Where do Folk and Popular Cultures Originate & Diffuse? Folk & Popular Culture Where do Folk and Popular Cultures Originate & Diffuse?

What is culture? Culture is a learned behaviour of people It is constantly changing and easily lost because it exists only in our minds It includes: Belief systems languages, Social relationships, Institutions and organizations, Material goods - food, clothing, buildings, tools, and machines. Culture consists of four elements that are "passed on from generation to generation by learning alone": values norms institutions artifacts

Values : Comprise ideas about what in life seems important Values : Comprise ideas about what in life seems important. They guide the rest of the culture. Norms : Consist of expectations of how people will behave in various situations. Each culture has methods, called sanctions, of enforcing its norms. Institutions: Institutions are the structures of a society within which values and norms are transmitted. Artifacts: Things, or aspects of material culture—derive from a culture's values and norms. Clothing Buildings Tools etc . **This chapter deals with Material Culture

Habit vs. Custom Repetitive act by individual Doesn’t imply that it’s been adopted by majority of pop. Examples? Custom Repetitive act by group Becomes characteristic Examples?

Popular Culture Folk Culture Practiced by small, homogeneous groups Isolated/rural areas/clustered Stable disappearing Popular Culture Large, heterogeneous societies Larger scale than folk culture/urban Extensive distribution conform

Remnants of surviving folk culture in the U.S.

Origin of Folk & Popular Cultures Hearth Folk cultures quite anonymous Pop. Culture product of MDCs (leisure time) Folk music vs. Pop music Evolution of dance

Origin and Diffusion of Folk and Popular Music Folk Music Originates anonymously Transmitted orally Modifications to songs over successive generations to represent changes in conditions. Content of songs centers on events in daily life that are familiar to the majority of people. Life-Cycle events E.g., birth, death, or marriage Environmental features E.g., agriculture or climate Migration of people also diffuses the music.

Origin and Diffusion of Folk and Popular Music Music written by specific individuals with the intent of being… Sold Performed in front of a paying audience Often displays a high degree of technical skill Musicians often have strong connections with other similar musicians that may span the globe. Limited connections with local musicians of different genres

Folk Origins Example the song "La Bamba" - many know this as older popular song in the US that initially was recorded by members of the Hispanic community in the 1960s and revived in the late 1980s, in fact La Bamba comes from a dance that entered Mexico along with African slaves perhaps as early as the 16th century La Bamba

Diffusion of Folk & Popular Cultures Pace of diffusion has sped up tremendously Pop. Culture – hierarchical diffusion Rapid, extensive diffusion transportation & communication Ex. Sports Folk Culture – relocation diffusion Slowly, on a smaller scale Migration Ex. The Amish

Sports originated as isolated folk customs and diffused like other folk culture via relocation diffusion. Example: Football (soccer) originated in England in the eleventh century. Transformation from folk to popular sport began in 1800s when organized clubs were formed in the UK. Professional players hired Standardized rules and organized professional league established in 1863 in UK marks formal transition from folk sport to popular sport.