Folk Cultures Isolation preserves Folk Cultures Influenced by physical environment Food preferences Folk housing
Material Culture Visible Objects Food Clothing
Material Culture Musical Instruments Art Tools
Material Culture Architecture Materials Floor Plan Exterior Appearance
Non-Material Culture Song Dance Folklore Superstitions Gestures
Amish Folk Culture
Amish – U.S.A.
Amish USA
Amish – USA Settlements Most in Midwest… Ohio Indiana Wisconsin
Southern Uplands Appalachians Kentucky Tennessee
Scotch-Irish Corn Whisky “Moonshine”
Southern Uplands Folk Music Ballads Fiddle, Mandolin Evolved into forms of Pop Music… • Bluegrass Music –Country/Western
Diffusion of Folk Culture Origin often unknown Little or No Diffusion Folk Group – Isolated Little Contagious Diffusion from outside
Folk Songs & Stories Oral tradition between generations Provides info about Daily Activities… Farming Life Events… • Birth • Dating & Marriage • Death
Mysterious Events… • Storms • Earthquakes
Ecology of Folk Culture Little Outside Interaction… Self-Sufficient Close ties to Environment
Depends on Natural Environment… Food Medicines Housing… • Building Materials from Environment
Housing – Bamboo Tropical Rainforests Southeast Asia Amazon Panama
Housing – Adobe Sun-Dried Mud Dry Regions US Southwest Sahara
Housing – Stone Rocky Areas w/o Trees Around the Mediterranean
Housing – Stone Andes Machu Picchu
Housing – Wood Eastern U.S.A. Plymouth MA
Housing – Sod Grasslands Great Plains U.S.A. Ukraine
POPULAR CULTURE Brunei J a p a n
Popular Culture Constantly Changing
Popular Culture Mainly in Industrialized Societies Contact between Distant Places & People
Minor variations geographically
Popular Culture Major Variations over Time 1990 Æ
Folk
vs.
Small Pop. + Homogeneous Rural + Non-industrial Subsistence Economy + Hand-made Goods Family & Religion central to life Traditional Lifestyle Resistant to change
Popular Large Pop. + Heterogeneous Urban + Industrial Commercial Econ. + Mass Production Individualism Less tradition-bound
Frequent change
Folk
vs.
Isolated Poor Communication
Major Geographical Variation Navajo vs. Pygmy
Little Change over Time 1900 = 2000 ???
Popular Good Communication Much Interaction
Minor Geographical Variation LA vs. Paris vs. Rio
Major Change over Time Pop Music… • 1930, 1970, 2010
Pop Culture Regions Snack Nuts
Cigarettes
Beer Drinking Highest?
Lowest?
Fast Food
Where is most?
Cultural Food Taboos Pork
Beef
(India)
Insects (USA)
Middle East Pigs 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.
Pop Culture – Origins Usually Known Originator Walt Disney The Beatles Calvin Klein
Rap ???
Pop Culture – Origins Sometimes starts as Folk Culture Then Gets Commercialized Moonshine Whisky Rodeo… • Initially a Folk Skill • Now Professional Rodeo
Pop Culture – Diffusion Rapid Spread... 1. Good Communication Systems Æ Widespread Advertising
Coca Cola Poland
Pop Culture – Diffusion 2. Good Transportation Systems Æ EZ Distribution of Pop Culture Products Travel is EZ…Spreads Pop Culture
3. Industrialization Æ Mass Produced Goods • Coke, Marlboro, Levis…
Pop Culture – Diffusion 4. Wealthy Population Æ Can afford latest Pop Culture • Cabbage Patch Dolls, Beanie Babies
Country Music Folk Music Origin Adapted to taste & technology Known Composer vs. ... Geographical Diffusion Æ Westward Southern Appalachian Highlands… Arkansas-Oklahoma Bakersfield
Popular Music – Diffusion Diffusion over time… Radio & Records • WW 2
Television Internet
English = Language of Pop Music
Pop Music – African Roots Roots in Slave-Era Music Æ Blues