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I'm not entirely sure this thread belongs here on /lit/, but since it's the most wannabe-intellectual part of 4chan I'll post it anyways.
My question is very simple: does the US have something that can be called folk culture? If the answer is positive, in which states is folk culture more prevalent?
As a foreigner, my view of the U.S. is that of a country ridden with generic movies, music and literature. It seems that every thing that can be commercialized will be turned into a product. Furthermore, I can spot no relevant (other than language, of course) anglo tradition that has perpetuated itself across the years.
The only region where some sort of folk culture and popular roots still exist is in the deep south, specially among the black community and to a lesser extent the whites (Faulkner would be an example). I always get very confused when I ask someone to recommend me folk music and they say stuff like Bob Dylan. What's folk-ish about the damn guy?
What are the instruments of American folk culture? What are its themes and cultural roots? Is there some sort of folk literature going on? This is a serious thread and I don't mean to attack anyone, I'm genuinely interested.
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>>8731235
I'm not American, but Canadian so that's close enough.
Yes, they have folk culture. Can I describe it to you, probably not.
Where you from?
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>>8731235
>does the US have something that can be called folk culture?
yes. it has numerous folk cultures traditions in both music and literature, dotted across the contemporary borders of the usa. look into some oxford histories or bibliographies on whatever topic interests you and read up. if you're looking for some interesting american folk music, check out shape notes and spirituals. and john fahey, to see how an artist working slightly before and at the same time as dylan was working with folk materials differently than him. as for bob dylan, watch the doc 'no direction home' to see what people mean when they call him a folk musician.
and i should say: this is a literature board, not a music board.
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>>8731264
I'm also interested in folk literature and oral traditions. I come from a country where we have a very rich scene of folk and popular writings and publications, with booklets and leaflets still being produced almost as handicrafts. I only used musical examples because I'm throughly ignorant about the subject of American folk literature.
>>8731252
I would truly like to have such a description or at least a recommendation of works dealing with this theme. I'm from Brazil.
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>>8731235
America from the outset historically consists of immigrants from a bunch of different cultures.
So much of contemporary American culture is definitely flavored by incoherent European homages in the vein of "we wuz pilgrims and shiet", Saint Paddy's day, Christmas, whatever.
Truly 'authentic' American culture is more-or-less borne out of 1) the westward expansion - cowboys, homesteaders, trappers - and 2) african slaves
Regarding the second point, the slaves literally had the oonga boonga culture beat out of them, so they had to just make new shit up. Jazz, rap, southern cooking, bbq, whatever. A lot of quintessentially American things are made by this community
t. amerifat
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>>8731288
>oonga boonga culture
why
>jazz, rap, southern cooking, bbq, whatever
idk i don't think these are exclusively black creation, american culture was built within ethnic communities but mostly between them
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>>8731287
>I would truly like to have such a description or at least a recommendation of works dealing with this theme. I'm from Brazil.
>I'm from Brazil
Lol get the fuck out this is an Anglo website go shit somewhere, like the streets you poor filthy Portuguese porkshop shit.
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>>8731287
look into harry smith's anthology of american folk music and read eric foner's 'give me liberation'
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>>8731296
op this is a big part of american culture - racism
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>>8731294
>idk i don't think these are exclusively black creation, american culture was built within ethnic communities but mostly between them
Definitely I feel you on this, for example the Creole culture is a fusion between african slaves/spanish/french immigrants
But the africans started from a completely clean slate. The african american culture is arguably the clearest reflection of the continent's history
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>>8731309
yeah, i would agree with that. and just to clarify i would agree jazz and rap are distinctly black traditions but i just think that saying there was a clean historical line from slavery up to their genesis leaves a lot of stuff out (idk shit about food)
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>>8731235
>America has no folk culture
Literally do some basic research. America has a rich history of traditional blues and country, and all popular music is derived from the American folk tradition in some way. Listen to Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music.
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>>8731306
>America more racist than ANYWHERE else
Ebin, screenshotted for reddit xD
>inb4 cuck
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>>8731306
I've been to Brazil. I spent two months there. Brazilians are fucking retarded and dirty. Even the white ones.
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>>8731341
fuck to /pol/ you sexually neurotic beta
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>>8731235
Are you from the northeast of Brazil?
If so, I warn you that there is nothing in US that can compare to the amount of folk culture we have here.
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>>8731356
>dude Americas so racist lmao
>Brazilians are so great and tolerant and vibrant! Back to pol you racist!!!
Get out you libcuck NPR intellectual
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>>8731356
>Sexually neurotic
I may start using that insult myself.
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>>8731368
Bahia sucks. I got food poising from an outdoor restaurant run by mongoloids.
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>>8731368
I had hopes the South US would be able to offer something.
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>>8731294
Jazz and rap/hip hop are most definitely black creations. They also invented the blues, and thusly rock and roll.
I guess you could say white people helped inspire the blues, though.
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>>8731379
Bahia is only in the northeast because the dudes fucked up during the 1930s. Bahia isn't and will never be part of the true northeast.
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>>8731383
>I guess you could say white people helped inspire the blues, though.
kek
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readsettlers.org
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>>8731381
We were fortunate enough to have someone as Ariano Suassuna.
I feel bad for other places.
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>>8731386
I get the impression that the "bahianos" dislike being associated to the northeast.
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>>8731422
People from Salvador are a bunch of faggots. Northern Bahia is cool, though.
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>>8731434
I had a maid at my pousada come onto me but she looked like she was around 400 years old.
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>>8731235
Our folk culture mostly comes from southern blacks who created a mythology around the land beyond the plantation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Br%27er_Rabbit
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Remus
Carribean blacks also developed hybrid folk religions adapting elements of Christianity and voodoo.
Bob Dulan basically ripped of Woody Guthrie,, and Guthrie basically ripped off 'Lead Belly. There is also Ska and Mento and Calypso music, both of which traveled out of the Carribean and into America, and from there into England, influencing the development of Rock and Roll. The Clash basically ripped off Jamaican ska culture
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>>8731287
"American" folk music eh.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_Ballads
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Thread images: 6