Gladys L. Knight - Pop Culture Places

Pop Culture Places

An Encyclopedia of Places in American Popular Culture

Volume 1: AF

Gladys L. Knight

Copyright 2014 by ABC-CLIO, LLC

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Knight, Gladys L., 1974
Pop culture places: an encyclopedia of places in American popular culture / Gladys L. Knight.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-313-39882-7 (hardcopy: alk. paper) ISBN 978-0-313-39883-4 (ebook)
1. Historic sitesUnited StatesEncyclopedias. 2. Popular cultureUnited States Encyclopedias. 3. United StatesCivilizationEncyclopedias. I. Title.
E159.K65 2014
973.03dc23 2014002595

ISBN: 978-0-313-39882-7
EISBN: 978-0-313-39883-4

18 17 16 15 14 1 2 3 4 5

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Simply defined, places are the spaces where people congregate as well as the experiences that happen within that space at a particular moment in time. Places can be contrived and human-made, natural, symbolic, or inextricably bound to an event or a particular group. Places can be sacred or secular, formal or casual, and even virtual.

In any form, places are replete with extraordinary significance and meaning. Places shed light on culture, identity, values, and trends. Places shape and are shaped, define and are defined by the societies that create and use them. Places embody the narrative of the human story, its past and present. They tell the story of the nation's history, development, and transformation from its earliest into contemporary times. If one is disposed to look, places reveal the issues, challenges, and triumphs of civilization.

Places transcend physical boundaries because they are influenced by people, time, and events; they reflect the local community and the nation at large. Places unite people in a common heritage, experience, and reality, and this shared association inevitably influences popular culture.

Popular culture refers to activities, objects, and media forms (such as newspapers, printed matter, film, television, advertising, and ephemera) that reflect the tastes, sensibilities, interests, customs, and folkways of the general population at a given time. Thus, countless places, large and small, across America have been repositories of popular culture throughout its history.

In Pop Culture Places: An Encyclopedia of Places in American Popular Culture, placesa vast and varied array of themstand front and center. Each placemore than 350 in allis listed as a main entry. The selection process aimed to include places that reflect a full-bodied assortment of spaces that are iconic, popular, historically or culturally significant, and in some way representative of the American experience.

Places can be categorized in a variety of ways. Some, such as raves (a gathering that takes place within a physical structure), man caves, Tiffany & Company, and megachurches, are traditionally exclusive to various segments of the population based on gender, age, economic class, or religious belief. Other places, such as malls, museums, and monuments, are inclusive to the general public of any age and background. Most places included in these volumes exist in specific localities. However, some places, such as Main Street and barber shops, exist in recognizable forms across the country.

It must be stressed that this work includes an immense assortment of places, covering a broad array of spaces. Included are colleges and universities such as all-women's institutions, historically black colleges and universities, the prestigious Ivy League institutions, and military academies. The corporate and technological world is represented by entries such as Silicon Valley, Microsoft, and Apple Inc. The Civil Rights Movement is covered with entries for places such as the 16th Street Baptist Church, where a horrific bombing killed African American youth, generated worldwide sympathy, and propelled activism and change within American society. Entries such as those on Gettysburg and Little Bighorn introduce readers to major war campaigns in the United States. Places which reflect the religious diversity in America and the role religion plays in public life are represented by entries on Amish Country, Eldridge Street Synagogue, and Temple Square.