Chapter 4 Folk Popular Culture Copyright 2012 John

Chapter 4: Folk & Popular Culture Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Key Question What are local and popular cultures? © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

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: 1. The people call themselves a culture. 2. Other people (including academics) can label a certain group of people as a culture. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

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. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

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. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

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. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

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” © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 (i. Phones, T -shirts, pizzas at Little Caesars) © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Diffusion – Folk Culture • Folk culture is transmitted from one location to another relatively slowly and on a small scale. • Primarily through relocation diffusion migration. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Motley Crue Loudness © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Distribution – Folk Culture • Combination of local, physical and cultural factors influence distinctive distributions. • The principal obstacle is distance and mountain ranges. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

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. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

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. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 1940 s and the Armed Forces Radio Network. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

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. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 11 th century. • As with other folk customs, soccer’s origin is obscure. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Popular Culture: Diffusion of Soccer • Becomes popular culture in 1800 s as a way to provide factory workers with recreation. • Increasing leisure time permitted people not only to play but also view them. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

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. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Cricket • Popular in U. K. and on former British Colonies – South Asia (India), South Pacific and Caribbean Islands © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Ice Hockey and Wushu • Ice Hockey prevails in colder climates – Russia and Northern Europe • Wushu is China’s most popular sport – Martial Arts © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Australian Rules Football • Distinctive form of football developed in Australia – Rugby is a different take on the same idea © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Lacrosse • Played by the Iroquois, Europeans colonists in Canada would pick it up and diffuse it United States North East. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.