Chapter 4Chapter 4

Folk and Folk and Popular Popular CultureCulture

What is Culture?What is Culture?

Regional differences Regional differences that are the essence that are the essence of Human Geographyof Human Geography

Culture can be visible Culture can be visible and invisibleand invisible

What are the different What are the different elements of culture? elements of culture?

Definition of CultureDefinition of Culture

Culture is the Culture is the specialized behavioral specialized behavioral social patterns, social patterns, understandings, understandings, adaptations, and adaptations, and social systems that social systems that summarize a group of summarize a group of people’s learned way people’s learned way of life.of life.

CCULTUREULTURE: : CCULTUREULTURE: :

The total way of The total way of life of a society, life of a society, it is learned, it is learned, shared, shared, adaptive, and adaptive, and dynamic.dynamic.

Habits are formed in Habits are formed in the way the way individualsindividuals do things.do things.

Customs develop as Customs develop as a a groupgroup practices a practices a repetitive habit that repetitive habit that eventually becomes eventually becomes the norm.the norm.

NormsNorms: : NormsNorms: :

The beliefs The beliefs and values and values that influence that influence our actions our actions and affect our and affect our outward outward behaviorbehavior..

CustomsCustoms: : CustomsCustoms: :

norms that come about norms that come about as solutions to human as solutions to human problems, two kinds: problems, two kinds: FolkwaysFolkways and and MoresMores..

FolkwaysFolkways: : FolkwaysFolkways: :

The ordinary The ordinary rules of daily rules of daily behavior which behavior which are accepted and are accepted and expected by the expected by the members of a members of a given society. given society. Preferred Preferred behaviorbehavior..

MoresMores: : MoresMores: :

customs that customs that are deemed are deemed necessary for necessary for the welfare of the welfare of the society. the society. Required Required behavior.behavior.

Laws - mores Laws - mores that have that have been codified been codified and carry and carry specific specific consequencesconsequences

DeathDeath

Taboo - a Taboo - a religious or religious or magical magical stricture, stricture, something that something that is not done for is not done for fear of fear of punishment by punishment by magic or God. magic or God.

Folkway, More or Taboo?Folkway, More or Taboo?Folkway, More or Taboo?Folkway, More or Taboo?

Eating with ChopsticksEating with Chopsticks

Not marrying your sisterNot marrying your sister

Stopping at red lightStopping at red light

Bowing when meetingBowing when meeting

Not eating porkNot eating pork

Not eating human fleshNot eating human flesh

Removing shoes at doorRemoving shoes at door

Holding door for womenHolding door for women

Taking off hat indoorsTaking off hat indoors

Culture Displays a Culture Displays a Social StructureSocial Structure

Framework of roles Framework of roles and interrelationships and interrelationships of individuals and of individuals and groups.groups.Individuals learn and Individuals learn and adhere to the rules adhere to the rules not only of the culture not only of the culture but of specific but of specific subcultures to which subcultures to which he/she belongs.he/she belongs.

Sub – Cultures inAmerica

Components (structure) of Components (structure) of CultureCulture

Culture TraitsCulture Traits

Culture ComplexCulture Complex

Culture RegionCulture Region

Culture RealmCulture Realm

GlobalizationGlobalization

Small

Large

Culture TraitsCulture Traits

Smallest item of Smallest item of culture-building block culture-building block of culture.of culture.Learned behavior Learned behavior ranging from ranging from language spoken to language spoken to tools to games.tools to games.They can be objects, They can be objects, techniques, beliefs, or techniques, beliefs, or attitudes.attitudes.

Culture ComplexCulture Complex

Individual cultural Individual cultural traits that are traits that are functionally functionally interrelated. interrelated.

Examples include: Examples include: religious complexes, religious complexes, business behavior business behavior complexes, sports complexes, sports complexes.complexes.

Culture RegionsCulture Regions

Culture traits and Culture traits and complexes have areal complexes have areal (spatial) extent.(spatial) extent.

Used to show the Used to show the spatial extent of spatial extent of similar cultural areas.similar cultural areas.

Examples - Cajun Examples - Cajun RegionRegion

http://www.louisianamuseums.org/trail/images/map/map_cajun.gif

Culture RealmCulture Realm

Cultural regions showing similar complexes Cultural regions showing similar complexes and landscapes are grouped to form a and landscapes are grouped to form a larger area.larger area.

Cultural Realms of the Modern World

Figure 2.4

2-1

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.

Structure of CultureStructure of Culture

Two schools - different terms Two schools - different terms similar ideassimilar ideas

Two Schools of Thought to Structure Two Schools of Thought to Structure CultureCulture

Leslie White Leslie White Ideological subsystemIdeological subsystem– Ideas beliefs and Ideas beliefs and

knowledge of a culture knowledge of a culture and the ways these and the ways these ideas are expressed in ideas are expressed in speech or other forms speech or other forms of communication.of communication.

Julian HuxleyJulian Huxley

Mentifacts -Mentifacts - – what we ought to what we ought to

believe, value and how believe, value and how we should actwe should act

Mythology, theology, legend, literature, philosophy, language, and religion.

White White HuxleyHuxley

Technological Technological subsystem subsystem Material objects, together Material objects, together with the techniques of with the techniques of their use. Tools and their use. Tools and weapons.weapons.

ArtifactsArtifacts

Material objects, Material objects, together with the together with the techniques of their techniques of their use. Tools and use. Tools and weapons.weapons.

Guns, planes, cars, i-pods, hammers, swords, plows and rockets.

White White HuxleyHuxley

Sociological subsystemSociological subsystem

Sum of those accepted Sum of those accepted and expected patterns of and expected patterns of interpersonal relations interpersonal relations that find their outlet in that find their outlet in economic, political, economic, political, military, religious, kinship military, religious, kinship and other associations. and other associations.

SociofactsSociofacts

Defines the social Defines the social organization of organization of culture.culture.

Dictates our social Dictates our social behavior.behavior.

Family , Army, Government, Wall Street

Identify elements in each of the following pictures as Identify elements in each of the following pictures as artifactartifact, , sociofactsociofact or or mentifactmentifact - briefly explain your reasons. - briefly explain your reasons.

It is possible for elements of the pictures to represent a combination It is possible for elements of the pictures to represent a combination of categories.of categories.

2. 1.

3. 4.

Cultural Landscape - Carl SauerCultural Landscape - Carl Sauer

““The cultural landscape is fashioned from a natural The cultural landscape is fashioned from a natural landscape by a cultural group. landscape by a cultural group. CultureCulture is the agent, is the agent, the the natural areanatural area is the medium, the is the medium, the cultural cultural landscapelandscape is the result. Under the influence of a is the result. Under the influence of a given culture, itself changing through time, the given culture, itself changing through time, the landscape undergoes development, passing through landscape undergoes development, passing through phases, and probably reaching ultimately the end of phases, and probably reaching ultimately the end of its cycle of development. With the introduction of a its cycle of development. With the introduction of a different -that is an alien- culture, a rejuvenation of different -that is an alien- culture, a rejuvenation of the cultural sets in, or a new landscape is the cultural sets in, or a new landscape is superimposed on remnants of an older one.”superimposed on remnants of an older one.”

Stable and close knit Stable and close knit

Usually a rural community Usually a rural community

Tradition controls Tradition controls

Resistance to changeResistance 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:Clustered distributions: isolation/lack of isolation/lack of interaction breed uniqueness and ties to interaction breed uniqueness and ties to physical environment.physical environment.

Folk CultureFolk Culture

FOLK ARCHITECTUREFOLK ARCHITECTURE

FOLK ARCHITECTUREFOLK ARCHITECTUREEffects on Landscape:Effects on Landscape:

usually of limited usually of limited scale and scope.scale and scope.

Agricultural:Agricultural: fields, fields, terraces, grain storageterraces, grain storage

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

FOLK FOODFOLK FOOD

How did such differences develop?

Hog Production and Food CulturesHog Production and Food Cultures

Fig. 4-6: Annual hog production is influenced by religious taboos against pork consumption in Islam and other religions. The highest production is in China, which is largely Buddhist.

U.S. House U.S. House Types by Types by RegionRegion

Small towns in different regions of the eastern U.S. have different combinations of five main traditional house types.

North American Folk Culture Regions

Food Taboos:Food Taboos:Jews – can’t eat animals that chew Jews – can’t eat animals that chew

cud, that have cloven feet; can’t mix meat cud, that have cloven feet; can’t mix meat and milk, or eat fish lacking fins or scales; and milk, or eat fish lacking fins or scales;

Muslims – no pork; Muslims – no pork; Hindus – no cows (used for oxen during Hindus – no cows (used for oxen during monsoon)monsoon)

Washing Cow in Ganges

Popular CulturePopular CultureClothing:Clothing: Jeans, for example, and have become Jeans, for example, and have become

valuable status symbols in many regions valuable status symbols in many regions including Asia including Asia andand Russia despite longstanding Russia despite longstanding folk traditions.folk traditions.

Soft Drinks – Coke and Pepsi can beFound all over the world.

Popular CulturePopular CultureWide Distribution: Wide Distribution: differences from place to differences from place to

place uncommon, more likely differences at place uncommon, more likely differences at one place over time.one place over time.

Housing:Housing: only small regional variations, more only small regional variations, more generally there are trends over timegenerally there are trends over time

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