The material possessions that we have or use are also an integral aspect of each of our “ways of life” or culture. The tangible items that we produce or use reflect a lot about what a person or group finds to be important. These include, for example, types of food, clothing styles, architecture style of buildings and homes, and modes of transportation (car, horse, walk, ferry, subway, bus). These material items also reveal the level of technology of an area. Material culture can be further described in terms of folk and popular culture.

Below is a choropleth map of automobiles/vehicles per 1000 people at the country-level. Places with high automobiles per capita are shaded in darker green/black, whereas places with lower per capita data are shown in lighter green/white. Clearly, North America, Western Europe, and Australia/New Zealand/Japan are all countries and regions with high automobile usage.

(map source: Wikipedia)

Folk culture is often found among small, homogeneous groups living in more rural, less populated areas. By remaining isolated, folk culture groups have less interactions and communications with other groups and are more likely to resist and not pick-up popular culture trends. For example, in a folk culture with strong folk clothing preferences, teenagers are much more likely to dress like their parents. Folk culture is also slow to diffuse from its hearth area. Since folk culture groups are scattered in different, isolated areas, their customs vary considerably from place-to-place. For example, if you traveled across the country studying folk art and music, you would come across a large variety of styles.

Popular culture, on the other hand, is much more likely to be found among large and diverse culture groups. Advancements in communication and transportation technology helps to rapidly diffuse popular customs to new areas, resulting in a more uniform or homogenous landscape (recall “cultural homogeneity” from Chapter 3 discussion on Globalization and Culture). For example, blue jeans and basketball are examples of popular culture customs that are found across the world in a wide variety of places. Unlike teenagers in folk cultures, young adults are less likely to dress like their parents as they are more likely to be influenced by new trends or create their own, unique style. In general, popular customs are more likely to originate in urban areas in wealthier, more developed countries.

I provide more examples of material culture and technology and include a brief description of Assignment 2 in the following video.