Download - FOLK CULTURE - El Camino College
FOLK CULTURE
Isolation preserves Folk CulturesInfluenced by physical environment
Food preferencesFolk housing
Folk Cultures
Visible ObjectsFoodClothing
Material Culture
Musical InstrumentsArtTools
Material Culture
ArchitectureMaterialsFloor PlanExterior Appearance
Material Culture
SongDance FolkloreSuperstitionsGestures
Non-Material Culture
Amish Folk
Culture
Amish – U.S.A.
AmishUSA
Amish – USA SettlementsMost in Midwest…
OhioIndianaWisconsin
AppalachiansKentuckyTennessee
Scotch-IrishCorn Whisky“Moonshine”
Southern Uplands
Folk MusicBalladsFiddle, MandolinEvolved into forms of Pop Music…• Bluegrass Music
–Country/Western
Southern Uplands
Origin often unknownLittle or No DiffusionFolk Group – Isolated
Little Contagious Diffusion from outside
Diffusion of Folk Culture
Oral tradition between generationsProvides info about Daily Activities…
FarmingLife Events…• Birth• Dating & Marriage• Death
Folk Songs & Stories
Mysterious Events…• Storms• Earthquakes
Little Outside Interaction…Self-SufficientClose ties to Environment
Depends on Natural Environment…FoodMedicinesHousing…• Building Materials from Environment
Ecology of Folk Culture
Housing – Bamboo Tropical Rainforests
Southeast AsiaAmazonPanama
Sun-Dried MudDry Regions
US SouthwestSahara
Housing – Adobe
Housing – StoneRocky Areas w/o Trees
Around the Mediterranean
Housing – Stone Andes
Machu Picchu
Housing – WoodEastern U.S.A.
Plymouth MA
GrasslandsGreat Plains U.S.A.Ukraine
Housing – Sod
POPULAR CULTURE
Japan
Brunei
Constantly Changing
Popular Culture
Mainly in Industrialized SocietiesContact between Distant Places & People
Minor variations geographically
Popular Culture
Major Variations over Time
1990
Popular Culture
Small Pop. + HomogeneousRural + Non-industrialSubsistence Economy + Hand-made GoodsFamily & Religion central to lifeTraditional Lifestyle
Resistant to change
Large Pop. + HeterogeneousUrban + IndustrialCommercial Econ. + Mass ProductionIndividualism
Less tradition-bound
Frequent change
Folk vs. Popular
IsolatedPoor Communication
Major Geographical Variation
Navajo vs. Pygmy
Little Change over Time
1900 = 2000 ???
Good CommunicationMuch Interaction
Minor Geographical Variation
LA vs. Paris vs. Rio
Major Change over Time
Pop Music…• 1930, 1970, 2010
Folk vs. Popular
Snack Nuts
Cigarettes
Pop Culture Regions
Highest?
Lowest?
Beer Drinking
Where is most?Fast Food
Fig. 4-6: Annual hog production is influenced by religious taboos against pork consumption in Islam and other religions. The highest production is in China, which is largely Buddhist.
Middle East
Pork Beef (India)
Insects (USA)
Cultural Food Taboos
Pigs
Usually Known OriginatorWalt DisneyThe BeatlesCalvin Klein
Rap ???
Pop Culture – Origins
Sometimes starts as Folk CultureThen Gets Commercialized
Moonshine WhiskyRodeo…• Initially a Folk Skill• Now Professional Rodeo
Pop Culture – Origins
Rapid Spread...Pop Culture – Diffusion
Coca ColaPoland
1. Good Communication Systems Widespread Advertising
2. Good Transportation Systems EZ Distribution of Pop Culture ProductsTravel is EZ…Spreads Pop Culture
3. Industrialization Mass Produced Goods• Coke, Marlboro, Levis…
Pop Culture – Diffusion
Pop Culture – Diffusion4. Wealthy Population
Can afford latest Pop Culture• Cabbage Patch Dolls, Beanie Babies
Folk Music OriginAdapted to taste & technologyKnown Composer vs. ...Geographical Diffusion Westward
Southern Appalachian Highlands…Arkansas-OklahomaBakersfield
Country Music
Diffusion over time…Radio & Records• WW 2
TelevisionInternet
English = Language of Pop Music
Popular Music – Diffusion
Roots in Slave-Era MusicBluesJazz, Rhythm & Blues
• Soul• Motown• Hip-Hop
Rock & Roll• Electronica & Techno
Pop Music – African Roots
Folk Clothing, based on…ClimateAvailable Material
Clothing in Pop Culture, based on…Income and…
Clothing – Folk vs. Pop
TV GrowthPop Culture influenced by Media
TVInternet
TV related to Income…
First in MDCs…Later in LDCs
InternetAlso related to IncomeSpread more quickly than TV
Convergence Hypothesis…Differences are lesseningTowards a Universal Culture“Placelessness”
Cultural Interaction
“Sense of Place”“Where are you?”Characteristics that define a Place
Cultural Landscape
London
TransportationLandmarks
Hong Kong
ArchitectureTransportationSigns
Amsterdam
Economic ActivitiesArchitecture
PathwaysStreets
EdgesBeach
NodesDel Amo Mall
DistrictsSanta Monica
LandmarksStaples Center
Mental Maps
1. Leisure LandscapesAmusement ParksLas VegasTheaters
Pop Culture Landscapes
2. Elitist LandscapesPop Culture Landscapes
3. Landscapes of ConsumptionPop Culture Landscapes
4. Landscapes of ConveniencePop Culture Landscapes
5. “Cult of Bigness”Big things are admiredGrabs attention
Pop Culture Landscapes
Cult of Bigness
6. Emphasis on Uniqueness
Asserts IndividualityUnique Businesses noticed
Pop Culture Landscapes
Unique Landscapes