- Achilles lassalle
- 7/24/25
Culture Basics
Culture: shared beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a group.
Two main categories of culture:
● Folk culture: traditionally practiced by small, homogeneous, rural groups.
● Popular culture: found in large, heterogeneous, urban societies; changes rapidly.
Custom: a repetitive act performed by a group (e.g., wearing jeans).
Habit: an act performed by an individual repeatedly (e.g., drinking coffee daily).
Origin and Diffusion
- Pop culture spreads rapidly through hierarchical or contagious diffusion via modern
communication.
● Folk culture: has anonymous origins, slow diffusion, transmitted orally or through
migration.
● Popular culture: originates in developed countries, usually traceable to a specific
person or company (e.g., pop music).
Music
Folk music: tells stories of daily life (birth, marriage, farming); originates anonymously.
Popular music: written to be sold and performed; originates with individuals for mass
consumption; global industry (e.g., New York, LA, Nashville).
Sports
- Originates as folk customs (e.g., soccer in England), then diffuses into pop culture.
- Soccer is the most global sport – transformed from folk to popular due to
industrialization and media.
Clothing
- Traditional clothing may be preserved as a symbol of cultural identity or banned due to
political views.
- Diffusion of clothing styles is rapid due to the media, trade, and fashion industry.
● Folk clothing: reflects environment and culture (e.g., fur coats in cold
climates).
● Popular clothing: influenced by occupation and income more than
environment.
Food
- Regional preferences persist (e.g., sweet tea in the South, tortilla chips in the Southwest
U.S.).
Folk food: influenced by environment and local resources; strong taboos (e.g., pork in
Islam, beef in Hinduism).
Terroir: the contribution of a location’s environment to the taste of food.
Popular food: influenced by global corporations and preferences; e.g., McDonald's
adaptation by country.
Housing
- Since the 1940s, most U.S. houses reflect popular culture (e.g., ranch-style,
split-level).Folk
● housing: shaped by environment and beliefs.
● U.S. folk housing regions: New England, Mid-Atlantic, Lower Chesapeake.
● Popular housing: mass-produced and reflects modern styles rather than
environment or local traditions.
Challenges of Folk Culture
- Threatened by globalization and spread of pop culture.
- Loss of traditional values as youth adopt global norms (e.g., Western dress).
- Media (TV, internet, social media) exposes isolated groups to pop culture trends.
- Tourism may commercialize or misrepresent folk traditions.
Challenges of Popular Culture
Uniform landscape: pop culture leads to placelessness — everywhere looks the same
(e.g., same fast-food chains).
Environmental impact: increased resource use, pollution, and waste (e.g.,
overproduction of consumer goods).
Cultural imperialism: dominance of Western media and products may suppress local
cultures.
Electronic Media and Culture Diffusion
- Media controlled in some countries (e.g., China, Iran) to block Western influence.
■ Television: most important medium for spreading pop culture
globally.
■ Internet & social media: rapid diffusion, especially among youth.
Sustainability and Culture
Folk culture sustainability: struggle to maintain distinct identity amid global pressures.
Popular culture sustainability: must address environmental concerns like resource
depletion and waste generation.
Cultures adapt - blend tradition with modernity (e.g., wearing traditional dress only
during festivals).
