aphg unit 3: culture

CultuCulturere

Culture is a group of belief systems, norms Culture is a group of belief systems, norms & values practiced by a people. & values practiced by a people. PervasivePervasive

Difficult to perceive from “inside”Difficult to perceive from “inside” Have you ever said “I thought everyone did that.”Have you ever said “I thought everyone did that.”

LearnedLearned Transmitted through socializationTransmitted through socialization

SharedShared What makes “us” different from “them”What makes “us” different from “them”

ContestedContested Culture includes forms of social control & oppression that Culture includes forms of social control & oppression that

are resisted & negotiated by those in the subordinate are resisted & negotiated by those in the subordinate positionposition

Contestation Contestation occasional shifts in cultural norms occasional shifts in cultural norms

Culture Culture

Material CultureMaterial Culture:: physical physical objects produced by a objects produced by a culture in order to meet culture in order to meet its material needs: food, its material needs: food, clothing, housing, arts & clothing, housing, arts & recreationrecreation

Non-material cultureNon-material culture: : beliefs, practices, beliefs, practices, aesthetics & values of a aesthetics & values of a group of people group of people

Parts of our Cultural WorldParts of our Cultural World

HabitHabit: repetitive act : repetitive act performed by an individual.performed by an individual.

CustomCustom:: frequent repetition frequent repetition of an act until it becomes of an act until it becomes characteristic of a group of characteristic of a group of people.people.

TabooTaboo: a restriction on : a restriction on behavior imposed by social behavior imposed by social custom.custom.

Important TermsImportant Terms

Folk and Folk and Popular Popular CultureCulture

• Folk CultureFolk Culture: traditionally practiced : traditionally practiced by a small, homogeneous, rural group by a small, homogeneous, rural group living in relative isolation.living in relative isolation.

• Popular CulturePopular Culture:: found in a large, found in a large, heterogeneous society that shares heterogeneous society that shares certain habits despite differences in certain habits despite differences in personal characteristics.personal characteristics.

Two Subdivisions of Two Subdivisions of Culture Culture

The Forbidden CityBeijing, China

Merging Pop with Folk

Beijing, China2004

Folk Practices in the Modern WorldFolk Practices in the Modern World

Modern Haka Dance

Traditional Haka Dance

Modern Practices of Chinese New Year Modern Practices of Chinese New Year and the Diffusion outside of Chinaand the Diffusion outside of China

Chinese New YearChinese New Year

Stable & close knit Stable & close knit Usually a rural community Usually a rural community Resistant to changeResistant to change Buildings erected without architect or Buildings erected without architect or

blueprint using locally available building blueprint using locally available building materialsmaterials

Anonymous origins, diffuses slowly Anonymous origins, diffuses slowly through migration. Develops over time.through migration. Develops over time.

Clustered distributions: isolation/lack of Clustered distributions: isolation/lack of interaction breeds uniqueness & ties to interaction breeds uniqueness & ties to physical environment.physical environment.

Folk CultureFolk Culture

FOLK ARCHITECTUREFOLK ARCHITECTURE

FOLK ARCHITECTUREFOLK ARCHITECTURE• Effects on Landscape:

usually of limited scale & scope

• Dwellings: historically created from local materials: wood, brick, stone, skins; often uniquely & traditionally arranged; always functionally tied to physical environment.

ClothingClothing: Jeans, for example, have become : Jeans, for example, have become valuable status symbols in many regions valuable status symbols in many regions including Asia and Russia despite including Asia and Russia despite longstanding folk traditions.longstanding folk traditions.

Popular CulturePopular Culture

Fashion Video ClipFashion Video Clip

100 Years of Fashion100 Years of Fashion

100 Years of Korean Beauty Trends100 Years of Korean Beauty Trends

Korean BeautyKorean Beauty

Wide Distribution: Wide Distribution: differences differences from place to place uncommon, from place to place uncommon, more likely differences at one more likely differences at one place over time based on place over time based on changing trends.changing trends.

Housing: Housing: only small regional only small regional variations, changing trends over variations, changing trends over time.time.

Food: Food: franchises, cargo planes, franchises, cargo planes, superhighways & freezer trucks superhighways & freezer trucks have eliminated much local have eliminated much local variation. Limited variations in variation. Limited variations in choice regionally, esp. with choice regionally, esp. with alcohol & snacks. Substantial alcohol & snacks. Substantial variations by ethnicity. variations by ethnicity.

Can you think of any regional Can you think of any regional foods/snacks in the U.S.?foods/snacks in the U.S.?

Popular CulturePopular Culture

Pepsi in MongoliaPepsi in Mongolia

Video ClipVideo Clip

Food Capitals MapsFood Capitals Maps

Food Capitals of the Food Capitals of the WorldWorldAccording to InstagramAccording to Instagram

Effects on Landscape: Effects on Landscape: creates homogenous, creates homogenous, “placeless” “placeless” landscapelandscape

Complex network of Complex network of roads and highwaysroads and highways

Commercial Commercial structures tend structures tend towards ‘boxes’towards ‘boxes’

Popular Popular CultureCulture

Often Destroys Folk CultureOften Destroys Folk Culture--By making changes in By making changes in traditional roles and valuestraditional roles and values--Preserves traditions as Preserves traditions as museum pieces or tourism museum pieces or tourism gimmicks.gimmicks.

Some Examples:Some Examples: Mexican Mariachis; Mexican Mariachis;

Polynesian Navigators; Polynesian Navigators; Cruise Line SimulationsCruise Line Simulations

Problems with the Globalization of Problems with the Globalization of CultureCulture

Satellite Television, Baja California