Folk and Popular CultureWoman with Oxcart, MyanmarInsanely Rad Scot, with Kilt and Three-Fin Thruster

The Forbidden CityBeijing, China 2004

Beijing, China 2004

culture (social science definition)Specialized behavioral patterns, understandings, adaptations, and social systems that summarize a group of peoples learned way of life

culture is..Learned, not biologicalTransmitted within a society to next generations by imitation, tradition, instruction

culture provides.a general frameworkeach individual learns & adheres to general rulesalso to specific sub-groups:age, sex, status, occupation, nationality

Subcultures co-existMasculine / feminineRural / ruralDifferent ethnicitiesJoined by common traditions, behaviors, loyalties, beliefsChristmasChurch attendance on Sunday

culture is dynamic.External influencesCultural exchangeGenerational Technology Environmental HIV/AIDSGlobal warming

cultural variables.. micro-macro1. Cultural traits most elementaryExpression of culture, the smallest distinctionsBehaviorObjectBeliefs Attitudes

these building blocks = a culture complex

culture complexIndividual cultural traits that are functionally interrelatedMasai of Kenya cultural traits centered on cattleAmerican football sports culture

culture regionPortion of the Earths surface occupied by populations sharing recognizable distinctive cultural characteristicsPolitical organizations/boundariesReligionsEconomy type

cultural realmA set of cultural regions showing related cultural complexes and landscapesLarge region that has assumed fundamental uniformity in its cultural characteristics and showing significant differences from surrounding realms

culture realms

cultural hearths

CultureThe combination of three things:Values Material artifacts Political institutionsMaterial objects (artifacts)Interpersonal relations (sociofacts)Ideas and beliefs (mentifacts)Each element has a spatial distribution

Material CultureTwo basic categories: folk and popular cultureFolk cultureTraditionally practiced by small, isolated, homogeneous groups in rural areasPopular cultureCharacterized by large, heterogeneous groups of people who share common habits despite differences in other personal characteristicsGeographers are interested in two aspects of culture:Where cultures are located in spaceHow cultures interact with the environment

Important TerminologyMaterial Culture the physical objects produced by a culture in order to meet its material needs (Carl Sauer - Berkeley, 1930s 1970s): FoodClothingShelterArtsRecreation

Important TermsCustom frequent repetition of an act until it becomes characteristic of a group of people..Taboo a restriction on behavior imposed by social custom.Habit repetitive act performed by an individual.

Folk Culture rapidly changing and/or disappearing throughout much of the world.

Turkish Camel MarketPortuguese Fishing BoatGuatemalan Market

Stable and close knit Usually a rural community Tradition controls Resistance to changeBuildings erected without architect or blueprint using locally available building materialsanonymous origins, diffuses slowly through migration. Develops over time.Clustered distributions: isolation/lack of interaction breed uniqueness and ties to physical environment.Folk Culture

FOLK ARCHITECTURE

FOLK ARCHITECTUREEffects on Landscape: usually of limited scale and scope. Agricultural: fields, terraces, grain storageDwellings: historically created from local materials: wood, brick, stone, skins; often uniquely and traditionally arranged; always functionally tied to physical environment.

Maladaptive DiffusionDiffusion in which image takes place over precedence over practicality OR

Diffusion of an idea or innovation that is not suitable for the environment in which it diffused into (e.g., New England-style homes in Hawaii, or Ranch-style homes in northeast US).

Stable and close knit Usually a rural community Tradition controls Resistant to changeBuildings erected without architect or blueprint using locally available building materialsanonymous origins, diffuses slowly through migration. Develops over time.Clustered distributions: isolation/lack of interaction breed uniqueness and ties to physical environment.Folk Culture

FOLK FOODHow did such differences develop?

Hog Production and Food CulturesFig. 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.

Distribution of AmishFigure 4-4

Folk-housing: building styles that are particular to the culture of the people who have long inhabited the area; there are three distinct folk-housing regions in the United States (by way of Europe):

-New England: dating back to colonial times is of wood-frame and diffused past Wisconsin.

-Mid Atlantic: style originated as a one-room log cabin with a chimney at one end diffusing into Missouri, Arkansas, and Mississippi.

-Southern (Tidewater South): style was originally smaller, only one story, and a porch that diffused southward into Georgia. They were often built on a raised platform to reduce heat.Hearths of House Types

Hearths of House TypesFigure 4-12

U.S. House Types (19451990)Figure 4-16

U.S. House Types by RegionSmall towns in different regions of the eastern U.S. have different combinations of five main traditional house types.

SyriaDominican RepublicNewfoundlandNebraska

North American Folk Culture Regions

Food Taboos: Jews cant eat animals that chew cud, that have cloven feet; cant mix meat and milk, or eat fish lacking fins or scales; Muslims no pork; Hindus no cows (used for oxen during monsoon)Washing Cow in Ganges

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

Popular CultureWide Distribution: differences from place to place uncommon, more likely differences at one place over time.Housing: only small regional variations, more generally there are trends over timeFood: franchises, cargo planes, superhighways and freezer trucks have eliminated much local variation. Limited variations in choice regionally, esp. with alcohol and snacks. Substantial variations by ethnicity.

A Mental Map of Hip HopFig. 4-3: This mental map places major hip hop performers near other similar performers and in the portion of the country where they performed.

Diffusion of TV, 19541999Television has diffused widely since the 1950s, but some areas still have low numbers of TVs per population. Much media is still state-controlled. Ten Most Censored Countries:North KoreaMyanmar (Burma)TurkmenistanEquatorial GuineaLibyaEritreaCubaUzbekistanSyriaBelarusSource: The Committee to Protect Journalists. www.cpj.org.

Internet ConnectionsThe Internet is diffusing today, but access varies widely.

Internet ConnectionsThe Internet is diffusing today, but access varies widely. Some countries censor the Internet, but this is much harder to do.

Popular CultureEffects on Landscape: creates homogenous, placeless (Relph, 1976), landscapeComplex network of roads and highwaysCommercial Structures tend towards boxesDwellings may be aesthetically suggestive of older folk traditionsPlanned and Gated Communities more and more common

Surfing at Disneys Orlando Typhoon LagoonAre places still tied to local landscapes?Disconnect with landscape: indoor swimming pools? desert surfing?

Swimming Pool, West Edmonton Mall, CanadaDubais Indoor Ski Resort

Muslim Women in Traditional Dress at Indoor Ski Resort

Problems with the Globalization of CultureOften Destroys Folk Culture or preserves traditions as museum pieces or tourism gimmicks.Mexican Mariachis; Polynesian Navigators; Cruise Line SimulationsChange in Traditional Roles and Values; Polynesian weight problems

Satellite Television, Baja California

Western Media Imperialism?U.S., Britain, and Japan dominate worldwide media.Glorified consumerism, violence, sexuality, and militarism?U.S. (Networks and CNN) and British (BBC) news media provide/control the dissemination of information worldwide.These networks are unlikely to focus or provide third world perspective on issues important in the LDCs.

Problems with the Globalization of Popular Culture

Environmental Problems with Cultural GlobalizationAccelerated Resource Use through Accelerated ConsumptionFurs: minx, lynx, jaguar, kangaroo, whale, sea otters (18th Century Russians) fed early fashion trends.Consumerism evident in most Western Media fashions, including hip hop and rock and roll.Inefficient over-consumption of Meats (10:1), Poultry (3:1), even Fish (fed other fish and chicken) by meat-eating pop culturesMineral Extraction for Machines, Plastics and FuelNew larger housing desires and associated energy and water use.Golf courses use valuable water and destroy habitat worldwide.Pollution: waste from fuel generation and discarded products, plastics, marketing and packaging materials

Beijing, ChinaPalm Springs, CA

Marlboro Man in Egypt

Forbes Hip Hop Cash Kings, 2007

Fiji

Suburban Sprawl, Arizona

Progress?

*