Topic: Diffusion of Popular Culture Aim: How has the diffusion of popular culture impacted folk and local cultural patterns?

Popular Culture: Impact on the landscape Creates homogenous, “placeless” (Relph, 1976), landscape  Complex network of roads and highways  Commercial Structures tend towards ‘boxes’ Planned and Gated Communities more and more common

How are hearths of popular culture traits established? Typically begins with an idea/good and contagious diffusion. Companies can create/manufacture popular culture. (i.e.. MTV) Individuals can create/manufacture popular culture. (i.e.. Tony Hawk)-video games involving extreme sports popularized skateboarding and other sports.

Term coined by sociologist George Ritzer, meant to imply the paradigm of the fast-food industry as it applies to all levels of society. Stresses efficiency, cheap labor, identical production, control, and predictability of products For example….

How many people have eaten at the following locations? MARVEL ICE CREAM, LONG BEACH NY ALL AMERICAN BURGERS, MASSAPEQUA NY

What about these places? Raise your hand if you frequent any of them…

Problems of Popular Culture:

U.S., Britain, and Japan dominate worldwide media.  Glorified consumerism, violence, sexuality, and militarism?  U.S. (Networks and CNN) and British (BBC) news media provide/control the dissemination of information worldwide.  These networks are unlikely to focus or provide third world perspective on issues important in the LDCs. Western Media Imperialism:

Challenges in Accessing Electronic Media: –External Threat: Developed Countries Control the Media (“Western Media Imperialism - U.S., BBC, etc.) News –News media in developing countries dominated by the government, whereas media in the United States is largely private commercial stations. –Many African and Asian government officials criticize freedom of the press in the United States. »Allegedly media do not convey an accurate view of other countries.

Principal obstacle to accessing popular culture is lack of access to electronic media. Most important electronic media format to popular culture is TV for two reasons. 1.Watching TV is most popular leisure activity in the world. 2.TV is most important mechanism for rapidly diffusing popular culture around the world.

–Diffusion of TV: Mid-Twentieth Century TV technology originated simultaneously in multiple hearths in the early twentieth century— e.g., UK, France, Germany, Japan, Soviet Union, and the United States. Over the course of the twentieth century, the United States went from dominating the world share of TVs to being nearly equal in rates of ownership with most developing countries.

Internal Threat: Social Media Limiting Access to TV –Satellite dishes enable people to access information that would otherwise be censored by their governments. Some governments attempt to limit Internet content including: 1.Political Content »Opposition to local government 2.Social Content »Socially sensitive material, such as gambling or sex 3.Conflict and Security »Armed conflict, border disputes, or militant groups 4.Internet Tools » , Internet hosting, and Internet searches

Diffusion of Social Media: Twenty-First Century Same diffusion pattern as TV and Internet –Facebook »In 2008, Facebook users in United States consisted of 1/3 of all global users. »By 2011, global share decreased to 1/5. –Twitter »United States was source of 1/3 of all tweets in »Second leader of tweets is India.

Review: 1.What is place? 2.What is placelessness? 3.What did Ritzer mean when he described the “McDonaldization of society”? 4.In what different ways does popular culture create this placelessness? (give a few examples) 5.What is meant by “Western Media Imperialism” (give examples)

What does diffusion of popular culture do to local and folk cultures?

Beijing, China Palm Springs, CA

Marlboro Man in Egypt:

Beijing, China 2004

Surfing at Disney’s Orlando Typhoon Lagoon Are places still tied to local landscapes? Disconnect with landscape: indoor swimming pools? desert surfing?

Muslim Women in Traditional Dress at Indoor Ski Resort

Swimming Pool, West Edmonton Mall, Canada Dubai’s Indoor Ski Resort McDonald’s Restaurant, Venice

How do some cultures react to this process?

Little Sweden, USA (Lindsborg, KS): Why did the residents of Lindsborg define it as a Swedish place? Neolocalism : seeking out the regional culture and reinvigorating it in response to the uncertainty of the modern world.

Makah (Neah Bay, Washington) Why did the Makah reinstate the whale hunt? To reinvigorate the local culture. Makah killed a gray whale with a.50 calibre rifle as dictated by the International Whaling Commission- hoping that this would be more humane than the traditional harpoons.

Urban Local Cultures : Can create ethnic neighborhoods within cities. Creates a space to practice customs. Can cluster businesses, houses of worship, schools to support local culture. Migration into ethnic neighborhoods can quickly change an ethnic neighborhood. ie: Williamsburg, NY, North End (Boston), MA

Hassidic Jews in Brooklyn, Italians in North Boston, Mexicans in Pilsen in Chicago-all tight knit ethnic neighborhoods- Greatest Challenge to a local culture in a city is the migration of members of the popular culture or another local culture into their neighborhood

Cultural contrast-a Muslim family stops to film a Scottish bagpiper outside of Selfridges Department Store on Oxford Street, Hyde Park, London

Commodification: 1.What is a commodity? 2.How are aspects of local culture (material, non-material, place) commodified? 3.Who commodifies folk or local culture?

Traditions often preserved only as as museum pieces or tourism gimmicks: 1.Mexican Mariachis 2.Polynesian Navigators 3. Cruise Line Simulations Satellite Television, Baja California

Commodification vs. Authenticity: Commodification: the process by which a cultural practice becomes something that can be bought or sold. Authenticity: how do consumers determine what is “genuine” and what is not? A young Sioux form South Dakota prepares for a festival

Reterritorialization: people start to produce an aspect of pop culture themselves, doing so in the context of their local culture and place, making it their own. For example: Japanese baseball, European Hip Hop-MC Solaar-France, Die Fantastischen Vier-Germany, Jovanatti- Italy. How is this different from ‘glocalization’?

Syncretism-a fusion of old and new to create a new cultural trait. The examples below are foreign foods that have been modified to fit American tastes.

Brazil: the McCalabresa is a hamburger-sized slab of pepperoni on a bun. Quebecois: McDonald's patrons can get McPoutine. Greece: burgers in pita bread with yogurt sauce, tomato, lettuce & onions Greek Mac. Israelis :get to enjoy McShawarma and McCabe. Japan: Tamago Double Mac—two beef patties, pepper sauce, bacon. and a poached egg. Pakistanis: McChutney Burger and Poland's McKielbasa.”

How has Popular Culture and Globalization Changed the Role of Women?

The Changing Role of Women In what ways has globalization changed the traditional role of women?

Changing Role of Women: Diffusion of popular culture threatens the subservience of women in traditional, folk cultures? Women’s role traditionally in the private sphere (the home), and that of men in the public sphere (working, politics, etc). Globalization has challenged this concept

Negative Impacts for Women: In LDC’s, there is an increase in prostitution patronized by men travelling from MDC’s such as Japan, Northern European, and the United States “Sex Tours” offered primarily by Asian (and primarily southeast Asian) nations such as Thailand, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and others. Child Sex Tourism [CST] entails tourists, mostly men, engaged in sex trafficking by purposely traveling to known sex destinations, seeking anonymity in pornography or prostitution, or engaging in pederasty with young children and homosexuality with young and older adults.

Food Preferences & Taboos

Food Taboos in U.S. Avoid eating insects, despite nutritional value Canned mushrooms and tomato paste contain insects (though not commonly acknowledged) Deep fried giant water bugs are a snack in Thailand

Raise your hand if this is appetizing to you!

Food Preferences & Taboos: Certain foods are consumed based on their perceived benefits or detriments (whether true or false) Abipone Indians eat jaguars and bulls to gain bravery and strength Some Mediterranean cultures eat the mandrake plant, thought to enhance sexual prowess Any restriction on consumption habits due to perceived negative effects is called a food taboo

Food Taboo’s Ainus in Japan don’t eat otters who are thought of as forgetful animals Europeans traditionally blamed the potato for social ills due to the way it was grown In Papua, New Guinea, couples cannot eat together before marriage, however premarital sex is considered socially acceptable

Food Taboos & Religion: Religion plays an active role in food taboos. Kosher Law, Halal Meat, Prohibition of cow meat for Hindus, Prohibition of pork for Muslims Some of the rationales have a basis in sanitation and environment, however they cannot be explained solely this way. Social values also play an important role

Food Taboo Against Pork: Jews and Muslims Jews: needed pigs for farming Muslims: pigs unsuited for dry lands of Arabian Peninsula (would compete with humans for food without providing other benefits e.g. milk, wool, pulling plow) Why is the there a prohibition against eating cows in India?

Wine geography: Terroir: how environment shapes wine flavor –Soil, sunlight, slope, rainfall, etc. –Varies at the vineyard scale Appellation: place-of-origin label –Champagne, Bordeaux, Burgundy, etc. –Parmigiana Romano, Stilton, Camembert