Chapter 4 – Folk and Popular Culture

  1. Why has the need to understand differences in social customs become more urgent now than ever?
  1. What three things does culture combine? On which of these things does Chapter 4 deal with?
  1. What two facets of material culture are examined in Chapter 4?
  1. How are habit and custom different concepts, and how do they relate to culture?
  1. Into what two basic categories does material culture fall?
  1. Define both categories and briefly explain how they are different from each other.
  1. On a separate sheet of paper, create a comprehensive T-Chart that shows in full detail how the two categories of material culture are different.
  1. Explain how the two categories of material culture relate to the process of globalization.
  1. How do the two categories of culture relate to the environment?

Key Issue 1 – “Where Do Folk and Popular Cultures Originate and Diffuse?”

  1. In general, how is the distribution of popular and folk culture different?
  1. What two basic factors explain the spatial differences between popular and folk culture?
  1. Where do social customs originate?
  1. In what conditions do folk customs originate?
  1. How the origin of popular culture different?
  1. From what is the content of folk music most often derived?
  1. How is and popular music different fromfolk music?
  1. When and where did popular music originate?
  1. What was Tin Pan Alley and why did it disappear after World War II?
  1. What caused the diffusion of American popular music worldwide?
  1. Where did Hip Hop music originate, and to where did it first diffuse?
  1. How does Hip Hop demonstrate the interplay between globalization and local diversity?
  1. How is the diffusion of popular music different than the diffusion of folk music?
  1. According to the “map” at the top of pg. 117 what artists and types of music appear to be the most popular?
  1. What does the metal map of hip hop music in Figure 4-2 (on p. 117) attempt to show?
  1. How does the Amish culture illustrate how relocation diffusion distributes folk culture?
  1. Describe the folk culture origin of football (“soccer”).
  1. Describe the transformation of soccer into globalized popular culture.
  1. What are some other sports and their places of popularity that had localized origins that diffused into national and global prominence?

Key Issue # 2 – “Why is Folk Culture Clustered?”

  1. What factor causes different culture groups in different places to develop unique folk customs?
  1. What four distinct folk culture groups are found in relative close proximity to each other in the Himalaya region?
  1. For what reason do most contemporary geographers reject the idea of environmental determinism of social customs?
  1. What are some examples of folk cultural customs that originated in response to environmental conditions?
  1. What two necessities of daily life demonstrate the influence of cultural values and the environment on the development of unique folk culture?
  1. Give several examples of how the environment affects local food preferences.
  1. What is the French word for the effects of the local environment on a particular food item?
  1. What is a taboo, and what are some examples of foods that are taboos in some cultures?
  1. Identify some of the food taboos specific to Jewish tradition and explain their origins?
  1. Islamic food taboos? Why?
  1. Hindu food taboos? Why?
  1. What are the two most common building materials in the world? Which is most preferred? Why?
  1. In what ways might housing forms reflect religious values?
  1. How are housing orientations different between Laos and Thailand?
  1. What are some examples of how climate might affect housing styles?
  1. What are the three major hearths or nodes of folk house forms in the United States, and to where did each of these forms diffuse?
  1. Why are such regional distinctions of house styles not present in today’s landscape in the U.S.?
  1. What are the 4 house types prevalent in New England? (Figure 4-10 p. 127)
  1. According to Figure 4-9, what house type is most prevalent in the area in which we live?

Key Issue #3 – “Why Is Popular Culture Widely Distributed?”

  1. Popular culture varies more in ______than in ______.
  2. On what does the rapid diffusion of popular culture depend?
  1. What are some examples of how popular culture has reduced regional differences in the U.S.?
  1. What kinds of houses became popular nationwide in the U.S. after World War II regardless of regional differences?