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2: Culture and Cultural Practices

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    Culture is hard to define. It’s an elusive set of guidelines that govern the way we act and think. Cultures are influenced by location and subject to significant changes across space and time. This chapter explores the idea of culture and how place and space shape the way we think and how we act.

    It’s generally a foregone conclusion that culture exists. Most introductions to the concept of culture in college textbooks don’t bother to problematize the concept. Instead, texts simply define culture as “a collection of socially created rules that govern people’s thoughts and actions” or as a “learned way of life”. While it is easy to acknowledge that people do follow innumerable, mostly unwritten,rules as they make decisions about virtually everything they do, it is also important to point out that it is intellectually sloppy to reify culture. In other words, it is important to understand that culture should not be treated as something that is real or material. Instead, culture should be treated as an abstract concept that exists only in our minds. Geographer Don Mitchell has argued persuasively that culture doesn’t exist, but rather, only the idea of culture exists. It is important to make this distinction to avoid falling into the trap that causes us to treat culture as something separate and above people, like some unknown, mysterious force that controls the wills of groups and individuals. We and the societies we have created are much more complex than that. The idea of culture is helpful when we need to explain behaviors that appear to characterize group tendencies, but it’s always dangerous to assume that an individual’s ideas and actions are controlled by culture. That belief is called Cultural Determinism and it is a logic that shares many of the flaws of Environmental Determinism. Additionally, by treating culture as an idea, we can stay mindful that the rules of society are formed, reformed, contested, tossed out and replaced regularly. We created our culture, we can change it! Once we realize that culture is an idea, we are invited to think carefully about balance between society’s “rules”, sometimes known as structures, and agency, which can be thought of as the power of individuals and institutions to navigate and change those rules. Agency and structure are always in a contest – and the result of this battle is what we think of as culture. Some people think agency is more powerful than cultural structures. Others think that structures of society are far more powerful than agency.

    Though culture is only an idea, this text nevertheless uses the much-abused term “culture” as a shorthand reference to the cognitive and behavioral tendencies of various groups of people.

    • 2.1: Folk Culture
      This page discusses the extinction of folk culture in the U.S., noting that only groups like the Amish and some native Alaskans preserve its remnants. The rise of modern connectivity since the mid-19th century has diminished isolated folk practices, often non-commercial and orally transmitted. When these practices are exported, they blend into popular culture.
    • 2.2: Folk Regions
      This page explores the influence of folk cultures on contemporary American society, highlighting the retention of traditions in specific regions versus their dilution in urban areas. It emphasizes the relevance of historical practices in modern religion, politics, music, and foodways, while cautioning against stereotyping and ecological fallacies. The text encourages acknowledgment of diversity within cultural sub-regions, focusing specifically on folk housing, music, and sports.
    • 2.3: Folk Housing
      This page examines the architecture and cultural influences of folk houses in the Upland South, which are simple and adapted to local conditions, contrasting with the richer influences found in the Lowland South. The text highlights the impact of immigrant groups, such as French, German, and Spanish settlers, on architectural styles like Creole cottages and log cabins.
    • 2.4: Folk Music to Popular Music
      This page explores the evolution of American folk music and its cultural roots, emphasizing the influence of African musical elements and significant figures like Stephen Foster and Elvis Presley. It highlights how regional characteristics shaped musical genres, particularly with the rise of rock n’ roll and Seattle's grunge movement in the 1990s.
    • 2.5: The Geography of Sports
      This page explores the significant impact of sports on identity and community worldwide, highlighting how geography, climate, and culture influence sports participation and fandom. Specific examples include Jamaica’s success in sprinting and regional patterns in college football fandom, where support often aligns with neighboring states. The intensity of support depends on team success and the presence of professional teams, with variations noted across states.

    This page titled 2: Culture and Cultural Practices is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Steven M. Graves via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.