Culture of California

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The culture of California is a Western culture and most clearly has its roots in the culture of the United States. As a border and coastal state, however, Californian culture has been greatly influenced by several large immigrant populations, especially those from Latin America and East Asia. California is as much an international crossroads as it is a major hub to the character of the US.

California has long been a subject of interest in the public mind and has often been promoted by its boosters as a kind of paradise. In the early 20th Century, fueled by the efforts of state and local boosters, many Americans saw the Golden State as an ideal resort destination, sunny and dry all year round with easy access to the ocean and mountains. In the 1960s, popular music groups such as the Beach Boys promoted the image of Californians as laid-back, tanned beach-goers.

In terms of socio-cultural mores and national politics, Californians are perceived as more liberal than other Americans, especially those who live in the inland states. In some ways, California is the quintessential Blue State-- accepting of alternative lifestyles, not uniformly religious, and preoccupied with environmental issues. At the same time, however, the current Liberal political movement owes its origins to a strong libertarian-conservative strain in the political culture of Southern California, embodied by the 34th Governor of California and the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, and Southern California is also home to influential religious leaders such as Robert Schuller, Rick Warren, and Chuck Smith.

The gold rush of the 1850s is still seen as a symbol of California's economic style, which tends to generate technology, social, entertainment, and economic fads and booms and related busts.

[edit] Language

English is the primary language of California's inhabitants. Spanish is a prevalent second language, as is Chinese in the Bay Area and areas around Los Angeles.

California English is a dialect of the English language spoken within California. California is home to a highly diverse populace, which is reflected in the historical and continuing development of California English. As is the case of English spoken in any particular state, not all features are used by all speakers in the state, and not all features are restricted in use only to the state. However, there are some linguistic features which can be identified as either originally or predominantly Californian, or both.

[edit] Arts

[edit] Film

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California is home to Hollywood, the center of the American film industry, which has given rise to the popular fashion movie-star image and stereotypical beach dwelling surfers. (See Beach Party)

[edit] Music

The guitar was the instrument that the Mexican state of Alta California chose and two composers for the instrument are represented in the collection.^[1] Manuel Y. Ferrer’s were collected in a book of 144 pages, called Compositions and Arrangements for the Guitar published in San Francisco in 1882, then reprinted in Boston by Oliver Ditson in 1915. Many of his pieces appear in the sheet music collection. ^[1] An additional Californian artist, of the name of Luis T. Romero is represented his 1889 arrangement for guitar of La Paloma by Yradier.

In 1898, a collection called “Characteristic Songs of the Spanish Californians” was published as Canciones del Pais de California” in Santa Barbara.

California is also the origin of countless modern popular music groups and singers, including Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Beach Boys, Green Day, E-40, Rage against the Machine, No Doubt, and Snoop Dogg.

The popular band from Russia which moved to the United States of America in the end of the 80s, Gorky Park, sattled in California, their 1996 album "Stare" even included a song named California Promises.

[edit] Literature

Notable authors who were either native to California or who wrote extensively about California include:

John Steinbeck, was widely as a regionalist, mystic, and proletarian writer. A prolific writer, he is one of the best known and read writers of the 20th Century.
Joan Didion, the author of five novels and eight books of nonfiction
Wallace Stegner, known as the "Dean of Western Writers"
Raymond Chandler, who wrote about the dark underbelly of mid-20th Century Los Angeles
John Muir, who spent years in the Sierras and brought Yosemite to international prominence
Ken Kesey, a counter-cultural figure; was an American author, best known for his novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Richard Henry Dana, who wrote about his 19th Century voyage to California and the namesake of Dana Point
Dashiell Hammett, an American author on hardboiled detective novels and short stories
James M. Cain, was an American journalist and novelist
James Ellroy writer
John Fante, an American novelist, short-story and screenwriter of Italian descent.
Robert Frost, poet, born and raised (until age 11) in San Francisco.
Jack London, born in San Francisco.

[edit] Museums

California boasts many notable museums, including:

The Oakland Museum of California in Oakland. The Museum is dedicated to the history, natural sciences and art that define the people, history and the future of California.
The Getty Center in Los Angeles. One of the wealthiest art museums in the world.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)
The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles.
California Science Center, the West Coast's largest hands-on science center, in Los Angeles.
The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, the largest natural and historical museum in the Western US.
California Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco. A fine art museum.
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco.
The Exploratorium in San Francisco. A youth-oriented science museum.
California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento. Operated by the California State Parks system, the museum chronicles the history of railroads in California

[edit] Food and cuisine

Main article: Cuisine of California

The first cookbook in California initiated the "fair ones of the Pacific Coast". Boiled Orange Pudding is one of the typical fruits of California.^[2] San Franciscan H.J. Clayton in his 1883 book, started the now-common practice of naming the farm where the produce he cooked with derived

[edit] Los Angeles notability

The Landmarks Club Cookbook was published in 1903 when it was a fundraiser to restore Spanish missions in California. The authors of Los Angeles would hail the city the culinary diverse city around. ^[2] Charles Lummis, a Los Angeles preservationist, who had founded the Landmarks club, went on to explain that denizens of the desert Southwest should observe ancient culinary traditions and eat more Chile peppers^[2] .

[edit] Abundance in fruits inspired early chefs

Sixty years ago, when avocados were unfamiliar to most Americans, the growers of subtropical fruit tried to persuade consumers, including a recipe for ice cream. Before tomatoes took over the catsup niche, everything from plums to mushrooms were raw material for the popular condiment.^[2] Two peach recipes from California's top two cities were made at the last turn of the century, and five orange recipes in a 1928 book. Fruit festivals are often found in California, like the Orange Festival in San Bernadino County.

[edit] Environmentalism

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California often gets a reputation for environmentalism. Californians, especially those living on the coasts, are viewed as being conscious of the natural environment and environmental issues in general. The environmental culture of California can be partly attributed to public outrage at the major oil spill in the Santa Barbara Channel in 1969. The influential social conditions resulting from this oil spill are explained in detail by environmental sociologist Harvey Molotch.^[3]

[edit] Education

Main articles: Education in California and List of colleges and universities in California

UC Berkeley	UC Santa Cruz	San José State University (SJSU)	Stanford
UCLA	San Diego State University (SDSU)	USC	California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (CalPoly Pomona)

[edit] Public universities and colleges

California offers a unique three-tier system of public postsecondary education:

The preeminent research university system in the state is the University of California (UC), which employs more Nobel Prize laureates than any other institution in the world, and is considered one of the world's finest public university systems. There are nine general UC campuses, and a number of specialized campuses in the UC system.

The California State University (CSU) system has over 400,000 students, making it the largest university system in the United States. It is the oldest public institution of higher learning in the State of California, and is intended to accept the top one-third (1/3) of high school students. The CSU campuses were originally separately-established normal schools, but are now organized in a comprehensive university system, awarding Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral degrees.

The California Community Colleges system provides lower division courses. It is composed of 109 colleges, serving a student population of over 2.9 million.

[edit] Private universities and colleges

California is also home to such notable private universities as Stanford University, the University of Southern California (USC), and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). California has hundreds of other private colleges and universities, including many religious and special-purpose institutions.

Public secondary education consists of high schools that teach elective courses in trades, languages, and liberal arts with tracks for gifted, college-bound and industrial arts students. California's public educational system is supported by a unique constitutional amendment that requires 40% of state revenues to be spent on education.

[edit] Beach culture

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The state's proximity to the ocean influences many aspects of California culture and daily life. Surfing is an extremely big sport in California, where the famed spots of Trestles, Rincon, Mavericks, Malibu are.

[edit] Board Culture

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Skateboarding gained popularity in California with the Z-Boys in Venice Beach, and it remains one of California's biggest sports. Legendary pro skater Tony Hawk resides here.

Snowboarding is also big in California, and resorts in Lake Tahoe and Mammoth Mountain are very well known for their snowboarding.

Windsurfing was invented by Hoyle Schweitzer in the late 1960s in Southern California. Today, windsurf enthusiasts still frequent spots up and down the California coastline, as well as inland lakes and rivers.

[edit] Northern-Southern California Rivalry

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Although unified as one single state, Northern California and Southern California share a notorious rivalry. "NorCal" or "SoCal" pride is a very large part of every Californian's culture.

[edit] Trivia

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The San Francisco Asian American Film Festival, held each March, is the largest festival dedicated to Asian American and Asian cinema of North America.
Pasadena's Norton Simon Museum is home to perchance the most important Southeast Asian art collection in the U.S.
On Labor Day Weekend in Old Sacramento, the Gold Rush Days Celebration features a special Ethnic Village, with exhibits representing the early contributions of many ethnic pioneer groups, including Asian and Pacific Islanders.
The Philippine-American Society and Cultural Arts Troupe (PASACAT) preserves Asian Pacific culture through Dance performances throughout the year.

[edit] References and bibliography

^ ^a ^b Spanish Music. Retrieved on 2006-11-21.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d The first California cookbooks. Retrieved on 2006-11-21.
^ Molotch, Harvey; Marilyn Lester (September 1975). "Accidental News: The Great Oil Spill as Local Occurrence and National Event". The American Journal of Sociology 81 (2): 235–260. doi:10.1086/226073.

[edit] Print sources

1. "California culture: From Gold Rush to Pure Golden State". Universal World Reference Encyclopedia 13, book 1. (1964). V.S. Thatcher. 231-233. 64-12955. Retrieved on 2006-11-21.