CULTURAL DIFFERENCES Why do cultural differences exist across
the world? How are social customs related to our landscape? How is
the world becoming more familiar w/ our customs?
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CULTURE Culture involves 3 things: Values Artifacts Political
institutions Our focus, look at material culture that has survived:
Food, clothing, types of shelter Leisure activities, arts and
recreation Habit: repetitive act that an ind. performs Custom:
repetitive act a group performs
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CULTURE Material culture, the collection of social customs:
Folk culture: traditionally practiced by small, homogeneous groups
living in isolated rural areas Popular culture: large,
heterogeneous societies that share certain habits despite
differences in other personal characteristics Where folk/pop
culture are located How material culture and is related to physical
enviro
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WHERE DO FOLK AND POP. CULTURE ORIGINATE? Originate at the
hearth (center for innovation) Unknown source, date, or originators
Possibly multiple hearths, originating independently Pop culture
usually develops in MDCs Why?
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ORIGINS OF FOLK & POP MUSIC FOLK MUSIC Possibly multiple
hearths Songs about daily life; farming, life cycle, physical
events POP MUSIC Written for specific ppl and sale Started w/
Vaudeville (1900) Made in NYCTin Pan Alley WWII/Armed Forces
Radio
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DIFFUSION OF FOLK & POP CULTURE Pop culture: rapidly,
hierarchical diffusion via modern comm. Folk culture: small scale,
through migration AMISH: RELOCATION DIFFUSION OF FOLK CULTURE
Originally from Bern, Switzerland Religious freedom & cheap
land (U.S.) Slow diffusion through interregional migration
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DIFFUSION OF FOLK & POP CULTURE SPORTS: HIERARCHICAL
DIFFUSION OF POP CULTURE Folk Culture Origin of Soccer England 11
th Cent. Kicking a Danes head inflated cow bladder Village vs.
village Mob scene Banned late 12 th Cent, legal again 17 th
Cent
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DIFFUSION OF FOLK & POP CULTURE SPORTS: HIERARCHICAL
DIFFUSION OF POP CULTURE Globalization of Soccer Begins in 1800s
when British clubs formed organizations Organize leagues and
establish standard rules Football Association assoc soccer Diffused
through contact with Brits Dutch students, Spanish miners, Moscow
Dynamo
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WHY IS FOLK CULTURE CLUSTERED? Folk customs develop through
cent. of isolation HIMALAYAN ART Looking at 4 religious groups in
the Himalayas Tibetan Buddhists: N region, painted divine figures
Monks/Sts, harsh conditions Hindus: S region, every day life,
regions extreme climate Muslims: W region, plants/flowers, didnt
paint harsh cond. Animist: SE region, symbols/designs deriving from
religion
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PHYSICAL ENVIRO INFLUENCES Enviro. Determinism rejected Similar
enviro, adopt diff. social customs Diff. enviro, similar social
customs Provision of food, clothing and shelter, heavily influenced
Folk societies are responsive to environmentwhy? Low level of tech.
Food & Shelter influence cultural values & enviro on
develop of unique folk culture
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DISTINCTIVE FOOD PREFERENCES ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCE We
consider climate, soil, vegetation b4 producing food Ppl adapt food
preferences to enviro conditions Soy Beans Quick-frying foods in S
Europe Stewing/Roasting in N Europe Terroir: contribution of a
locations distinctive physical features to the way food tastes
(grounded)
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DISTINCTIVE FOOD PREFERENCES FOOD DIVERSITY IN TRANSYLVANIA
Dif. groups migrate to Transylvania, & its all about the soup
Soup is poor peoples food but shows tradition Romanians: cracked
wheat, corn, brown bread, sour bran Saxons: simmered fatty pork,
sauerkraut/vinegar, fruits Jews: beets and sorrel (no meat)
Armenians: churut and ground vegetables Hungarians: smoked bacon,
thickened w/ flour and onion Szeklers: similar to Jews, used
poultry for pork substitute
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DISTINCTIVE FOOD PREFERENCES FOOD ATTRACTIONS & TABOOS We
consume food based on perceived benefits Strength, fierceness,
lovemaking ability Abipone Indians of Paraguay & Mandrake plant
Taboo: restriction on behavior imposed by social customs Mbum Kpau:
no chicken/goat, twisted horned antelope Jews: no pig, fish lacking
scales/fins
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HOG PRODUCTION & FOOD CULTURES
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FOLK HOUSING The house is a good reflection of cultural
heritage, current fashion, functional needs, and the impact of the
environment Usually build with what is readily available; wood,
brick, sod Sacred doors, walls, furniture arrangement (Laos and
Thai) Some ppl share similar materials and climates but ignore
practicality (Windows for heat)
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HOME LOCATIONS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
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U.S. FOLK HOUSE FORMS 3 major hearths for U.S. homes: New
England, Mid Atlantic, and Lower Chesapeake NE: North, North West
(Great Lakes) Mid Atlantic: Ohio Valley and Appalachia Chesapeake:
Southward-Atlantic coast
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U.S. FOLK HOUSE FORMS Housing styles from NE migrated w/ ppl
westward New England, Mid Atlantic, and Lower Chesapeake
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DIFFUSION OF POP HOUSING HOUSING STYLES Housing since the 40s
shows pop customs in time than place After WWII two housing types
came about: Modern House Styles (1945-1960) Minimal traditional,
ranch, split level Neo-Eclectic House Styles (since 1960)
Neo-Tudor, neo-French, neo-Colonial, mansard
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U.S. HOUSE TYPES, 1945-1990 Fig. 4-11: Several variations of
the modern style were dominant from the 1940s into the 1970s. Since
then, neo-eclectic styles have become the dominant type of house
construction in the U.S.
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U.S. HOUSE TYPES BY REGION Fig. 4-1.1: Small towns in different
regions of the eastern U.S. have different combinations of five
main house types.
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RAPID DIFFUSION OF CLOTHES Designer clothes spread more rapidly
in MDCs Jeans Symbol of youth, starts in western world Low status
manual laborers designer jeans Button fly vs zipper fly Denim
destroys communism
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POPULAR FOOD CUSTOMS ALCOHOL AND FRESH PRODUCE Both ^ depend on
the region of the U.S. Based on what is produced, grown or imported
locally Bourbon, Whiskey, and Rum? Pork rinds, Potato Chips, and
Popcorn? Also based on cultural background Baptists and Mormons
dont consume barrels of alcohol Therefore those regions consumption
rate falls Cant expl. all regional variations in food
preferences
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ALCOHOL PREFERENCES IN THE U.S. Fig. 4-12: Per capita
consumption of Canadian whiskey (left) and tequila (right) show
different source areas and histories of diffusion.
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PER CAPITA CONSUMPTION OF CANADIAN WHISKEY
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PER CAPITA CONSUMPTION OF TEQUILA
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POPULAR FOOD CUSTOMS WINE PRODUCTION Enviro plays a role in the
dist. of pop as well as folk food cust. Cold, rainy winters &
long, hot summers Hillsides and to be near lakes or rivers are
desirable Different soil composition creates dif. tasting wines
Bordeaux: sandy/gravelly, Champagne: chalky Also grown based on
cultural values
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WINE PRODUCTION PER YEAR Fig. 4-13: The distribution of wine
production shows the joint impact of the physical environment and
social customs.
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DIFFUSION OF TV 1954 - 2003 Most pop. Leisure activity in MDCs
TV diffuses knowledge of pop culture the most rapidly across E Govt
control of TV Dif. In US TV and RoW
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TV DISTRIBUTION, 1954
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TV DISTRIBUTION, 1970
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TV DISTRIBUTION, 2003
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DISTRIBUTION OF INTERNET USERS, 1995 - 2003 Fig. 4-15: Internet
users per 1000 population. Diffusion of internet service is
following the pattern of TV diffusion in the 20th century, but at a
much faster rate.
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INTERNET USERS, 1995 PER 1000 POPULATION
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INTERNET USERS, 2000 PER 1000 POPULATION
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INTERNET USERS, 2004 PER 1000 POPULATION
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THREAT TO FOLK CULTURE Rising income can lead to consuming more
pop. Culture Western perspectives dominate Loss of traditional
values African & Asian cultures: clothing Changing role for
women Positives: working towards equality Negatives:
prostitution
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THREAT OF FOREIGN MEDIA IMPERIALISM LDCs consider pop customs
of MDCs a threat U.S., U.K., and Japan dominate the TV market U.S.
TV: upward mobility, =women, glorification of youth, and violence
LDCs want family values and avoid political, economic and culture
controversy Associated Press (AP) and Reuters domination of news
Criticized for non-accurate and unbalanced news reports
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ENVIRO IMPACT OF POP CULTURE MODIFYING NATURE Imposed on enivro
rather than springing from it Dist. of pop culture produces a
uniform landscape Nature modified to enhance sales or leisure act.
Diffusion of Golf Fast food: product recognition
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GOLF COURSES IN METROPOLITAN AREAS Fig. 4-16: The 50
best-served and worst-served metropolitan areas in terms of golf
holes per capita, and areas that are above and below average.
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MCDONALD S IN BEIJING, CHINA
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NEGATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT Diffusion of pop customs has 2
negative enviro impacts: Depletion of scarce natural resources
Pollution of the landscape Product demand strains the environments
resources Animal consumption HIGH levels of waste: solids, liquids,
gases Throw away society
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ASK YOURSELF Where do folk and popular cultures originate and
diffuse? Why is folk culture clustered? Why is popular culture
widely distributed? Why does globalization of popular culture cause
problems?