Unit 3 Culture

Folk and Popular Culture

 Culture
• Means “to care about”
• Defined as all the ideas, practices and material
objects associated with a particular group of
people
• Cultural geographers
study how cultures
vary over space
 Cultural terms
• Culture trait - Each specific custom that is part of everyday
life, including language, religion, ethnicity
• Norms - a cultures acceptable and expected behavior
• Cultural complex - interrelated group of traits that define
a particular culture
Ex. U.S. values cars, transportation, symbolized wealth, personality;
Masai value cattle, sign of wealth & prestige; Native-Americans
value family, land, nature
 Cultural hearths
All customs have hearths, or places of origin
MAJOR CULTURE HEARTHS
areas from which important culture traits, including
ideas, technology, and social
structures, originated
 Transculturation
• Cultural hearths and traits expand broadly
through processes of diffusion, adoption and
assimilation; referred to collectively as
transculturation
 Types of Diffusion
• Diffusion – the process by which a
characteristic spreads across space from one
place to another over time
There are 2 types of Diffusion:
• Relocation Diffusion
• The innovation or idea is physically carried to
new areas by migrating individuals or
populations.
• ex. Christianity brought to the New World by
missionaries and colonists.
7
 Diffusion of Jazz

Relocation diffusion
 Types of Diffusion
• Expansion Diffusion

Contagious diffusion-rapid, widespread diffusion by

direct contact. Affects all areas uniformly as it
spreads outward. E.g. the spread of Islam.
Hierarchical diffusion-or cascade diffusion-the
process of spreading ideas first between large cities
and only later to smaller cities.
Stimulus diffusion-the spread of an underlying
principle even though the main idea is not spread. Ex.
cell phones, video games
A
Contagious Diffusion

B
Hierarchical Diffusion
The Devil Wears Prada
C
Stimulus Diffusion

10
11
 Types of Diffusion
Reverse hierarchical diffusion - a trait diffuses
from lower class to a higher class, or from a
small town to a city
Ex. Walmart, tattoos from seaport to
mainstream, Harley Davidson motorcycles

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 Diffusion of Walmart

Example of reverse hierarchical

diffusion
Distance Decay

14
 Effects of globalization
Space-time convergence - due to technological
innovations in communication and
transportation, places seem closer together,
faster
Cultural convergence - the more two cultures
interact, the more alike they will become. Their
values, ideologies, behaviors, arts, and customs
will start to reflect each other.
Happens thanks to ease of communication,
speaking English, ease of transportation
 Transculturation
• Cultural hearths and traits expand broadly
through processes of diffusion, adoption and
assimilation; referred to collectively as
transculturation
 more Transculturation
• Assimilation – the process of a migrant
conforming into the dominant cultural
mainstream; the loss of their own culture
Ex. a second generation immigrant that can’t speak their
native language, or cook the native food
• Acculturation – adoption of the dominant
group’s cultural traits, though the minority
group may also retain many of their
traditional customs
(often a result of migration or colonization)
 Barriers to Diffusion
• Physical barriers – ocean,
mountain, spatial distance

• Distance Decay
• Cultural barriers may pose
obstacles to cultural
diffusion-taboos or religious
beliefs.

• Psychological – localization,
ethnocentrism

• Cultural lag - when a social

group is economically or
psychologically
unresponsive to change. 18
 Taboo
• something that is seen
“How much money do
as distasteful, immoral, you make?”
or inappropriate in a
particular culture
 Ethnocentrism
• belief that your culture
is superior
• opinion that one’s way
of life is the “correct”
way

Nativism - the policy

promoting and protecting
the interests of native
inhabitants against
immigrants
 Colonialism
-ethnocentrism may lead to one culture or country
taking over another, instituting the “best” cultural
practices
Examples:
• language, dress, religion
• U.S forcing Native-American children into boarding
schools to learn Christianity, English, being on time,
cut hair
• Official language in India is English due to United
Kingdom colonizing them making government
function in English
 Cultural imperialism
• Dominance of one culture over another
• Occurs in present day as pop culture, which is
easily diffused across national boundaries;
causes local traditions to either die out or
become completely commercialized
Why do they speak English in India? Why do the
police in the Bahamas dress like the English? Why
do they drink Coca-Cola in Puerto Rico?
r :
globalization, causes uniformity, &
n swe
a homogenization of culture
Puerto Rico
 Forced Assimilation
• one group forces the other to
assimilate/change and abandon their culture
Example:
forced relocation of Native-American children to boarding
schools forced to cut hair, learn Christianity, speak only English
and live according to mainstream culture (i.e. tardiness)
Result of colonialism/imperialism,
forced assimilation:
customs change -an action or way of behaving
that is usual and traditional among the people in
a particular group or place
synonym is norm

Lacking in cultural relativism - a person’s beliefs,

values, and practices should be understood
based on that person’s own culture, not judged
and compared to another culture
Cultural divergence - cultures become dissimilar;
less like each other
Example - folk cultures such as Amish
 From National Geographic
And God Grew Tired of Us

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/cultural-differences/

Male Sudanese refugees come to America.

Components of culture
 Components of Culture
• Artifacts- the technological • Mentifacts- the ideological
subsystem- consisting of
human made, physical, subsystem of culture;
visible objects necessary for including the ideas, beliefs,
meeting needs Ex. Tools, and knowledge, and how
canoe, technique for these things are
making a canoe
communicated
• Sociofacts -represent the • Ex: religion , lang., law
social structures of a
culture, such as tribes or
families; includes the
expected and accepted
patterns of interpersonal
relations within a group
 Built Environment

• Refers to spaces that have

been modified by human
activity
• Includes houses, dams,
parks, buildings
 Cultural Landscape
• A unique combination of social relationships
and physical processes

• Carl Sauer – coined the term Cultural

Landscape – human activity superimposes
itself on the physical landscape and each
cultural group leaves an imprint on that
landscape

• Each region = a distinctive

landscape

• People are the most important agent

of change to Earth’s surface
31
 Sequent Occupance
• successive societies leave their imprint on a place
• each society adds to and/or changes the cultural
landscape

Ex: the Puerto Rico coke/Spanish/Santa billboard,

the European looking Bahaman police,
architecture of a place
 Regions
• Culture region – an area shares a large number of
culture traits.
– Ex. North Africa because of similarities in language and
religion
U.S. region of New England defined as the area
that cheers for the red sox, eats “chowda”

• Culture realms - regions grouped into larger areas

based on a few broad cultural similarities; similarities
in religion, daily life, sometimes language
- Northern Europe, Eastern Europe, sub-Saharan Africa
 Regions
Formal-a uniform or
homogenous area where all share
a common attribute such as
language, climate or political
system.

Functional or Nodal- an area

organized around a center, node
or focal point that is organized to
function politically, socially or
economically.

Vernacular or Perceptual-area
that people believe or perceive
exists as part of their cultural
identity - such as Midwest or the
South
What traits identify each region?
Let’s look at your Pop and Folk culture
Folk Culture
• Little variation from time to
time
• Little variation from person
to person
• Much variation from place
to place

HOMOGENEOUS (same)WITHIN THE

CULTURE
http://www.yourstudentnews.com/hcchs/article.php?id=574
POPULAR CULTURE

• Little variation from

place to place
• Much variation from
time to time
• Much variation from
person to person

http://gossiptracker.netag/returns/page/2

http://buzzworthy.mtv.com/2010/07/13/album-leak-jersey-shore-soundtrack/

http://re-hairstyles.blogspot.com/2011/06/britney-spears-cool-wallpapers-2.html
Folk Culture POPULAR CULTURE

Isolated
Interdependent

http://www.psdgraphics.com/backgrounds/world-globe-background
Highly Immobile Highly Mobile

http://www.crystalinks.com/anasazi.html http://www.photographersdirect.com/buyers/stockphoto.asp?imageid=434042
 Strong Attachment Weak attachment
to Place to place - how many of you
have lived somewhere else

http://www.emersonkent.com/map_archive/native_american_tribes_map.htm http://mrtopp.com/2010/04/11/spring-break/
Resistant to Change Constantly changing

http://live.drjays.com/index.php/2009/01/13/lil-wayne-to-make-a-rock-album/

http://www.jrichards.bizland.com/id51.html
Indigenous Communities Multicultural communities
Conservative
--reluctant to accept change:
in favor of preserving the
status quo and traditional
values and customs, and
against abrupt change
Progressive
--favoring reform: seeks
and accepts change,
advocating social,
economic, or political
reform/change
Cohesive Fragmented

http://www.explorenavajo.com/go2/navajo_culture.cfm http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-image-skater-boy-image8997981
Homogeneous Heterogeneous
same, alike diverse

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/apr/25/few-people-dunbars-number
Communal Individualistic

http://www.worldclass.net/big/story.gif
Strong Interpersonal relationships Weak Interpersonal Relationships

Strong Extended Family Structure Weak Extended Family Structure

http://www.aliceklauber.museumartistsfoundation.org/Henri%20&%20Expo4.htm http://www.singlemomfinance.com/?p=335
Strong Religious
Institutions Strong Secular Institutions

http://www.mormonchronicle.com/sacred-cow-9-separation-of-church-and-state/
Dependent on Local Dependent on Distant
Resources Resources
 Customized Production Mass Production

http://www.macalester.edu/psychology/whathap/diaries/diariess98/shannonb/cultures.html
Generalized Professions Specialized Professions
Losing Ground Gaining Ground
 Argentine Zamba dance vs. Dance
Revolution
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fr
ZB0IM6q_U

pop
 Pop culture
• Conveys a notion of cultural productions
fueled by mass media and consumerism
• Includes visual and performing arts, culinary
arts, architecture and city planning, music,
fashion, sports, leisure activities, and other
forms of entertainment.
 Pop culture

• Does not reflect local environments; looks

virtually the same anywhere it appears
• Rapidly changes over time as evidenced by
terms such as fad or trend commonly used in
pop culture lingo

lol
swag
 Folk culture

• Refers to cultural practices that form the

sights, smells, sounds, and rituals of everyday
existence in traditional societies in which they
develop
• Usually rural, with strong family ties and
strong interpersonal relationships leading to
cohesive group identity
• Elements vary from place to place, but do not
change much over time
 Folk culture
• Examples: Mennonites, Amish, ethnic
neighborhoods
 Folk culture
Hutterites

• absolute pacifism
• Live in rural, self-sufficient
“colonies”
• Forbid use of tv, radio
• Usually only 1
telephone for the
community
• Avoid pictures
Placelessness – the loss of uniqueness of in the
cultural landscape

http://www.cari-vicarious.com/2010/05/how-to-eat-well-on-road.html
Placelessness
http://emilyryanmccoy.blogspot.com/2010_06_01_archive.html
Placelessness
 Placelessness
Rubenstein, 7th Edition – Page 129 & Rubenstein, 8th Edition – Page 140

– Is this photo depicting Pop or Folk culture?

– What evidence supports your answer?
– Is this photo less than or more than one year old?
– What evidence in the photo gives you the answer to
item C?
– Where is this place?
– Could this be one of many places? Why or why not?
– What evidence in the photo might tell you where this
is?
Placelessness abroad

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GspOE_Y6NE8/TUHqLAljThI/AAAAAAAAABg/PNXXGh6Kg6w/s1600/pizzahchina.jpg
http://tokyo5.wordpress.com/2010/01/12/hard-rock-cafe-japan/
http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/05/27/us-burgerking-board-idUSWNAS538720080527
https://newsela.com/read/jollibee-fast-food/id/47355/?utm_source=aotd&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign
=test-1&utm_content=news-1
 Localization
Neolocalism - when a community establishes a
separate cultural identity in contrast to
globalization and pop culture. Re-embraces the
uniqueness and authenticity of a place
Example - Wilber, NE = Czech festival
- Cinco de Mayo in south Omaha
- Pella & Elkhorn, Iowa = Dutch
community
- Chinatown or Littly Italy