Social space and cultural class divisions: the forms of capital and contemporary lifestyle differentiation.
Abstract: In this article, we address whether and how contemporary social classes are marked by distinct lifestyles. We assess the model of the social space, a novel approach to class analysis pioneered by Bourdieu's <italic>Distinction</italic>. Although pivotal in Bourdieu's work, this model is to...
| Publicado en: | British Journal of Sociology Vol. 69; no. 1; pp. 124 - 154 |
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| Autores principales: | , , |
| Formato: | Artículo |
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Wiley-Blackwell
Mar2018
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=128312601&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ssf uiTerm: 128312601 longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson) uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 00071315 BJS jtl: British Journal of Sociology issn: 00071315 maglogo: Y pubinfo: dt: Mar2018 vid: 69 iid: 1 pid: 480 pub: Wiley-Blackwell artinfo: ui: 128312601 10.1111/1468-4446.12295 ppf: 124 ppct: 30 formats: tig: atl: Social space and cultural class divisions: the forms of capital and contemporary lifestyle differentiation. aug: au: Flemmen, Magne Jarness, Vegard Rosenlund, Lennart affil: University of Oslo University of Bergen University of Stavanger su: Norway Social classes Social space Cultural capital Lifestyles Equality sug: subj: Social classes Social space Cultural capital Lifestyles Equality Norway keyword: Distinction emerging cultural capital inequality omnivorousness status stratification Distinction emerging cultural capital inequality omnivorousness status stratification ab: Abstract: In this article, we address whether and how contemporary social classes are marked by distinct lifestyles. We assess the model of the social space, a novel approach to class analysis pioneered by Bourdieu's <italic>Distinction</italic>. Although pivotal in Bourdieu's work, this model is too often overlooked in later research, making its contemporary relevance difficult to assess. We redress this by using the social space as a framework through which to study the cultural manifestation of class divisions in lifestyle differences in contemporary Norwegian society. Through a Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) of unusually rich survey data, we reveal a structure strikingly similar to the model in <italic>Distinction</italic>, with a primary dimension of the <italic>volume of capital</italic>, and a secondary dimension of the <italic>composition of capital</italic>. While avoiding the substantialist fallacy of predefined notions of ‘highbrow’ and ‘lowbrow’ tastes, we explore how 168 lifestyle items map onto this social space. This reveals distinct classed lifestyles according to both dimensions of the social space. The lifestyles of the upper classes are distinctly demanding in terms of resources. Among those rich in economic capital, this manifests itself in a lifestyle which involves a quest for excitement, and which is bodily oriented and expensive. For their counterparts rich in cultural capital, a more ascetic and intellectually oriented lifestyle manifests itself, demanding of resources in the sense of requiring symbolic mastery, combining a taste for canonized, legitimate culture with more cosmopolitan and ‘popular’ items. In contrast to many studies’ descriptions of the lower classes as ‘disengaged’ and ‘inactive’, we find evidence of distinct tastes on their part. Our analysis thus affirms the validity of Bourdieu's model of social class and the contention that classes tend to take the form of status groups. We challenge dominant positions in cultural stratification research, while questioning the aptness of the metaphor of the ‘omnivore’, as well as recent analyses of ‘emerging cultural capital’. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: N holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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