Chapter 4.1: Where do folk/popular cultures originate?

1. Chapter 4.1: Where do folk/popular cultures originate?

2. 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

3. 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.

4. 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

5. 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.

6. 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)

7. 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

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

9. 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

10. Chapter 4.2: Why is Folk Culture Clustered?

11. 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

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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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)

16. 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.

17. 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

18. Chapter 4.3: Why is Pop Culture Widely Distributed?

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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

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

25. 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.

26. 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

27. Today the level of TV services falls into four categories • Nearly every home owns a TV (US, Japan) • Ownership is common but not universal (Latin America, Romania) • TV exists but is not widely diffused due to cost (some Asian, African) • Very few to none (30 countries in Asia, Africa) • During the rule of the Taliban, watching TV was punishable with jail time

28. 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.

29. 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

30. Chapter 4.4: Problems with Globalization of Pop Culture

31. 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

32. 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

33. 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)

34. 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

35. 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

36. 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

37. 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

38. 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)

39. 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.

40. 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

41. 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

42. 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)