Folk and Popular

Culture
Chapter 4
 Introduction
• Why do people living in different locations
have such different social customs?
• How are social customs related to the
cultural landscape?
• Folk culture- culture traditionally practiced
by a small, homogeneous, rural group living
in relative isolation from other groups
• Popular culture- culture found in a large,
heterogeneous society that shares certain
habits despite differences in other personal
characteristics
Origins of Folk and Popular
Culture
• Social customs originate at a hearth (center
of innovation)
• The hearths of folk customs are often
unknown (who, when, and where)
• Popular culture is usually a product of MDCs,
esp. North America, Western Europe, and
Japan
• Ex.’s pop music and fast food
– MDCs have technology to mass produce and the
leisure time to enjoy pursuits other than food
production
 Folk vs. Popular Music
• Difference b/w folk and popular music exemplify
the differences b/w folk and pop culture
• Folk music usually has unknown origins and tells
stories of everyday daily activities such as
farming, or mysterious events such as
earthquakes
• Popular music is written and produced by
specific individuals to be mass produced and sold
– Org. around 1900 in NYC
– Really began to spread around the world during WWII
– Hip Hop is popular music that has a folk appeal to it
 Diffusion of Folk and
Popular Cultures
• Popular culture usually spreads thru
hierarchical diffusion
• In the US the nodes would be Hollywood,
and Madison Avenue in NYC
– Diffuses rapidly because of modern
communication and transportation
• Folk culture is transmitted more slowly thru
relocation diffusion (product of migration)
– Hip hop considered pop rather than folk because
it diffuses thru electronics
 The Amish: Relocation
Diffusion of Folk Culture
• Have distinctive clothing, farming, and
religious practices
• Leave a distinctive mark on the cultural
landscape
• First came to US in 1700s, most to
Penn., but also to OH, IL, and Iowa
• Diffused slowly to other parts of the US
in search of cheap farmland
• Now have distinctive settlements in 17
states
 Sports: Hierarchical
Diffusion of Popular
• Unfortunately and
Culture
inexplicably , soccer is
the World’s most popular
sport
• Early form originated
around the eleventh
century in England
• Changed from folk
culture to popular
culture in the 1800s
• Clubs were founded by
factories and churches
to provide recreation for
workers
 continued
• 1863 rules were standardized in
Great Britain and soccer became a
part of pop. Culture
• Soccer was exported to Europe in
1870 and later to parts of the British
Empire
• All organized spectator sports are
part of pop. Culture today
Isolation Promotes Cultural
Diversity
• Folk customs develop through
centuries of relative isolation from
customs practiced by other groups
– Ex. Himalayan Art
• Read about it p. 120
 Influence of the Physical
Environment
• Environmental determinism
– Belief that physical environment caused
all human activities
• Not accepted as true today –possibilism

• Environment is only one of several

controls over social customs
 continued
• Customs such as provision of food, clothing ,
and shelter are clearly influenced by the
climate, soil, and vegetation of a place
• Folk cultures are particularly influenced by
the environment because they lack
technology to overcome it
• Broad differences in folk culture arise in
part due to physical conditions
• Food and shelter can be used to
demonstrate the influence of cultural values
and the environment on the development of
folk culture
 Distinctive Food
Preferences
• Folk food habits derive from the environment
• We eat plants and animals that live and grow in
the areas we live
• In areas where cooking fuel is scarce, cultures
come up with clever ways to use the food without
much cooking
• Terroir- the contribution of a location’s distinctive
physical features to the way food tastes
– often used to describe wine
• How the soil and climate effect the taste of wine grown in
certain regions
 continued
• Food customs are also influenced by
cultural values
• Ethnicity and religious beliefs effect
what people eat
• Food taboos exist in many religions
• A restriction on behavior imposed by a
social custom
– Ex. Muslims and Jews don’t eat pork
– Just so happens that pigs are suited to live on the
Arabian peninsula and is not suited for pastoral
societies of Eastern Med. Sea
 continued
• Food attractions also exist
– Often thought to enhance desirable
qualities
• Ex. Aphrodisiacs
– Rhino horn powder, Spanish Fly, chocolate
 Folk Housing
• Folk housing is a product of cultural
tradition and natural conditions
• Obviously, building materials are
influenced by what is available in the
surrounding environment
• Size and number of windows, and
the pitch of the roof are often
environmental concerns as well
 continued
• Form of some houses might reflect
religious values
– Ex. Sacred walls or corners
• In parts of China the NW wall is sacred
• In Madagascar furniture
arrangement in the home is
influenced by religious values
 US Folk House Forms
• Older houses in US display local folk-
culture traditions
• As people moved west, they built homes
similar to where they came from on the
East Coast
• 3 major hearths of folk home forms in US
1. New England
2. Middle Atlantic
3. Lower Chesapeake
New England
• 4 major house
types popular in
18th and 19th
centuries
• Can be found in
Great Lakes
Region today
Middle Atlantic
• Major type known
as an “I-house”
– 2 stories with
gables on the sides
– Only one room
deep and at least
two rooms wide
• Found in the Ohio
Valley and in the
Midwest
 Lower Chesapeake
• Also known as Tidewater style
• Typically one story with a steep roof
and chimneys at either end
• Spread down the SE coast
• Houses in wet areas were often built
on piers to raise it above possible
flooding
 Why is Popular Culture
Widely Distributed?
• Pop culture varies more in time than
in place because it diffuses rapidly to
places with a sufficiently high level
of economic development to acquire
the material possessions associated
with pop culture
 Diffusion of Popular
Housing
• Housing styles built since the 940s
demonstrate how popular customs
vary more in time than in place
• Since the end of WWII two
architectural styles have dominated
in the US
1. Modern (1945-60)
2. Neo-eclectic (since 1960)
 Modern House Styles
• Specific types of modern house styles
were popular at different times
• Late 1940s and early 1950s minimal
transitional was the dominant style
• Late 50s into the 60s the ranch style
house dominated
• Between the 50s and 70s the split-
level become popular
 Neo-Eclectic House
Styles
• Become popular in
the 60s and passes
modern styles in
the 70s
Rapid Diffusion of Clothing
Styles
• In MDCs clothing habits often reflect
occupations rather than particular
environments
• Businessmen wear different clothes
than factory workers
• Higher income is also a big influence
on clothing in MDCs
– Women’s clothing styles change every year
• Therefore, they update their wardrobe more
often if they can afford it
 Popular Food Customs
• Consumption of large quantities of
alcoholic bev. and snack foods are
characteristic of popular societies
– Regional differences are based upon
what is produced locally and cultural
backgrounds (esp. religion)
 Role of Television in
Diffusing Popular Culture
• Television is an important pop.
Custom for 2 reasons
1. Most popular leisure activity in
MDCs
2. Most important mechanism by
which knowledge of popular
culture is rapidly diffused across
Earth
 Diffusion of Television and
Internet
• In 1954 the US had 86% of TVs in the
World, UK 9%, USSR 2%, Canada 2%,
and the remainder were divided among
Cuba, Mexico, France, and Brazil
• By 1970 rapid growth in ownership in
Europe brought the US % down to 25%
– Half the world still had little or no
broadcasting (Africa and Asia)
continued
 continued
• Diffusion of the internet followed a similar
pattern, just at a much faster pace
• 1995, 25 million of the 40 million internet
users in the World were in the US
• By 2000, there were 400 million users,
31% of which were in the US
• Right now only about 10% of users are in
LDCs, but that is expected to increase
rapidly
 Government Control of
Television
• In US, most stations are owned by
corporations that receive licenses from the
gov. (make profits by selling advertisements)
– Some stations are owned by nonprofits or local
gov. and are used for educational programs
• This pattern is found in Western hemisphere
countries, but is rare in the rest of the World
• In most developed countries broadcasting is
done by a public corporation or a public-
private partnership
 continued
• In Canada, the CBC receives gov.
grants, and in Britain (BBC) and Japan
(NHK) the broadcasting company gets
a license fee from TV owners
– Independence from gov. interference is
guaranteed in their charters
• In LDCs, direct management of TV is
done through a gov. agency
– True in China, India, and many other
countries in Asia, and Africa
• They censor TV to make sure programs will not
contradict gov. policies
 Reduced Government
Control
• Television signals are only good for about 60
miles
• In the past, few people could actually pick up
broadcasts from other countries
• Cable and Satellite have made TV a force for
political change
• Many Asian countries try to keep their
citizens form obtaining dishes
– Dishes hastened the collapse of communism in
Eastern Europe as more Western programs were
able to be seen
Why Does the Globalization
of Popular Culture Cause
Problems?
• 2 major problems
1. Threatens the survival of folk
culture
2. Pop culture may be less responsive
to the diversity of local
environments and consequently
may generate adverse
environmental impacts
 Threat to Folk Culture
• When people turn
from folk culture to
popular culture they
sometimes turn away
from traditional
values as well
• Can lead to
dominance of
Western Perspectives
 Loss of Traditional
Values
• Urban people in many African and Asian
countries have adopted Western clothing
– It has been adopted a sign of success
• Causes problems in many Middle Eastern
countries who do not want Western
influence
• Diffusion of pop. Culture also threatens
the subservience of women to men that is
embedded in many folk customs
 continued
• Taliban in Afghanistan did not allow
women to attend school, work outside the
home, or drive a car—also could not leave
the home without a male (relative) escort
• Pop. Culture has brought ideas of legal
equality and economic and social
opportunities to many LDCs
• On the negative side, “sex tours” have led
to an increase in prostitution in South and
Southeast Asia
 Threat of Foreign Media
Imperialism
• Leaders of many LDCs view influx of pop
culture as a threat to independence
– He mass media plays a big role in this
• Esp. news-gathering organizations
• The US, UK, and Japan dominate television
in LDCs
• LDC leaders view this as a method of
economic and cultural imperialism
• American shows present American beliefs
and social forms
 Western Control of the
News Media
• Diffusion of information to
newspapers around the world are
dominated by the Associated Press
(AP) and Reuters
• Stories that other countries get focus
more on news of MDCs
• Many African and Asian gov.’s criticize
the idea of freedom of the press
 Environmental Impact of
Popular Culture
• Pop. Culture can significantly modify
or control the environment
• We often modify environments to
increase leisure
– Ex. Golf course
• Avg. about 200 acres
 Uniform Landscapes
• Distribution of pop. culture around the
world leads to more uniform landscapes
• Promoters of pop. culture want a
uniform appearance to generate
“product recognition”
– Ex. Diffusion of fast food restaurants
• Look similar around the world so travelers can
easily identify them
– Gas stations, supermarkets, and hotels follow a similar
pattern
 continued
• In 1970s American, European, and
Japanese cars all looked very
different
• Today they look more similar than
different
 Negative Environmental
Impact
• 2 ways this might happen
1. Depletion of scarce natural
resources
2. pollution
 continued
• Pop culture demands • Pop culture
a large amount of generates a high
natural resources to volume of waste—
manufacture certain solids, liquids, and
goods
gases
• Minerals can be over
• Solid waste is
mined and animals
can become particularly
endangered in the problematic
name of pop culture