Where are Folk & Popular Activities Distributed? CHAPTER 4 KEY ISSUE 1 Where are Folk & Popular Activities Distributed?

Important division- MATERIAL CULTURE - the physical objects, resources, and spaces that people use to define their culture NONMATERIAL CULTURE - the nonphysical ideas that people have, including beliefs, values, rules, norms, morals, language, and institutions

CULTURE is made up of the CUSTOMS of its people. A Habit is a repetitive act performed by an individual.

A Custom is a repetitive and defining act performed by a group.

Customs Include: Behavior Clothing Music Food Sports Attitudes

DAILY NECESSITIES MISWAK (rural Arab world)

DAILY NECESSITIES SALWAR KAMEEZ (Pakistan)

LEISURE ACTIVITIES

FOLK culture is STATIC and is practiced in more isolated places and by relatively homogenous groups

POPULAR culture is DYNAMIC and is found in larger, more connected, and more heterogeneous places

ORIGINS of FOLK CULTURE -Anonymous/unrecorded hearths -Multiple hearths, separated by isolation -Unrecorded dates (timeless) -Unidentified/unrecorded originators -Unofficial transmission- Oral stories/skills, often unwritten

TATREEZ (Palestinian folk clothing)

ORIGINS of POPULAR CULTURE -Product of developed countries -Typically North American or European (exceptions) -Origin usually traceable to specific party in a particular place and time -Time-sensitive (reflects current paradigm)

DIFFUSION of FOLK CULTURE Small scale and slow transmission from one location to another, primarily through relocation diffusion (migration)

DIFFUSION of POPULAR CULTURE Often transmitted by way of hierarchical diffusion Diffuses rapidly and extensively from specialized nodes of innovation (hearths) with help of modern communications

HEARTHS of Popular Culture TECHNOLOGY ‘Silicon Valley’; Japan, S. Korea… MUSIC Motown (soul), Nashville (country), urban centers (hip hop)… MOVIES Hollywood, Bollywood, Egypt… FASHION NYC, Paris, London, LA…

HOLLYWOOD/BOLLYWOOD STARS

DISTRIBUTION of FOLK CULTURE Combination of local physical and cultural factors influence distinctive distributions. Isolation from other cultures/groups because of physical barriers —e.g., long distances and mountain ranges Religion has heavy influence

Art from several cultural groups in proximity to each other – different due to varying environmental/religious experiences

DISTRIBUTION of POPULAR CULTURE Widely distributed across many countries with little/no regard for physical factors Stimulus diffusion Principal obstacle to access is lack of income to purchase the material (technology, fashion, etc..)

FOLK and POPULAR MUSIC

FOLK MUSIC Originates anonymously Transmitted orally (often unrecorded) Content centers on events in daily life that are familiar to most people, like- Daily Life events E.g., birth, death, marriage, love, loss Environmental features E.g., agriculture or climate Religion

Women in Kalahari desert region dancing/singing upon first rains of season

Like other folk artifacts, folk music is STATIC, relatively unchanging over time.

POPULAR MUSIC Music written by specific individuals with the intent of being- Sold as a recording Performed in front of a paying audience Often displays a high degree of technical skill or refinement Transmitted/diffused through technology Strong connections with other similar (but possibly disparate) musicians

LANDSCAPE OF MUSIC PROJECT

Popular music is highly DYNAMIC, changing and shifting rapidly along with cultural preferences.

Folk and Popular SPORTS

Sports originated as isolated folk customs and diffused like other folk culture via relocation diffusion.

Once a sport becomes focused on profitable consumption by a MARKET (teams, leagues) and its rules become STANDARDIZED, it has become POPULAR.

…But none has diffused as widely as SOCCER, the world’s most popular sport

FOLK ORIGINS of SOCCER SOCCER was invented in the 11th century in ENGLAND. Different versions of the game were played in different towns/cities Over time, the game became more standardized and popular in England

POPULAR ORIGINS of SOCCER During the Industrial Rev’n, factories would form teams to play other factories In 1863, the first LEAGUE is formed, and the rules were fully standardized for the first time. People begin to PAY to watch games- and athletes get PAID (spectator sport)

SPREAD of SOCCER Travelers to England, and those in contact with English travelers, hear about or play the sport. Dutch students bring it to Continental Europe in the 1870s; Spanish miners start playing in the 1880s. Soccer is spread worldwide by empires, especially the BRITISH EMPIRE.

Today, soccer is by far the most widely dispersed sport in the world Today, soccer is by far the most widely dispersed sport in the world. Because it is so simple, it is often called the ‘poor mans sport.’ FIGURE 4-12 GLOBAL SPORTS: WORLD CUP Most countries in Europe and Latin America have qualified for the World Cup finals. As soccer diffuses worldwide, qualification has increased in other regions.

REGIONALLY POPULAR SPORTS CRICKET is played in many former British colonies, including countries in the Caribbean, India, and Australia.

FIGURE 4-14 CRICKET Boys play cricket in Katni, India.

REGIONALLY POPULAR SPORTS RUGBY was adapted from SOCCER in 1823 when a player in RUGBY, ENGLAND picked up the ball and ran; the crowd loved it. Today, Rugby is widely played in former British colonies, like Cricket. The sport is most popular in AUSTRALIA and NEW ZEALAND, and became an OLY MPIC EVENT in 2016.