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FOLK CULTURE & POPULAR CULTURE. TWO POLES OF A CONTINUUM. FOLK CULTURE Transmitted interpersonally Stable, conservative, traditionalist Based on idea of community (shared experience and mutual obligations) Clear-cut social roles, M/F division of labor Adapted to a particular environment.
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FOLK CULTURE & POPULAR CULTURE TWO POLES OF A CONTINUUM
FOLK CULTURE Transmitted interpersonally Stable, conservative, traditionalist Based on idea of community (shared experience and mutual obligations) Clear-cut social roles, M/F division of labor Adapted to a particular environment POPULAR CULTURE Transmitted by media such as books & TV Constantly changing and innovating Based on idea of society (specialized roles and interdependence, impersonal coordination) Flexible and vague social roles Not adapted to any particular environment
Persistent elements of folk culture (slowly disappearing) Architecture Vernacular regions Traditional medicine Music Vanishing elements of folk culture (quickly disappearing) Fences Barns Agricultural techniques Dance
“I prefer the company of peasants because they have not been educated sufficiently to reason incorrectly.” • Michel de Montaigne
A vernacular region is a shared, traditional way of ordering experience, therefore, it is part of folk culture… …an especially interesting part for geographers.
Folk Culture includes traditional medicine. What are some ways folk culture medicine gets incorporated into popular culture? • pharmaceutical companies “discover” and patent a compound • a substance becomes popular for “recreational” use • A technique like acupuncture or Chinese herbal medicine gains mainstream acceptance
Diffusion of the Rodeo Who started it? Receptivity of : Mexicans, Canadians, Mormons?
Diffusion of agricultural fairs What types of diffusion are operating here?
How is vernacular architecture (folk architecture) suited to its environment? • readily available materials • form responds to climate and weather patterns
What might be the reason for the “forebay” on Pennsylvania barns?
What kinds of environmental adaptation can you identify? How else could you build a house to do the same thing?
What elements of the Quebec farmhouse respond to climate? Do any elements seem to respond more to social factors?
Why is the Buriat Mongolian yurt so similar to the Navajo hogan?
Pueblo Architecture Northern New Mexico Pre-Columbian “condo” Suited to dry climate with cold, sunny winters strong diurnal temp swings “horno” bread oven
POPULAR CULTURE • Transmitted by media such as books & TV • Constantly changing and innovating • Based on idea of society (specialized roles and interdependence, impersonal coordination) • Flexible and vague social roles • Not adapted to any particular environment
when you get to Finland will it look even more familiar than this?
You are what you consume! Aside from income and the need/desire to be “fashionable,” what else differs between the light and dark regions on this map?
Stars & Fans Fans from US and Japan hold a candlelight vigil outside Neverland Ranch, Thursday, April 29, 2004, in Los Olivos, Calif. the night before Michael Jackson is scheduled to appear at the Santa Maria court for arraignment on child molestation charges
the most popular show on earth seen in 140 countries 32 languages part of $60 bill. export market understood as representative of Americans and American culture popular with teens
changing attitudes about women’s bodies… …also suggest changing attitudes about men’s self-control… … and about desire itself!
Don’t forget sports! which seems closer to folk culture: participatory or spectator sports?
Popular or folk culture? • it’s always a matter of degree • a point on the continuum • popular culture challenges folk culture • popular culture undermines folk culture • popular culture appropriates elements of folk culture • popular culture markets elements of folk culture
