Key Issues 1 and 2 Chapter 4 Folk and Popular Culture AP Human Geography Rubenstein

a repetitive act that a particular individual performs

wearing jeans to class everyday

American university students wear jeans to class everyday

does not imply that the act has adopted by most of the society’s population

a repetitive act of a group, performed to the extent that it becomes characteristic of the group

2 categories are folk and popular culture

traditionally practiced; small homogenous groups; isolated rural areas; customs

large heterogeneous societies; share cert. habits despite differences in other personal characteristics; habits

has more widespread distribution

more sensitive to the protection and enhancement of the environment

Based on rapid simultaneous global connections through communications systems

less likely to reflect the diversity of local physical conditions;
more likely to modify the environment in accordance with global values

often have anonymous hearths; originate form anonymous sources; unknown dates; unidentified originators; may have multiple hearths

most often a product of the economically more developed countries

Michael Jackson, McDonald’s, Hip Hop

…

tell a story or convey information about daily activities (farming), life-cycle events (marriage, death, birth), or mysterious events (storms and earthquakes).

written by specific individuals for the purpose of being sold to a large # of people

usually composed anonymously and transmitted orally

spread typically follows a pattern of hierarchical diffusion

a center of innovation; where culture originates

a restriction on behavior; imposed by social customs

Hip Hop

…

can change from generation to generation, usually shaped by daily events

The Amish: relocation diffusion

Hip-Hop; organized sports: Soccer (football

diffusion shows that culture is transmitted from one location to another more slowly and on a smaller scale

diffusion typically follows the process of hierarchical diffusion from hearths or nodes of innovation

diffuses rapidly and extensively though the use of modern communications and transportation

the world’s most popular sport

…

the prevailing climate, soil, and vegetation

provision of food, clothing, and shelter

Residents of artic climates may wear fur-lined boots, which protect against the cold

Soybeans
toxic and indigestible when raw
making this into bean sprouts (germinated seeds), soy sauce (fermented soybeans), and bean curd (steamed soybeans)

food taboos: Muslims and pork