Pop Culture/Folk

Culture Chapter 4

An Abrey-Ewald Production

Chapter 4: Culture Vocabulary Term Definition Example

acculturation

assimilation

authenticity

built environment

commodification

cultural appropriation

cultural landscape

cultural realm

culture

culture complex

custom

distance decay (pic)

ethnic neighborhood

ethnography

folk culture

glocalization

hearth

FOLK CULTURE POPULAR CULTURE

- rural - urban

- pre-industrial - post industrial

- isolated - interconnected (globalization)

- homogenous group of people - heterogeneous group of people

- traditional (what we’ve always done) - innovative / cutting edge

- changes slowly - changes rapidly

- oral communication - mass media / technology

- few outside influences (isolated) - transculturation

- local, regional - national, global

- relocation diffusion - hierarchical diffusion

- slow diffusion - rapid diffusion

- limited diffusion - extensive diffusion

- varies from place to place - varies from time to time

- reflects local environment - looks same everywhere

-environmental determinism - possibilism

Examples? Examples?

Amish….. MTV, Hollywood, McDonalds

Chapter 4 Reading Guide: Culture & Cultural Landscapes 1. Describe the local culture of Parsi within the larger cultural landscape of India. What is their common history? How do they define

their membership? What sets them apart from others in India? How have the Parsi managed to retain their local culture in the face of globalization?

2. Distinguish between local culture and popular culture-- what are examples of each? How do they interact? How does each diffuse? 3. What threats do local cultures face? Be sure to distinguish especially between assimilation and cultural appropriation?

4. How do local cultures sustain themselves in spite of these threats? 5. What is an ethnic neighborhood? Choose one and describe the traditions/customs/traits that set it apart from popular culture.

6. Explain the issue of authenticity, in regards to commodified cultures/cultural traits. 7. What technological advances have led to time-space compression and the associated rapidity of diffusion in the global system?

What are some benefits, and dangers, of time-space compression? 8. What does the author mean by “cultural landscape convergence?” Describe the three dimensions of cultural landscape

convergence--i.e. ways it happens. 1) diffusion of architectural forms and ideas around the world; 2) spread of individual businesses and products, and 3) borrowing of idealized landscape images.

9. In what ways do you see cultural landscape convergence operating in your community?

10. How can a community preserve its local cultural landscape features against the encroachment of “placelessness?”

Amish Reading Questions Name:________________________ 1. What are the distinctive elements of the Amish culture that make it a folk culture? 2. Which of these elements has been most important in this regions distinction as a folk culture? 3. What ways have the members of the culture adapted or been influenced by modern pop culture? What evidence is given for this? 4. Why have these factors intruded into this culture? 5. What reasons can you cite for the longevity and stability of Amish culture in America, despite popular culture’s intrusion? 6. Considering the effects of population growth, urbanization, rapid technology improvements, and globalization, can the Amish maintain their traditional folk culture in the future? Explain Amish Reading Questions Name:________________________ 1. What are the distinctive elements of the Amish culture that make it a folk culture? 2. Which of these elements has been most important in this regions distinction as a folk culture? 3. What ways have the members of the culture adapted or been influenced by modern pop culture? What evidence is given for this? 4. Why have these factors intruded into this culture? 5. What reasons can you cite for the longevity and stability of Amish culture in America, despite popular culture’s intrusion? 6. Considering the effects of population growth, urbanization, rapid technology improvements, and globalization, can the Amish maintain their traditional folk culture in the future? Explain

The Body Rituals of the Nacirema Ewald – AP HuG

1. On sheet - After reading the Nacirema, have students write down the possible equivalent American

counterparts for: a. Shrines b. Charms or magic potions c. Specialized practitioners d. Charm box e. Holy-mouth man f. Vestal maiden g. Listener

2. Try to think of things that members of other cultures might find surprising about us? 3. How does Body Ritual Among the Nacirema help us understand our own view of other cultures and

how we are viewed by other cultures? 4. Why do some of the practices and rituals of other cultures seem odd or foreign to us? How do our own

cultural norms affect our understanding and perception of other cultures? 5. What assumptions do we make about other cultures? What are some examples of practices in other

cultures that we find odd and hard to understand? (For example, arranged marriages, eating and preparing unusual foods, ritual body piercing, rites of passage.)

The Body Rituals of the Nacirema Ewald – AP HuG

1. On sheet - After reading the Nacirema, have students write down the possible equivalent American

counterparts for: a. Shrines b. Charms or magic potions c. Specialized practitioners d. Charm box e. Holy-mouth man f. Vestal maiden g. Listener

2. Try to think of things that members of other cultures might find surprising about us? 3. How does Body Ritual Among the Nacirema help us understand our own view of other cultures and

how we are viewed by other cultures? 4. Why do some of the practices and rituals of other cultures seem odd or foreign to us? How do our own

cultural norms affect our understanding and perception of other cultures? 5. What assumptions do we make about other cultures? What are some examples of practices in other

cultures that we find odd and hard to understand? (For example, arranged marriages, eating and preparing unusual foods, ritual body piercing, rites of passage.)

A Hip Tradition – Smithsonian Magazine – August 2007 For many of us, hula conjures up visions of slender Hawaiian women in leafy skirts, coconut bras and plastic leis. Think Blue Hawaii, a 1961 Elvis movie, or the Brady Bunch's ill-fated trip to the islands, complete with a Tiki curse and Alice in a grass skirt. Until recently, those stereotypes threatened to become the only readily available representations of hula, an age-old Hawaiian cultural practice enacted through chanting, singing and dancing. Each of hula's movements has a meaning that helps tell a story about gods and goddesses, nature or important events. Rather than simply a performance geared for tourists, the dance is something Hawaiians did for themselves for centuries, at religious ceremonies honoring gods or rites of passage and at social occasions as a means of passing down history. After years of Western imperialism—under which hula was first discouraged by Christian missionaries in the early 1800s and later marketed as kitsch in the mid-1900s—the dance, in many Hawaiians' eyes, was losing any real sense of history or culture. "Outside influences were making it obsolete," says Rae Fonseca, a kumu hula, or hula master, in Hilo on the Big Island. As a result, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, a renewed interest in hula's traditional roots began to sweep across the state. Adrienne Kaeppler, curator of oceanic ethnology at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. and an expert in hula, helped form the State Council on Hawaiian Dance in 1969. "During its meetings," she says, "we brought in some of the older hula masters who were willing to share their dances in a variety of workshops." The classes filled quickly, signaling the beginning of hula's renaissance. "It just went on from there," Kaeppler says. Today, serious hula is everywhere in Hawaii. The dance can also be found among the mainland diaspora and other places such as Japan, Europe and Mexico. Even Hollywood has joined in—Hula Girls, this year's Japanese entry in the Academy Award's foreign language category, tells a charming tale of rural Japanese girls learning the dance. Halaus, or schools of hula, have cropped up in most Hawaiian towns, and men and women of all ages study the dance diligently. "I have my classes twice a week for each age group," Fonseca says. "It entails a lot of dedication." Kumu hulas generally teach their students both hula kahiko (traditional hula) which involves chanting accompanied by percussion instruments, and hula 'auana (modern hula) which features songs, mainly sung in Hawaiian, and instruments such as the ukulele and guitar. Early hula kahiko costumes for women featured skirts made of kapa, or bark cloth. Men wore the skirts, too, or just a loincloth, called a malo. A lei for the head and its counterpart for the ankles and wrists—called kupe'e—were made of plants or materials such as shells and feathers. Hula 'auana emerged in the late 1800s, when international visitors introduced stringed instruments to the culture. It was at this time that the ubiquitous grass skirts came on the scene as well, though costumes for hula 'auana are often more Western in appearance—fabric tops, skirts and dresses for women, and shorts and pants for men, but with lei and kupe'e as adornments. These accessories, however, depend upon which type of dance is being performed. "In hula kahiko," says Noenoelani Zuttermeister, a kumu hula who teaches at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, "a circular lei would be worn on top of the head, whereas in hula 'auana, the dancer may affix flowers to one side of the head." But while hula historically has involved a merging of different cultural forms, kumu hulas of today want blending stopped. Rather than integrate Japanese or, say, Mexican dance traditions with Hawaiian hula in Tokyo or Mexico City, Fonseca says hula must be kept pure, wherever it is performed. "It's up to us teachers to stress that where we come from is important," he says. Zuttermeister strongly agrees: "If the link is not maintained as it should, then we're not passing on something that is hula and we're not being true to our culture." Fittingly, hula is strongly associated with family tradition. Both Fonseca and Zuttermeister come from hula-focused families: Fonseca's grandmother was a hula performer in the 1930s, and Zuttermeister's mother taught the dance. Perhaps the best example of a hula dynasty in action is Aloha Dalire, a kumu hula from the town of Heeia on Oahu and the first winner of the Miss Aloha Hula title at the famed Merrie Monarch festival. This weeklong event sponsoring three days of hula competition has been called the "Olympics of hula." The dance's best and brightest compete, and the contests are so popular they're televised live in Hawaii. Miss Aloha Hula, as one might imagine, is part beauty pageant winner, part mind-blowing hula dancer. Dalire won the title in 1971, a time, she says, when the contest was open to anyone "over 18 and ready to step into the limelight." She hails from a long line of dancers—she's the seventh generation—and her three daughters followed suit. They each individually won Miss Aloha Hula, in 1991, 1992 and 1999. Dalire believes the Miss Aloha Hula contest births many kumu hulas. That may be true, but the path to becoming a hula master is not universally agreed upon. Each hula school has its own particular steps and rituals. Several kumus seemed reluctant to describe these, instead uttering the Hawaiian proverb, "All knowledge does not come from one," when pressed about them. Dalire says students must study Hawaiian history, culture and language, as well as dance. Malama Chong, a protégé of Fonseca's, says lei-making and costuming are also important. In addition, students may be required to heed kapus (taboos), including abstinence and food restrictions. "It's a serious undertaking that requires years of training," Chong says. Indeed. Hula has again taken its place as a proud and integral part of Hawaiian culture. The next time you hear Turner Classic Movies, remember Dalire's parting words: "We don't always run around in grass skirts—they're only for sharing hula. We're modernized as much as anyone else."

Rubenstein Chapter 4 Section 2 ● ISOLATION PROMOTES CULTURAL DIVERSITY 1. Summarize how cultural diversity in the Himalayas is displayed in local art. 2a. What cultural institution is shaping these differences? 2b. What environmental conditions (which are the same for all groups here) are NOT ensuring similar art forms in this case? ● INFLUENCE OF THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT 3. How does clothing style (in this case, shoes) indicate the influence of the environment on folk culture? 4. List 4 different examples of food habits and the unique folk cultures each illustrates. ● ● ● ● 5. Indication some food attractions and taboos, along with the cultures that practice them, in the table below.

Food Attractions Food Taboos Cultures/Regions Foods/Reasons Cultures/Regions Foods/Reasons

6. In what sense are building materials of folk housing unique? Provide examples. 7. List 4 examples of house form and the unique folk cultures each illustrates. ● ● ● ● US HOUSES 7. Fred Kniffen, a cultural geographer, has identified three source regions for American folk housing styles: New England, Middle Atlantic, and Lower Chesapeake. List the housing styles he identified with each region. New England (4 styles) a. c. b. d. Middle Atlantic (1 dominant style) Lower Chesapeake

A lunch for the whole world to behold By Edward Cody -- Washington Post Foreign Service Among humanity's most cherished cultural treasures, the United Nations declared Tuesday, are Peking opera, Spanish flamenco dancing - and lunch in France. The decision by the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to include French food among new additions to a list celebrating the world's "intangible cultural heritage" came as no surprise in Paris. For centuries, people here have been convinced that nothing is so fine, so culturally satisfying, so spiritually uplifting as sitting down for a good French meal with friends and family. (Or maybe a lover, but that is another heritage.) President Nicolas Sarkozy summed up the views of most of his compatriots when he blurted out at an agricultural fair two years ago that French cuisine is the best in the world and should be put on the UNESCO list. Although he quickly added, "at least, in our view," his culinary chauvinism inspired tut-tuts from gourmets in Italy, Spain and many other places where people think they eat pretty well. UNESCO honored traditional Mexican cuisine as well, although that fact tended to be lost in the din of self-congratulation in France over the world body's acknowledgment of the country's flair for orchestrating the perfect cascade of mealtime pleasures: from aperitif to appetizer, on to the main course, salad, cheese, dessert and perhaps fruit, with the appropriate wine bringing out the best in each dish. It was that ageless choreography - epitomized by Sunday lunch at Grandma's rather than three-star preciosity - that UNESCO singled out as worth preserving for the good of the human race. "The meal is a profound part of French people's identity," said Jean-Robert Pitte, the president of the University of Paris-Sorbonne (Paris IV), who led the effort to win UNESCO's blessing and explained the reasoning. "This exists in a lot of other countries. But we have a certain form of gastronomy, with the marriage of food and wine, the succession of dishes, the way of setting the table, of talking about it, that are specifically French." A 24-member UNESCO committee, meeting in Nairobi this month to weigh 47 nominations from 29 countries, agreed, honoring gastronomy for the first time. It added the French meal because, a citation said, it is "a customary social practice designed to celebrate the most important moments in the lives of individuals and groups." France's ambassador to UNESCO, Catherine Colonna, expressed delight at the decision, saying in a statement that it "contributes to cultural diversity." In fact, the traditional French meal has been meeting with growing indifference on its home ground as the demands of a modern economy encourage quick, alcohol-free lunches, particularly among the young. Sandwich consumption is rising by 10 percent a year, and experts estimate that only half of France's 64 million people still sit down to eat regular family meals of the kind honored by UNESCO. Nevertheless, a multicourse lunch with wine at an expense-account restaurant remains the most popular way to celebrate a contract, seal a friendship or pass along a tip. Lunch at Grandma's is still imperative for many families, particularly in the provinces. Television programs devoted to cooking and dinner parties have also proliferated in recent years, generating a mini-renaissance of home cooking. "This means that people are rediscovering that in cooking, there is conviviality, competition, health, roots, a discovery of the world," Jean-Louis Missika, an aide to Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe, said in an interview with the Journal du Dimanche newspaper. "And we see in these programs that setting a beautiful table is not at all fuddy-duddy." In many ways, the drive to get French-style meals on the UNESCO list arose from a desire to preserve the tradition of home-style gastronomy despite the onslaught of pressures against it. Francis Chevrier of the European Institute of Food History and Cultures in Tours, who participated in the campaign, expressed hope it would inspire the French to make sure their heritage is passed along to future generations. Although the emphasis was on family tradition, several big-name chefs also supported the cause, including Paul Bocuse, Alain Ducasse and Joel Robuchon. The cultural heritage list, which was started in 2003 as a parallel to the UNESCO monuments list begun in 1972, had designated 178 customs before the current round, most of them folk traditions such as dances or ceremonies. According to the regulations, UNESCO's designation implies an international obligation to preserve the honored tradition. French Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand and Agriculture Minister Bruno Lemaire pledged to help French gastronomy survive and noted that school programs are handing down techniques. One of France's most famous zealots of culinary tradition, the European Parliament member and food purist Jose Bove, was cited Tuesday for his own kind of preservation. Bove, who won fame a decade ago for trashing a McDonald's in the name of good eating, was sentenced to 120 days in jail and fined $68 for tearing up a field of genetically modified corn.

Rubenstein Chapter 4 Section 4 – Reading Guide

● THREAT TO FOLK CULTURE

1. How and where has folk clothing styles worldwide been threatened by popular culture?

2. How have women in many parts of the world been helped by the spread of popular culture? How have they been hurt?

3. What three countries dominate worldwide television markets? What regions does each dominate?

4. Why do developing nations view television as a new source of cultural imperialism?

5. What are the world=s two largest newspaper organizations? Who owns them?

6. In many parts of the world, what is the only reliable and unbiased source of news information?

● ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF POPULAR CULTURE

1. How is the playing of golf and golf courses an example of a popular custom which is not generally in harmony withthe local environment?

2. What is a uniform landscape?

3. How and why is this concept utilized by fast-food restaurants?

4. What are the two ways in which popular customs have an adverse effect on the natural environment?

a.

b.

Cultural Region Brochure

After learning about culture and reading Garreau’s “The Nine Nations of North America”, you should have a fairly good idea of what a region is as well as the types of regions found on our continent. Please create a brochure of this concept including the following terms:

• Formal Region • Functional Region • Perceptual Region • Cultural Traits/Cultural Region • Regional Identity

(For each of these terms you must include a definition)

In addition to this information I would like you to choose one of the Nine Nations outlined by Garreau and use its specific attributes as an example for each of the above mentioned terms.

Your brochure must also include a cover as well as a map of the region that you have chosen.

Folk and Pop Culture Review Sheet:

Cultural Geography

What is culture? – artifacts, customs, material and non-material

Acculturation

Assimilation

Folk v. Pop Culture

Cultural Hearths and diffusion (expansion – hierarchical, contagious, stimulus and relocation)

Folk food, housing, music, environmental determinism

Pop housing, pop music, pop food…..role of TV and internet

Cultural Ecology – environmental determinism V. possibilism

Cultural Landscapes – Carl Sauer

Cultural Regions – formal, functional, vernacular…..core, domain, sphere

Cultural realms

Globalization of pop culture – uniformity and homogeneity

Cultural Syncretism – 2 or more different cultures or traits converge/combine (ex: Native Americans combine traits from both Christianity and traditional Native beliefs)

Cultural Imperialism