The Elements of Culture

• Culture is the total of knowledge , attitudes, and behaviors shared by and passed on by the members of a specific group. Culture involves the following factors:– Food shelter– Religion– Relationships to family and others– Language– Education– Security/protection– Political and social organization– Creative expression

Cultural Change & Exchange

What is Innovation?

• Taking existing technology and resources & creating something new to meet a need.

What is diffusion?• The spread of ideas,

inventions, or patterns of behavior.

When does acculturation happens?

• When a society accepts or adopts an innovation.

Custom

• The frequent repetition of an act, to the extent that it becomes characteristic of a group of people.

Origins and Diffusion of Folk & Popular Cultures

• Origin of folk and popular cultures– Origin of folk music– Origin of popular music

• Diffusion of folk and popular cultures– The Amish: Relocation diffusion of folk culture– Sports: Hierarchical diffusion of popular culture

Himalayan Folk Cultural Regions

Fig. 4-4: Cultural geographers have identified four distinct culture regions based on predominant religions in the Himalaya Mountains.

Hip Hop musicSouth Bronx, considered the birthplace of hip

hop. Hip Hop is an American musical genre in which rhythmic and rhyming speech is chanted to musical accompaniment.

French Road Signs, Québec

Origin, Diffusion, & Dialects of English

• Origin and diffusion of English– English colonies– Origin of English in England

• Dialects of English– Dialects in England– Differences between British & American

English– Dialects in the United States

English Speaking Countries

Fig. 5-1: English is an official language in 50 countries, including some in which it is not the most widely spoken language. It is also used and understood in many others.

Romance Branch of Indo-European

Fig. 5-8: The Romance branch includes three of the world’s 12 most widely spoken languages (Spanish, French, and Portuguese), as well as a number of smaller languages and dialects.

Hog Production & Food Cultures

Fig. 4-6: Annual hog production is influenced by religious taboos against pork consumption in Islam and other religions. The highest production is in China, which is largely Buddhist.

Wide Dispersion of Popular Culture • Diffusion of popular housing, clothing, &

food– Popular housing styles– Rapid diffusion of clothing styles– Popular food customs

• Television and diffusion of popular culture– Diffusion of television– Diffusion of the internet– Government control of television

Alcohol Preferences in the U.S.

Fig. 4-12: Per capita consumption of Canadian whiskey (left) and tequila (right) show different source areas and histories of diffusion.

Wine Production per year

Fig. 4-13: The distribution of wine production shows the joint impact of the physical environment and social customs.

1. What factors lead a country to be developed?2. What factors would contribute to a country being underdeveloped (developing)?

World’s most developed countries

Developed Underdeveloped

• Infant mortality rate?• Life expectancy?• Birth rate?• GDP per capita?• Literacy rate?

• Infant mortality rate?• Life expectancy?• Birth rate• GDP per capita?• Literacy rate?

Diffusion of TV1954 - 2003

Fig. 4-14: Television has diffused widely since the 1950s, but some areas still have low numbers of TVs per population.

TV Distribution, 1954

TV Distribution, 1970

TV Distribution, 2003

Distribution of Internet Users,

1995 - 2003

Fig. 4-15: Internet users per 1000 population. Diffusion of internet service is following the pattern of TV diffusion in the 20th century, but at a much faster rate.

Liz Lewis:

1995-2004

Liz Lewis:

1995-2004

Internet Users, 1995 per 1000 population

Internet Users, 2004 per 1000 population

Internet shop, India

Internet Use by

Food Seller in China

GeishaKyoto, Japan

Impacts of the Globalization of Popular Culture

• Threats to folk culture– Loss of traditional values– Foreign media dominance

• Environmental impacts of popular culture– Modifying nature– Uniform landscapes– Negative environmental impact

McDonald’s in Beijing, China