical features to the way food tastes
– often used to describe wine
• How the soil and climate effect the taste of wine grown in certain
regions
continued
• Food customs are also influenced by cultural
values
• Ethnicity and religious beliefs effect what people
eat
• Food taboos exist in many religions
• A restriction on behavior imposed by a social custom
– Ex. Muslims and Jews don’t eat pork
– Just so happens that pigs are suited to live on the Arabian
peninsula and is not suited for pastoral societies of Eastern Med.
Sea
continued
• Food attractions also exist
– Often thought to enhance desirable qualities
• Ex. Aphrodisiacs
– Rhino horn powder, Spanish Fly, chocolate
Folk Housing
• Folk housing is a product of cultural tradition
and natural conditions
• Obviously, building materials are influenced by
what is available in the surrounding environment
• Size and number of windows, and the pitch of
the roof are often environmental concerns as
well
continued
• Form of some houses might reflect religious
values
– Ex. Sacred walls or corners
• In parts of China the NW wall is sacred
• In Madagascar furniture arrangement in the
home is influenced by religious values
US Folk House Forms
•
•
•
1.
2.
3.
Older houses in US display local folk-culture
traditions
As people moved west, they built homes similar to
where they came from on the East Coast
3 major hearths of folk home forms in US
New England
Middle Atlantic
Lower Chesapeake
New England
• 4 major house types
popular in 18th and 19th
centuries
• Can be found in Great
Lakes Region today
Middle Atlantic
• Major type known as an
“I-house”
– 2 stories with gables on
the sides
– Only one room deep and
at least two rooms wide
• Found in the Ohio Valley
and in the Midwest
Lower Chesapeake
• Also known as Tidewater style
• Typically one story with a steep roof and
chimneys at either end
• Spread down the SE coast
• Houses in wet areas were often built on piers to
raise it above possible flooding
Why is Popular Culture Widely
Distributed?
• Pop culture varies more in time than in place
because it diffuses rapidly to places with a
sufficiently high level of economic development
to acquire the material possessions associated
with pop culture
Diffusion of Popular Housing
•
Housing styles built since the 940s
demonstrate how popular customs vary more
in time than in place
• Since the end of WWII two architectural styles
have dominated in the US
1. Modern (1945-60)
2. Neo-eclectic (since 1960)
Modern House Styles
• Specific types of modern house styles were
popular at different times
• Late 1940s and early 1950s minimal transitional
was the dominant style
• Late 50s into the 60s the ranch style house
dominated
• Between the 50s and 70s the split-level become
popular
Neo-Eclectic House Styles
• Become popular in the
60s and passes modern
styles in the 70s
Rapid Diffusion of Clothing Styles
• In MDCs clothing habits often reflect
occupations rather than particular environments
• Businessmen wear different clothes than factory
workers
• Higher income is also a big influence on
clothing in MDCs
– Women’s clothing styles change every year
• Therefore, they update their wardrobe more often if they
can afford it
Popular Food Customs
• Consumption of large quantities of alcoholic
bev. and snack foods are characteristic of
popular societies
– Regional differences are based upon what is
produced locally and cultural backgrounds (esp.
religion)
Role of Television in Diffusing
Popular Culture
•
Television is an important pop. Custom for 2
reasons
1. Most popular leisure activity in MDCs
2. Most important mechanism by which
knowledge of popular culture is rapidly
diffused across Earth
Diffusion of Television and Internet
• In 1954 the US had 86% of TVs in the World,
UK 9%, USSR 2%, Canada 2%, and the
remainder were divided among Cuba, Mexico,
France, and Brazil
• By 1970 rapid growth in ownership in Europe
brought the US % down to 25%
– Half the world still had little or no broadcasting
(Africa and Asia)
continued
continued
• Diffusion of the internet followed a similar
pattern, just at a much faster pace
• 1995, 25 million of the 40 million internet users
in the World were in the US
• By 2000, there were 400 million users, 31% of
which were in the US
• Right now only about 10% of users are in
LDCs, but that is expected to increase rapidly
Government Control of
Television
• In US, most stations are owned by corporations that
receive licenses from the gov. (make profits by selling
advertisements)
– Some stations are owned by nonprofits or local gov. and are
used for educational programs
• This pattern is found in Western hemisphere countries,
but is rare in the rest of the World
• In most developed countries broadcasting is done by a
public corporation or a public-private partnership
continued
• In Canada, the CBC receives gov. grants, and in
Britain (BBC) and Japan (NHK) the broadcasting
company gets a license fee from TV owners
– Independence from gov. interference is guaranteed in
their charters
• In LDCs, direct management of TV is done
through a gov. agency
– True in China, India, and many other countries in Asia,
and Africa
• They censor TV to make sure programs will not contradict
gov. policies
Reduced Government Control
• Television signals are only good for about 60 miles
• In the past, few people could actually pick up
broadcasts from other countries
• Cable and Satellite have made TV a force for
political change
• Many Asian countries try to keep their citizens
form obtaining dishes
– Dishes hastened the collapse of communism in Eastern
Europe as more Western programs were able to be seen
Why Does the Globalization of
Popular Culture Cause Problems?
• 2 major problems
1. Threatens the survival of folk culture
2. Pop culture may be less responsive to the
diversity of local environments and
consequently may generate adverse
environmental impacts
Threat to Folk Culture
• When people turn from
folk culture to popular
culture they sometimes
turn away from
traditional values as well
• Can lead to dominance
of Western Perspectives
Loss of Traditional Values
• Urban people in many African and Asian
countries have adopted Western clothing
– It has been adopted a sign of success
• Causes problems in many Middle Eastern
countries who do not want Western influence
• Diffusion of pop. Culture also threatens the
subservience of women to men that is
embedded in many folk customs
continued
• Taliban in Afghanistan did not allow women to attend
school, work outside the home, or drive a car—also
could not leave the home without a male (relative)
escort
• Pop. Culture has brought ideas of legal equality and
economic and social opportunities to many LDCs
• On the negative side, “sex tours” have led to an
increase in prostitution in South and Southeast Asia
Threat of Foreign Media
Imperialism
• Leaders of many LDCs view influx of pop culture as a
threat to independence
– He mass media plays a big role in this
• Esp. news-gathering organizations
• The US, UK, and Japan dominate television in LDCs
• LDC leaders view this as a method of economic and
cultural imperialism
• American shows present American beliefs and social
forms
Western Control of the News Media
• Diffusion of information to newspapers around
the world are dominated by the Associated Press
(AP) and Reuters
• Stories that other countries get focus more on
news of MDCs
• Many African and Asian gov.’s criticize the idea
of freedom of the press
Environmental Impact of Popular
Culture
• Pop. Culture can significantly modify or control
the environment
• We often modify environments to increase
leisure
– Ex. Golf course
• Avg. about 200 acres
Uniform Landscapes
• Distribution of pop. culture around the world
leads to more uniform landscapes
• Promoters of pop. culture want a uniform
appearance to generate “product recognition”
– Ex. Diffusion of fast food restaurants
• Look similar around the world so travelers can easily
identify them
– Gas stations, supermarkets, and hotels follow a similar pattern
continued
• In 1970s American, European, and Japanese cars
all looked very different
• Today they look more similar than different
Negative Environmental Impact
• 2 ways this might happen
1. Depletion of scarce natural resources
2. pollution
continued
• Pop culture demands a
large amount of natural
resources to manufacture
certain goods
• Minerals can be over
mined and animals can
become endangered in
the name of pop culture
• Pop culture generates a
high volume of waste—
solids, liquids, and gases
• Solid waste is particularly
problematic