HUMAN GEOGRAPHY

Threats to Folk Culture

How Culture Changes?

Human Geography 11e

Innovation Introduction of new ideas, practices, or

objects; usually, an alteration of custom or culture that originates within the social group itself

Diffusion The process by which an idea or innovation

is transmitted from one individual or group to another across space

2 Issues:

1. diffusion of popular culture threatens survival of Traditional Folk Culture.

2. Pop culture does not adapt to the land, but often has an adverse impact.

Human Geography 10e

Folk Culture – rapidly changing and/or disappearing throughout much of the

world.

Turkish Camel Market

Portuguese Fishing Boat

Guatemalan Market

Problems with the Globalization of Culture

Often Destroys Folk Culture – or preserves traditions as museum pieces or tourism gimmicks.

Satellite Television, Baja California

Human Geography 10e

People like to Gawk!!

Folk Culture often preserved by museums and or shows.

People turn away from Folk tradition.

Exposure to popular culture may stimulate a desire to adapt similar practices.

Human Geography 10e

Traveled to MDC where clothing is a status symbol of wealth and power- many want to leave own traditions behind and adopt new ones.

Human Geography 10e

Popular cultureImpacts India clothing

Human Geography 10e

Fundamentalists – Folk Culture is the demand for a strict adherence to specific

theological doctrines usually understood as a reaction against Modernist

Today many Islamic fundamentalists advocate the stoning of women In the Indian province of Kashmir, Muslim fundamentalists have

demanded that all women (even those who are not Muslim) start wearing veils. When the call was ignored Muslim thugs threw acid in the faces of uncovered women.

Female genital mutilation is an African custom that pre-dates Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It is widely practiced in African countries, the Middle East, Malaysia, Indonesia and also amongst certain ethnic groups living in Europe, North America and Australia. In Africa FGM is practiced not only by Muslims but also by some Christian and Animist groups as well.

Honor Killings- Women are not seen as equal.

Human Geography 10e

Prostitution in LDC’s for traveling MDC businessmen.

Loss of culture.

LOS ANGELES - An undercover FBI agent has been accused in court documents of spending U.S. taxpayer dollars on prostitutes in the Philippines for himself and others during an international weapons trafficking probe last year.

Human Geography 10e

Western Media Imperialism? U.S., Britain, and Japan dominate worldwide

media. Glorified consumerism, violence, sexuality, and

militarism? These networks are unlikely to focus or provide third world

perspective on issues important in the LDCs.

Satellite dishes often used

To get world news

-Banned in China and

Saudi Arabia

Problems with the Globalization of Popular Culture

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVlD9jMFyT0

Environmental Problems with Cultural Globalization

Accelerated Resource Use through Accelerated Consumption

New larger housing desires means more energy and water use. Golf courses use valuable water and destroy habitat worldwide.

Bigger homes Leisure and Money Golf Courses

Human Geography 10e

Pollution: wasted and discarded products, plastics, marketing and packaging materials

Human Geography 10e

Uniform LandscapesSpatial expression in popular customsin one place will be similar to another place.

Product recognition

Human Geography 10e

What evidence can you cite that humans have throughout their history exerted destructive pressures on the natural environments they have occupied? Have those pressures necessarily become more destructive as technological systems have become more advanced? Explain.