Chapter 4.1: Where do folk/popular cultures originate?

Origin of Folk and Pop Culture

• Folk customs often come from anonymous hearths at unknown times while pop culture typically comes from more developed countries (pop music, pizza)

• Origin of Folk Music– According to Chinese legend, music was

invented in 2697 BC– In reality, folk songs are usually created

anonymously and are transmitted orally– Can change from generation to

generation, usually shaped by daily events– Often tell stories about farming, life-cycle

events (birth, death, marriage), or mysterious events such as storms or earthquakes

– Can occur independently in multiple hearths: example country music

Origin of Country Music

Fig. 4-1: U.S. country music has four main hearths, or regions of origin: southern Appalachia, central Tennessee and Kentucky, the Ozark-Ouachita uplands, and north-central Texas.

• Origin of Pop Music– Written by specific people

with the intent of selling to a large number of people

– Originated around 1900 in New York, neighborhood becomes known as Tin Pan Alley

– During WWII the Armed Forces Radio Network broadcasts music worldwide

– Hip hop originated in the 1970’s in the South Bronx, does not spread until the late 1980’s

A Mental Map of Hip Hop

Fig. 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 Folk and Pop Culture

• The spread of pop culture typically follows a pattern of hierarchical diffusion

• Nodes in the US include Hollywood (film), Madison Ave (advertising)

• Pop culture spreads rapidly through modern communication and transportation

• Folk culture is spread much more slowly and on a smaller scale

• Usually through migration rather than electronically (relocation diffusion)

• The Amish: Relocation Diffusion of Folk Culture– The Amish have distinctive

clothing, farming, religious practices, and other customs

– They shun mechanical and electrical power

– Diffused by moving to Pennsylvania and then Ohio, Indiana, Iowa

– Now moving to Kentucky for farmland

Amish Settlements in the U.S.

Fig. 4-4: Amish settlements are distributed through the northeast U.S.

• Sports: Hierarchical Diffusion of Pop Culture– Soccer originated in

England during the early 1000’s

– Increased leisure time in the 1800’s allowed it to spread across England and later to colonies

– Sports have become a huge part of popular culture

Chapter 4.2: Why is Folk Culture Clustered?

Isolation Promotes Cultural Diversity• A group’s unique folk customs

develop through centuries of relative isolation from customs of other cultural groups.

• Folk customs observed at a point in time vary widely from one place to another, even in nearby places

• Himalayan Art– Four cultural groups near each other

but isolated (Buddhists, Islam, Hindu, Animists)

– In spite of proximity, each has different religions and very different depictions of things such as climate, landforms and vegetation

Himalayan Folk Cultural Regions

Fig. 4-5: Cultural geographers have identified four distinct culture regions based on predominant religions in the Himalaya Mountains.

Influence of the Physical Environment

• People respond to and adapt to the physical environment, but it is only one of several influences over social customs

• Customs such as food, clothing and shelter are clearly influenced by climate

• Folk societies are very responsive to the environment due to relatively low technology and prevalence of an agricultural economy

• Food and shelter illustrate the influence of cultural values and the environment on the unique development of folk culture

– Food preferences• People adapt their food preferences to conditions the

environment• Climate, rainfall, lack of fuel (uncooked soybeans)• Transylvania- Jews, Armenians, Hungarians all have

their own soup preferences in spite of modern pop culture erases folk differences

– Food Attractions and Taboos• Some foods are eaten because their

natural properties are believed to increase strength, fierceness, intellect or even lovemaking ability (jaguars, bulls, mandrake)

• Some people refuse to eat certain plants or animals that are thought to have negative properties. These restrictions imposed by social customs are known as taboos

• Europeans once resisted the potato, pregnant women in Chad won’t eat chicken, the Bible restricts fish lacking fins, Muslims-pork, Hindus-cows

• Even in pop-culture countries there are taboos (US: Insects)

Hog 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.

• Folk Housing– Housing is a product of cultural

tradition and natural conditions– Choice of building materials is

largely influenced by the environment

– Two most common building materials in world: wood and brick

– The form and orientation of the house depends on culture (i.e. Madagascar)

– Climate is also a big influence on housing design

Chapter 4.3: Why is Pop Culture Widely Distributed?

Diffusion of Popular Housing, Clothing, and Food

• There are some regional differences, but in modern MDC’s there are fewer and fewer differences

• Popular Housing Styles– US houses built since 1940

illustrate how popular customs vary over time rather than place

– 1940: Minimal Traditional homes were one story with few decorative details. Small, modest homes designed for returning WWII vets

– 1950’s-60’s: Ranch Style homes are one story and spread over a large lot, reflect urban sprawl

– 1950’s-70’s: Split Level homes add the addition of the Family Room for TV watching

– 1960’s-Today: Replaces the large “family” room into separate family rooms and living rooms

• Rapid Diffusion of Clothing Styles– Clothing habits show how popular culture is

distributed with little regard for physical features

– Clothing depends more on availability of income and job characteristics

– In North America and W. Europe people dress for their professions (White collar v. Blue collar)

– Women’s fashion changes yearly, it takes income to keep up

– Communication has also permitted quick diffusion of clothing (runways of Europe to America)

– Improved travel has exposed the world to more folk clothes, and many groups continue to dress this way to attract tourism

– Jeans• The most visible

symbol of Western pop culture

• Although globalized, there are some local variations (button fly vs. zipper)

• Jeans were an obsession and status symbol in communist Soviet Union

• Popular Food Customs– Also depends on the availability of wealth– Consumption of alcoholic beverages and

snack foods are characteristics of pop food culture

– There are regional preferences of alcohol and religion also influences choices

– Research shows that choices are influenced more by income and national advertising

– Environment can play a role in distribution of popular culture as well as folk

• Wine production: works best in temperate regions and on hillsides as well as near a lake or river

Wine Production per Year

Fig. 4-13: The distribution of wine production shows the joint impact of the physical environment and social customs.

Alcohol Preferences in the U.S.

Fig. 4-12: Per capita consumption of rum (top) and Canadian whiskey (bottom) show different distributions and histories of diffusion.

Role of Television in Diffusing Popular Culture

• A significant popular custom for two reasons– Most popular leisure activity in more

developed countries throughout the world

– Most important mechanism for the diffusion of popular culture (such as pro sports)

• Diffusion of Television– First viewed in the US in 1930’s but

slowed by WWII– By 1959 the number grows to 50

million homes with TV’s– Spread around the world during the

60’s

– Today the level of TV services falls into four categories1. Nearly every home owns a TV

(US, Japan)

2. Ownership is common but not universal (Latin America, Romania)

3. TV exists but is not widely diffused due to cost (some Asian, African)

4. Very few to none (30 countries in Asia, Africa)

– During the rule of the Taliban, watching TV was punishable with jail time

Diffusion of TV, 1954–1999

Fig. 4-14: Television has diffused widely since the 1950s, but some areas still have low numbers of TVs per population.

• Government Control of TV– In the US most TV stations

are owned by private corporations which receive licenses from the government

– In most of the world TV stations are controlled by the government to limit speech against them

– With the spread of satellite technology governments are not able to control TV as much

– As satellite dishes get smaller they are even easier to hide from the government

Chapter 4.4: Problems with Globalization of Pop Culture

• International diffusion of popular culture has created two problems

• It threatens the survival of traditional folk culture in many countries

• It is less responsive to the diversity of local environments and create adverse environmental impacts

Threat to Folk Culture

• Rising income can fuel demand for possessions typical of pop culture

• When people turn from folk to pop culture they often abandon their society’s traditional values

• Loss of values– One example of this struggle is

clothing– Developing countries are often

replacing traditional clothes with more western styles

– The Western business suit has been adopted by businessmen and government officials around the world

– In the middle east there is a struggle between those who are adopting Western clothes and those who wish to retain traditional styles of dress (men and women)

• Change in Traditional Role of Women– Diffusion of pop

culture threatens the subservience of women to men that is in most folk cultures

– Limited to housework- cooking, cleaning, child rearing

– The Taliban violently opposed changes in women’s role, punishable by death

– Low levels of education and high rates of violence have held women back in some of these countries

– In MDC’s women have found much more equality

– Increased interaction between LDC’s and MDC’s has led to increases in prostitution in LDC’s which highly encourage it to bring in money

• Threat of Foreign Media Imperialism– Leaders of some LDC’s view

the popular media as a threat to their independence (news and TV)

– The US, Japan and Britain dominate the television industry in LDC’s

– American beliefs such as social mobility, rights for women and stylized violence may conflict with or drive out traditional values

– LDC’s believe that western control of news media leads to a western slant on news

Environmental Impact of Pop Culture

• Popular culture is less likely than folk culture to be distributed with consideration of physical features

• Modifying nature– Popular culture is often

imposed on the environment, rather than springing from it

– For many popular customs, the environment is something that must be modified to enhance leisure activities or promote sales of products

– Diffusion of golf• Golf has become a very

popular sport across America

• They are designed partially in response to local conditions (grass, existing trees)

• But often the environment must be remade dramatically to build the courses (raising or lowing hills, digging ponds, cutting grass)

Golf Courses in Metropolitan Areas

Fig. 4-16: The 50 best-served and worst-served metropolitan areas in terms of golf holes per capita, and areas that are above and below average.

• Uniform Landscapes– Distribution of pop culture has

led to much more uniform landscapes

– Fast food restaurants• Usually organized as

franchises, sell logo and menu to local business people

• Cheap, quick food as well as a social outlet for teenagers are some of the appeals

• Have spread all over the world and are readily identifiable by their signs and architecture

• Gas stations, supermarkets, and motels are also similar examples

– Global Diffusion of Uniform Landscapes

• Fast food has spread globally, originally to attract American business people but also to satisfy local curiosity of locals who have seen it on TV

• Not confined to US products, Japanese cars and electronics have spread the same way

• Negative Environmental Impact– Diffusion of pop culture can impact environmental quality in two

ways: depletion of natural resources and pollution– Demand for natural resources

• Pop customs often require minerals for production of goods, petroleum for energy, even animals for certain fashions

• Increased demand for products can strain the capacity of the environment (oil, wood, etc.)

– Pollution• Popular culture generates a great deal of pollution (solid,

liquid, and gas)• Often products are discarded rather than re-used or recycled

(throw away society)