Unit 4 Flashcards
Culture
- Can be distinguished from habit and custom
- The body of material traits, customary beliefs, and social forms that together constitute the distinct tradition of a group of people
- EX: American culture is to speak out about your opinions
Habit
a repetitive act that a particular individual performs, such as wearing jeans to class every day
custom
a repetitive act of a group. For
example, on Thursdays in the fall, LZHS students wear jerseys and /jorts/
Folk culture
Small, fairly homogenous groups • Today, mostly isolated in rural areas • Spreads by relocation dif
EX: Cow-tipping
Popular culture
Large, diverse groups • Widespread, urban • Spreads through media
-EX: hip hop
Folk culture origin
Anonymous hearth, center of innovation
• Possible to have multiple hearths each originating independently • Anonymous sources • unknown dates • Unidentified originators
Popular culture origin
Product of developed countries
• Typically North American or European • Origin often traceable to specific person or
corporation in a particular place
Folk culture diffusion
Smaller scale and slower transmissions from one location to another
primarily through relocation diffusion
(migration)
Pop cultur diffusion
Tends to be transmitted by way of hierachal diffusion
• Diffuses rapidly and extensively form hearths or nodes
of innovation with help of modern communications
Folk culture distribution
Combination of local physical and cultural
factors influence distinctive distributions.
• Isolation from other cultures because of physical barriers—e.g., distance and
mountain ranges • Religion
Distribution
Arrangementof a feature in space
Pop culture distribution
Widely distributed across many countries with little regard for physical factors
• Principal obstacle to access is lack of income to purchase the material
What are the elements of the origin and characteristics of folk music
Originates anonymously
Transmitted orally
• Modifications to songs over successive generations to represent changes in
conditions.
• Content of songs centers on events in daily life that are
familiar to the majority of people. (Like life cycle events like birth )
Migration (relocation diffusion) of people also diffuses the music.
Elements of the origin and diffusion of popular music
Popular music is written by specific individuals for the purpose of being sold to a large number of people. -hierarchical diffusion from hearths or nodes of innovation
Origin and diffusion of soccer
-Origin British folk
The transformation of soccer from an English folk
custom to global popular culture began in the
1800s
• Sport became a subject that was taught in
school
Increasing leisure time permitted
people not only to view sporting events but to
participate in them.
• With higher incomes spectators paid to
see first-class events.
-Diffused to Dutch students who had been in Britain
-Diffused through worldwide British Empire
-Further diffused by new communication systems, especially radio and television
What elements in society explain clothing style in folk culture
Clothing in a traditional society is strongly influenced by the environment and by
occupation – but it isn’t just a
matter of protection.
• Traditional clothing can be worn for practical reasons – or as an expression of culture and
pride.
What is an example of how the environment can impact clothing preferences
- Fur-lined boots in the artic and snowshoes
- Wooden shoes in the rainy Netherlands
What does pop culture clothing style reflect
Generally reflects occupation and income (update wardrobe often)
• Business suits Æ professionals
• Designer clothes Æ affluent
How had improved communications impact the diffusion of the clothing style
- Central to rapid diffusion
- Permitted rapid diffusion of clothing styles from one region of Earth to another and you can now buy cheaper versions of designer online cheaper
What are food preferences strongly influenced by
Cultural traditions
What is a taboo
A restriction of behavior imposed by a social custom to eat particular plants or animals that are believed to embody negative forces
is a taboo
EX: chopsticks sticking up in rice, eating cats in america
Bible/Hebrew food taboo and why
- Can’t eat animals that don’t chew their cud or have cloven feet or fish lacking fins or scales
- Concern for the environment-> pig sedentary but population nomads and meat spoils quickly in their heat
Muslim taboo and why
- Pork
- Pigs are unsuited for the drylands of the Arabian peninsula and would compete with humans for food and don’t do work
- Raising pigs widespread would be an ecological disaster
Hindu taboo and why
- Cattle
- They need a lot of oxen in India because every field is plowed at about the same time-> when monsoons arrive
- Prevents loss of oxen and increasing population
Why do Coke and Pepsi preferences differ based on geography
Government-> Soviet union sold Pepsi, after Soviet union, people preferred coke because pepsi associated with soviet union
- Marketing tied to culture
- Religion-> Coke sold in Jewish Isreal and Muslim countries boycott it for Pepsi
Examples of how religious values or beliefs influence housing
- Loas-> all head to head, feet to feet
- Eastern wall of a house is sacred in Fiji
- All directions except south have significance in folk houses in Madagascar
- Houses in the central part of Java face south to face the South Sea Goddess who holds the key to the earth
Cultural hearth
Hearth of culture. A center of innovation of the culture
Relocation diffusion
- Folk Culture
- Diffusion by physically moving
- Migration
- EX: the relocation diffusion of Chinese Culture from China to the Chinatown in San Fran
Cultural landscape
Fashioning of a natural landscape by a cultural group.
EX: Some people in Asia dig out caves to live in
Diffusion: Relocation
The spread of a feature or trend through bodily movement of people from one place to another
(EX: People from Germany relocate to Berlin in America)
Diffusion: Stimulus
The spread of an underlying principal even though a specific characteristic is rejected
(EX: DVDs spread, but not Blu ray)
Diffusion: Hierarchical
The spread of a feature or tend from one key person or node of authority or power to other persons or places
(EX: the first iphones were only bought by rich powerful ppl)
Diffusion: Contagious
The rapid, widespread diffusion of a characteristic throughout the entire population regardless of class, race, etc
(EX: the flu epidemic)
Cultural trait
A trait of the culture
What is the principal obstacle to accessing popular culture
-Lack of access to electronic media which can be caused by lack of income or lack of electricity, cell phone service, and other electronic media
Why is TV the most import electronic media formats
- Watching TV is most popular leisure activity in the world.
- TV is most important mechanism for rapidly
diffusing popular culture around the world
In 2011, where was internet most widely available
Developed regions like North America, Europe, East Africa
-Originally America, then other countries followed
In 2011, are still untouched by the internet
-Less developed regions like Africa, Subsaharan Africa, Some of India (India is second in tweeting though)
What three countries dominate worldwide television markets
-Japan, the UK, and the United States
Why do developing nations view television as a new source of cultural imperialism
The TV shows characteristically American beliefs and social forms Upward social mobility
• Freedom for women
• Glorification of youth
• Stylized violence (video games)
What are the world’s two largest newspaper organizations and what countries are they associated with
- The associated press (America)
- The Reuters (Britain)
What kinds of content do some governments try to prevent their citizens from viewing
- Political Content
- Social Content
- Conflict and Security
- Internet Tools
What kinds of content do some governments try to prevent their citizens from viewing: Political content
• Opposition to local government
-Expresses views in opposition to those of the current government that is related to human rights, freedom of expression, minority rights, religious movements
What kinds of content do some governments try to prevent their citizens from viewing: Social content
• Socially sensitive material, such as gambling or sex
-Related to sexuality, gambling, illegal drugs, and alcohol, other topics that may be socially sensitive or perceived as offensive
What kinds of content do some governments try to prevent their citizens from viewing: Conflict and security
• Armed conflict, border disputes, or militant groups
-Related to armed conflicts, border disputes, separatist movements, militant groups
What kinds of content do some governments try to prevent their citizens from viewing: Internet tools
Email, Internet hosting, and Internet searches
What are three reasons why beverages or snacks are preferred in different American regions
- Preference for what is produced, grown, or imported locally (pork rinds in the south)
- Cultural backgrounds affect the amount and type of alcohol and snack foods consumed (Utah has low alcohol amt bc v Christian)
- Environmental factors
- A lot of wine in France
- Wine and Alcohol
In what sense are building materials of folk housing unique
- Reflects the environment (white house if it is sunny)
- They come from nature/ materials around where they live.
- (Brick mud in hot climates and wood in forested areas).
What is the main challenge for folk cultures today
- To maintain unique local landscapes in an age of globalization
- Increased connection with popular culture can make it difficult to maintain centuries-old practices
Where did the Amish culture originate and how did it diffuse to the United States
- Bern (Switzerland), Alsace (France), Palatinale (Germany)
- Bern and Palatine settled in Pennsylvania bc land low priced
- Alsace settled in Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa also bc land inexpensive
What is happening to the Amish today
The land where they settled is now cities and the land is more expensive, so they are moving to more rural areas with cheaper land
What are the two ways that popular customs have an adverse effect on the natural environment
- Pollution of the landscape (toxic chemicals, sewage)
- Depletion of scarce natural resources
How do Popular and Folk cultures use their land
Folk culture are dependent on the local environment and they modify it somewhat, but it is balanced
-Pop culture is less dependent on local conditions bc food can be imported and pop culture pollutes the land more
What is the uniform landscape
The spatial expression of a popular custom in on location will be similar to another
-Each McDonalds looks the same
How and why is uniform landscape used by the fast-food restaurants
- It enhances product recognition bc all McDonalds looks the same and people know what will be there
- The business is organized as franchises(local businesses use the trademark, name, etc)
- Uniform sign (golden arch)
How is the playing of golf and golf courses an example of popular custom years That is not generally in harmony with the local environment
- Each gold course covers 200ish acres and it needs a lot of fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation
- There are golf courses where there is snow and where it is super dry- unsuitable
- Drastically modifies the natural state of the landscape
How has popular culture contributed to an increase in demand for animal products
- Depletes scarce natural resources
- demands certain animals skins for clothing that leads to endangerment
- increased meat consumption- inefficient way to get calories bc you can just feed the grain to the people bc animals eat more pounds of grain than pounds of grain they produce
What are the two main activities involved in recycling
- Pick up and processing-
2. Manufacturing-
Maufacturing (recycling)
- Materials are manufactured into new product for which a market exists. Important inputs into manufacturing include recycled paper, plastic, glass, aluminum ,
Pick up and processing
- Materials that would otherwise be thrown away are collected and sorted
