Culture What people care about What people take care of 2 Folk amp Popular Culture Terms HABIT a repetitive act that a particular individual performs ID: 287003
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Slide1
1
Folk and Popular Culture
Culture:
What people care about …
What people take care of…Slide2
2
Folk & Popular Culture: Terms
HABIT
“a repetitive act that a particular
individual
performs”
CUSTOM
“a repetitive act of a
group
, performed to the extent that it becomes
characteristic
of the group”
CULTURE
“the body of material traits, customary beliefs, and social forms that constitute the distinct tradition of a group of people.”
“a collection of social customs produces a group’s material culture.”
DAILY NECESSITIES vs. LEISURE
Every group has to survive – eat, find shelter, clothing – but different groups have
different ways
of satisfying their needs.
Leisure – games, music, art – are universal, but different groups express themselves in different ways.
THE GEOGRAPHY OF CULTURE
Every activity has a distinct
spatial distribution
.
Every group takes elements from the
environment
into its culture and builds their own unique landscapesSlide3
3
Folk
vs.
Popular
We can look at culture at two
scales
:
FOLK CULTURE
Small, fairly homogenous groups
Today, mostly isolated in rural areas
Spreads by relocation diffusion
POPULAR CULTURE
Large, diverse groups
Widespread, urban
Spreads through mediaSlide4
4
Origins
Every social custom develops in a
particular place
– a
hearth
.
Folk customs
usually
have anonymous origins – they come from unknown places (sometimes more than one place), from unknown people, at unknown times.
Popular customs are usually the product of developed countries, and their origins are often well known (and sometimes
copyrighted
!)Slide5
5
Origins: Folk Customs
Folk Music
Every culture develops its own unique music.
Folk Art
In many cultures the distinction between “art” and “everyday object” is unclear – decoration is “just the way things are done.”
Folk Housing
Must be made from locally available building materials.
Distinctive forms – there is no “perfect” house design.
“Folk Food”
People adapt their food preferences based on the environment –
BUT
beliefs and values
strongly
influence diet
taboos
.
Folk Sports
People everywhere enjoy recreation – many places have developed unique forms of recreation and sports.
Folk Beliefs
How does the world work? How should we behave?Slide6
6
Folk Music
Usually composed
anonymously
.
Usually transmitted orally.
Content usually comes from everyday events in people’s lives.
Hearths, American country music
African mbira
Sources: http://helixmusic.com.au/posters/mbira.htm;
http://www.amol.org.au/; http://www.calacademy.org/calwild/sum98/horizons.htm
Australian………
Possible Paleolithic flute, dated to 43,000 BCESlide7
7
Folk Art
Frequently, folk art pieces are just “traditional”; there is no “designer,” no “artist” – just
craftspeople
.
Often the “art” is included as part of the traditional way of making something – not specifically made as “art.”
Source: http://www.nga.gov/collection/gallery/iadpenn/iadpenn-29268.0.html
Pennsylvania Dutch blanket chestSlide8
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Folk Housing
Folk housing has several fundamental characteristics:
It must deal adequately with the physical environment.
It must be designed in such a way that people without special equipment or training can build it.
It must be constructed from locally available materials.
Remember:
there is no “perfect” design
.
Different traditional house types from Eastern North AmericaSlide9
9
Folk Housing: Diffusion in the Eastern U.S.Slide10
10
Folk Housing Around the WorldSlide11
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Folk Housing in Western ChinaSlide12
12
Folk Food & Food Taboos
Folk customs are always affected by what’s available – but also by culture.
What is acceptable for some cultures may be unacceptable –
taboo
– or even horrifying to others.
Gathering tasty fly larvae,
Mono Lake, CASlide13
13
Folk Food: Recipes
Nan tsao go zo (Chinese stir-fried puppy)
Eviscerate and clean puppy. Remove hair by singeing in a rice-straw fire; continue heat treatment until the skin is golden brown.
Cut the meat into cubes and dry-fry them in a wok.
Add oil, ginger, garlic, and dried, salted black beans to another wok and stir-fry for 10 minutes.
Add the meat, soy sauce, green onions, and deep-fried bean curd. Stir momentarily.
Grasshopper Fritters
3/4 cup sifted flower
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups milk
1 egg slightly beaten
1 cup grasshoppers
Sift flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Slowly add milk;beat until smooth.
Add egg and beat well. Pluck off grasshopper wings and legs; heads are optional.
Dip insects in egg batter and deep fry. Salt and serve.
Sources: http://home.att.net/~Storytellers/ucuisine.html;
http://digilander.libero.it/unno2/navighiamo/bugcuisine.htmlSlide14
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Folk Games & Sports
“Play is older than culture”
(Johan Huizinga,
Homo
Ludens
)
As far we know, sports and games are a fun-
damental
part of every culture – playing games is part of what it means to be human.
Every culture develops its own unique forms of recreation
.
“The Royal Game of Ur,”
about 5,000 years old
Egyptian ball game, from the tomb of Kheti “Mistress of Sport,” about 5,000 years old
Sources: http://web.ukonline.co.uk/james.masters/TraditionalGames/RoyalGameOfUr.htm;
http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/x/wxk116/trigon.html Slide15
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Folk Sports: Examples
Cornish Hurling
“At [the village of] St Columb the struggle is a physical battle between "Town and Country" with the shops in the town barricading their windows and doors for the start of the scrum at 4.30 p.m. The ball is thrown to the crowd from the market square the objective to carry it into either the town or country goals set some two miles apart or if this is not possible the ball may be carried over the Parish boundary . At 8.00 p.m. a winner returns to declare a win for Town or Country.”
Belarusian Hul'nia
“Players are divided into two teams or "armies". Each "army" chooses a "big one" -- the strongest person. This person throws a wooden wheel or a heavy round stone towards another "army". The other "army" is supposed to stop it as fast as possible and reverse its direction. The game is won when the line is crossed on one of the sides.”
Sources: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~cornwall/ball/corn.htm;
http://www.belarusguide.com/culture1/holidays/games.htmlSlide16
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Folk Beliefs
How does the world work? How should you behave? What should you do when someone is born? Or marries? Or dies? How should you live your life?
Every culture has had to come up with answers to questions like these -- answers that (more or less) work for that culture.
Folk beliefs are usually transmitted orally.
The Swiss answer the question:
"Where do babies come from?"
Source: http://whc.unesco.org/en/about/Slide17
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Folk Beliefs: Relocation Diffusion
The Amish – originally a Swiss Mennonite group – have a distinctive culture and are now found in 28 US States.
The Amish (and their beliefs) have spread by
relocation diffusion
– which is just about the only way folk cultures and their beliefs can spread. (other than hierarchical)
Source: http://digitalunion.osu.edu/r2/summer07/eellis/Slide18
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Folk Masterpieces:
World Heritage Sites
As of 2013, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has proclaimed
981 places around the world as “World Heritage Sites.”
These are places that individual countries have selected as “of outstanding universal value.”
Though many of these are natural or historical, some of these are places where folk culture is maintained or preserved.
Included are a wide variety of places:
Khami Ruins (Zimbabwe)
Jesuit Missions of the Guaranis (Brazil)
Ohrid Region (Macedonia)
Source: http://whc.unesco.org/en/about/Slide19
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Intangible Cultural Heritage
Since 1997 the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has proclaimed 257 different examples of “intangible cultural heritage.”
Included are a wide variety of activities:
The Oral and Graphic Expressions of the
Wajapi
(Brazil)
The Tradition of Vedic Chanting (India)
Cross Crafting and its Symbolism (Latvia & Lithuania)
Source: http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=ENSlide20
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Popular Music
Popular music is (usually) written or performed by known individuals who "
own
" it.
Popular music is (usually) produced as a kind of commodity –
for sale
.
Popular music tends to vary a lot more over
time
than from place to place.
Modern popular music began about 100 years ago:
Performed in English "
music halls
" and in American “
vaudeville
," and composed (and sold) by professionals in places like "
Tin Pan Alley."Global-scale diffusion during the First and Second World Wars.Continued and increasing diffusion by global mass media. (Could argue contagious)
Popular music clustersSlide21
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Owning Popular Music:
Copyright – “Happy Birthday to You”
Popular music
belongs
to the copyright holder.
Sometimes people don’t realize a song is owned – “Happy Birthday to You” will not be in the Public Domain in the US until
2030
.
Until then, public income-generating performances have to pay a royalty to Warner/Chappell Music, Inc. (in some cases thousands of dollars!)
Source: http://www.warnerchappell.com/wcm_2/song_search/song_detail/songview_2.jsp?esongId=126621000&view=fulllyricsSlide22
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Popular Housing
Housing in popular culture is designed and built by
professionals
– not by the people who live in the houses.
Popular housing is
not
limited to locally available building materials.
Popular housing styles vary more over
time
than
regionally
— houses built in the 1950s, for example, tend to look alike, regardless of where in the US they were built.
Source: http://www.capitalcentury.com/1950sindex.htmlSlide23
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Popular Food
In popular culture modern transportation methods mean that a wide variety of different kinds of food are available year-round – people are
not limited
to locally available crops
.
Food fads
and
food trends
can change diets, so that what people prefer tends to vary more over time than over space.
However, there certainly are
variations
in food preferences and consumption.
Slide24
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Popular
Food
Variations:
US Alcohol PreferencesSlide25
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Popular Food Variations: Barbecue
It’s hard to imagine something simpler than barbecue – meat cooked slowly by indirect heat. But barbecue has deep and varied cultural roots in the US.
This map shows the barbecue regions of the State of South Carolina.
In the US generally, there are many styles:
North Carolina (east): Pork; vinegar-based sauce
North Carolina (west): Pork shoulder; vinegar and ketchup
Texas: beef; no sauce (varies)
Kansas City: beef or pork; thick sweet tomato-based sauce
Memphis: pork; ketchup-based
South Carolina: pork; four styles of sauce
Alabama: pork, chicken, turkey; mayonnaise-based
Kentucky (west): lamb; Worcestershire and vinegar sauce
Sources: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9120357/; http://www.bbqreport.com/archives/barbecue/2005/08/29/a-regional-barbecue-cheat-sheet/; http://strangemaps.wordpress.com/2008/02/19/246-southern-sauce-sources/Slide26
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Popular Sports:
Variations
As with food, sports in popular culture are extremely widespread – but there are regional variations in popularity.Slide27
Popular Clothing
In popular culture, clothing may reflect occupation, and must (of course) protect the wearer from the environ-
ment
.
But clothing in popular culture is affected by
fashion
and
trends
.
Just as with music, housing and other aspects of culture, popular clothing tends to vary more over
time
than from place to place.
27
Welcome to the 1970s!Slide28
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Popular Beliefs
Beliefs about the world and how people should live and behave are widely shared in popular culture.
Widely shared concepts today:
Democracy; free markets; individualism; rule of law; private property; family; work; the weekend; education; etc.
Popular beliefs are spread by media -- newspapers, magazines, radio and
T
E
L
E
V
I
S
I
O
N
!
!!! Slide29
29
The Diffusion of TV
In the US most TV stations are privately owned.
Traditionally, other countries controlled TV, but satellite dishes and other technologies have made government control much more difficult.
1954
1970
2005Slide30
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TV Around the World
Watching TV in Niger
Data Source: World Bank Development and Data Statistics Table 5.11: http://www.worldbank.org/
Category 1
: Countries where most households (more than 50%) own at least one TV set (
US, Japan
).
Category 2
: Countries where TVs are common, but not universal (25%-49%) (
Mexico, Thailand
).
Category 3
: Countries where television exists, but is uncommon (5%-24%); few individuals own sets (
Mongolia, Laos
).
Category 4
: Countries where television is rare or non-existent (less than 5%); virtually no TV sets (
Bhutan, Chad
).Slide31
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The Internet
In 1995 less than 10% of American adults were online; today more than 90% have online access.
Worldwide, nearly three billion people have internet access – but access is still very limited in less developed areas.
Source: http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htmSlide32
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The Internet:
Access 2011
Lowest access rates:
EAST TIMOR 0.2%
MYANMAR 0.2
%
LIBERIA 0.5%
ETHIOPIA
0.7
%
NIGER 0.8%
GUINEA 0.9%
SIERRA LEONE 0.9%
SOMALIA 1.1%
D.R.
CONGO 1.3%
BURKINA FASO 1.4%
MADAGASCAR 1.6%BURUNDI 1.7%CHAD 1.8%PAPUA N.G. 2.0%TURKMENISTAN 2.2%
Source: http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htmSlide33
Technology in the Developing World
The growth
of cell phone use in Africa has been
amazing
:
In
2000 Nigeria had 100,000 telephones. Today it has 100
million (almost
all
cellular phones).
Kenya has seen cell phone use grown 500-fold between 2000 and 2010.
Rwanda phone use grew 50% in 2010 alone.
Smart phones are rapidly increasing in popularity.
Google plans to
sell
200 million phones in Africa in the next few
years.
Some of the ways
cell phones are changing Africa:BANKING: 50% of adults in Kenya, Sudan and Gabon bank online using their phones, and this is spreading.ACTIVISM: The Arab Spring is just one example of the use of mobile media to influence change in Africa.EDUCATION: In South Africa 10 million students are learning mathematics through text messaging.ENTERTAINMENT: Games, online chat, music, and specialized "channels" for movies and television.EMERGENCIES: Used to mobilize and organize disaster services, help with refugees and find missing relatives.AGRICULTURE: From rapidly updating weather information to helping farmers with crop sales and marketing, to coordinating veterinary services.
HEALTH: Alerts and updates, disease tracking, getting fake medicines out of the market, finding doctors -- cell services are transforming health care in Africa.
33
Sources: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/25/international/africa/25africa.html?_r=1; http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/13/world/africa/mobile-phones-change-africa/index.html?hpt=hp_c2; http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2011/03/africa-cell-phone-revolution.html; http://paidcontent.org/2012/04/03/e-books-for-smart-kids-on-dumb-phones/There are more cell phone users in Africa today than there are in North America.Slide34
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Threats to Folk Cultures
Why worry? Why should we care?
When people turn away from traditional culture and customs, they may also turn away from a society’s traditional values.
The ways of living and behaving that work in popular culture may not work so well in other cultures.
On the other hand – traditional ways of living are not necessarily ideal either!
There are five basic kinds of threats to folk culture today:
Loss of traditional values
Foreign media imperialism
Adoption & commodification
Environmental threats
“
Placelessness
”Slide35
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Threats to Folk Culture:
Loss of Traditional Values
Changes in the role of women
In many cultures it is traditional for women to be subservient to men (this was true here until quite recently!)
In some cases, awareness of popular culture has meant that women can seek advancement, education, new roles.
On the other hand, contact with popular culture almost always results in increased rates of prostitution and exploitation.
Women who try to change their roles or status may be subject to harassment and violence – although that certainly isn’t unique to folk cultures!Slide36
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Violence Towards Women: Traditional
Cultural Attitudes
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/1028228.stmSlide37
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Threats to Folk Culture: Women’s Pants???
Source: http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=2862290Slide38
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Threats to Folk Culture: Foreign Media Imperialism
Media from just three countries – the US, the UK and Japan – dominate entertainment
and news in much of the less developed world. What they show may be offensive to (or subversive of) traditional values.
Western news media dominate international news. News media within most less developed countries is largely government controlled. News networks tend to represent Western values and ideas – and may not present the points of view of less developed countries (or their governments). Western media are largely interested in disasters.
Note that
newspapers
and
radio stations
are usually
locally
owned and operated
–
not
foreign owned or controlled.Slide39
Al Jazeera: An Alternative Network?
Al Jazeera is a broadcasting network headquartered in Doha, Qatar.
One of its goals is to present a view of the world that is
different
from that available from most inter-national broadcasters –
but still “
Adhere to the journalistic
values
.”
Al Jazeera is not currently available on any cable or satellite system in the US (but may be soon, with its purchase of “Current TV”).
39
Sources: http://www.aljazeera.com/aboutus/2006/11/2008525185733692771.html; http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2009/10/why-i-love-al-jazeera/307665/; http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/03/hillary-clinton-calls-al-_n_830890.htmlSlide40
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Threats to Folk Culture:
Adoption & Commodification
Popular culture is constantly looking for new, exciting things and ideas.
Often, it takes them from folk cultures – but things are usually altered as part of the process, and the original meaning is often lost.
Portraits of Nicholas of Patara (270-346), Bishop of Myra. Patron Saint of sailors, children, against thieves, for prisoners, bakers, barrel makers, brewers, dock workers, students, unmarried girls; and of Bari, Italy; Loraine, France; Greece; Russia.
Sources: http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintn01.htm;
http://www.stnicholascenter.org/; http://www.wildwestweb.net/cwp/thomasnast.htmlSlide41
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Threats to Folk Culture:
The Environment
Folk cultures are dependent on the local environment. Although they may modify it, if they survive, they
must
be in some sense “in balance.”
Popular culture is much more likely to create pollution – toxic chemicals, sewage, etc.
Popular culture is far less dependent on local conditions. Food can be imported; air conditioning can keep things pleasant. So
popular culture is
much
more likely to modify the natural environment
– sometimes in ways that may be disastrous for people trying to live a traditional life.Slide42
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Modifying the Environment: Increased Demand for Resources
Popular culture needs access to large quantities of raw materials – minerals, petroleum, lumber, agricultural land, etc.
Increased demand for these resources can severely impact the environment – in ways that traditional cultures never would.
Feedlot, Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, Clay Center, Nebraska
Source: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/oct98/odor1098.htmSlide43
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Modifying the Environment: Recreation
Each golf course covers at least 200 acres (81 hectares) and requires enormous quantities of fertilizers, pest-
icides
and irrigation water.
About 200 new golf courses open every year in the US; thousands open around the world.Slide44
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Placelessness
Popular culture is characterized by
uniform
styles of art, architecture, food, behavior, etc.
When every place is indistinguishable from every other place – then how can any place be special or unique? Why put any particular value on a place when it’s just like everywhere else?