1. Chapter 4: Folk & Popular Culture
Figure 4.14
Beijing, China. RenRen, the Facebook of China, is a popular social network among college students. It now has over 165 million registered users. Wang Xing, who launched and sold Renren, has since launched Chinese versions of Twitter and Groupon. © Alamy Limited.
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2. Key Question What are local and popular cultures?
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3. What Are Local & Popular Cultures?
A culture is the body of material traits, customary beliefs, and social forms that together constitute the distinct tradition of a group of people.
A group of people who share common beliefs can be recognized as a culture in one of two ways:
The people call themselves a culture.
Other people (including academics) can label a certain group of people as a culture.
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4. How Does a Culture Influence a Behavior?
A habit is a repetitive act that a particular individual performs, such as wearing jeans to class every day.
A custom is a repetitive act of a group, performed to the extent that it becomes characteristic of the group – such as many students typically wearing jeans to class
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5. How Does a Culture Influence a Behavior?
A custom is therefore a habit that has been widely adopted by a group of people habit does not imply that the act has been adopted.
In this chapter custom may be used to denote a specific element of material culture such as wearing jeans, whereas culture refers to a group’s ENTIRE collection of customs
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6. Introducing Folk and Popular Culture – Two Types of Culture
Folk culture is traditionally practiced primarily by small, homogeneous groups living in (typically) isolated rural areas (Strong family ties and strong interpersonal relationships).
Popular culture is large, incorporates heterogeneous societies that share certain habits despite differences in other personal characteristics.
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7. Introducing Folk and Popular Culture – Two Types of Culture
Landscapes dominate by folk culture change relatively little over time.
It is more likely to vary from place to place at a given time.
Poplar culture is based on rapid simultaneous global connections through communication systems.
Fueled by mass media and consumerism – including visual and performing arts.
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8. Introducing Folk and Popular Culture – Two Types of Culture
Global scale – popular culture is becoming more dominant and is threatening the survival of unique folk culture and the environment.
Folk culture is derived from local natural elements whereas popular culture is more likely to modify the environment.
Pop culture does not reflect the local environment; it looks the same anywhere it appears.
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9. Origin, Diffusion, and Distribution of Folk and Popular Culture
Each cultural element has a unique spatial distribution – in general, distribution is more extensive for popular culture than for folk culture.
Two ways to explain the different spatial distribution of popular and folk cultures:
The process of origin
Pattern of diffusion
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Origin – Folk Culture
Often Folk culture will have anonymous hearths (unknown dates, locations, originators)
Artifacts include music, food, entertainment, fashion, recreation and various forms of art
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11. Origin – Popular Culture
Popular culture is typically traceable to a specific person or place and conveyed by terms such as “fad” or “trend”.
Example – Hip Hop – is considered to have originated on August 11, 1973 NY.
First Rap Song – Blondie – “Rapture”
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12. Origin – Popular Culture
Pop music and culture like food and clothing arise from combination of technology and increased leisure time.
Industrial technology permits the uniform reproduction of objects in large quantities (iPhones, T-shirts, pizzas at Little Caesars)
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13. Diffusion – Folk Culture
Folk culture is transmitted from one location to another relatively slowly and on a small scale.
Primarily through relocation diffusion migration.
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14. Diffusion – Popular Culture
Diffuses rapidly and extensively from hearths or nodes of innovation with the help of modern communication
Typically spreading through the process of hierarchical diffusion.
Hearth - Point of origin
Examples include techno music, Hip Hop, Metal
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Motley Crue
Loudness
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16. Distribution – Popular Culture
Popular culture is distributed widely across many countries, With little regard for physical factors.
Distribution is influenced by the ability of people to access the material.
The principal obstacle is the lack of income
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17. Distribution – Folk Culture
Combination of local, physical and cultural factors influence distinctive distributions.
The principal obstacle is distance and mountain ranges.
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18. Distribution – Folk Culture (Religion)
Despite proximity in the Himalaya Mountains of Bhutan, Nepal, northern India and southern Tibet contains four religious groups:
Tibetan Buddhists in the north
Hindus in the south
Muslims in the west
Southeast Asian folk religionists in the east
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19. Geographical Differences Between Folk and Popular Culture
The region covered by a folk culture is typically much smaller than that covered by a popular culture.
The reason: connections or lack of it.
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20. Origin and Diffusion of Folk Music
According to Chinese legend, music was invented in 2697 B.C.
In reality, folk songs originate anonymously and are transmitted orally
Content is often derived from events in daily life – life-cycles (birth, death and marriage) or environmental features (agricultural climate).
Migration of people also diffuses the music.
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21. Origin and Diffusion of Popular Music
Originated in 1900, invented with the intent of being sold or performed in front of a paying audience.
Written to provide musical entertainment for music halls and vaudeville.
The music industry was in New York and went worldwide in 1940s and the Armed Forces Radio Network.
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22. Origin and Diffusion of Popular Music
New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco – examples of cities with cultural activities that appeal to a wide variety of artists and cluster musicians.
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23. Folk Culture: Origin of Soccer
Worlds most popular sport – known as football by the rest of the world – originates as a folk custom in England in 11th century.
As with other folk customs, soccer’s origin is obscure.
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24. Popular Culture: Diffusion of Soccer
Becomes popular culture in 1800s as a way to provide factory workers with recreation.
Increasing leisure time permitted people not only to play but also view them.
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25. Olympic and Folk Sports
To be in the Summer Olympics a sport must be widely played in 75 countries (50 for women) and on four continents – Sports that do not meet this criteria – American football and baseball.
Most sports are diffused less than soccer.
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Cricket
Popular in U.K. and on former British Colonies – South Asia (India),South Pacific and Caribbean Islands
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Ice Hockey and Wushu
Ice Hockey prevails in colder climates – Russia and Northern Europe
Wushu is China’s most popular sport – Martial Arts
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28. Australian Rules Football
Distinctive form of football developed in Australia – Rugby is a different take on the same idea
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Lacrosse
Played by the Iroquois, Europeans colonists in Canada would pick it up and diffuse it United States North East.
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