I think it's not so much "popularizing" but "acceptance".
Scoff if you will, but look at how much George Bush popularized cocaine - and people hate Bush.
"We have nothing to do with it here, because its practices are very difficult and cannot be learnt in a day, and, after all, do not lead to much spiritual growth," wrote Swami Vivekananda, who did much to popularize yoga philosophy in the West with his 1896 book, "Raja Yoga".
"He did so much to popularize Shakespeare in this country.
Her success did much to popularize Western chess in her country and the rest of Asia.
What would Michael Harrington make of the current uses of the "culture of poverty" theory he did so much to popularize?
A talented technician, Machaut did much to popularize and develop the relatively new fixed forms: ballade, rondeau, and virelai (a short poem with a refrain).
That drew the attention of Dr. Chopra, an Indian-American who has done much to popularize Indian traditions like alternative medicine and yoga.
As an authority on English architecture and topography, he did much to popularize Victorian and Edwardian building and to protect what remained of it from destruction.
Making records that were song-based but thematic in approach and that included long instrumental passages, the band did much to popularize the concept album.
