Introduction
Taste has been deemed as “one of the key signifiers and elements of social identity”, as it influences who we interact with, how our daily lives are shaped, and how we categorise, and are categorised by, others (Jenkins, 1992, p. 90). It has such a power that it can even influence those who we associate, or even marry, as individuals “tend to meet and marry within, rather than between lifestyles, and the same can be said for social classes (Jenkins, 1992, p. 90). Turner and Edmunds note that cultural taste is socially constructed, and “…reflects an individual’s position in the social hierarchy” (2002, p. 220). A member of the ‘cultural elite’ may express their taste through their habitus, or lifestyle. By habitus we mean “the
…show more content…
This piece of work from Bourdieu is based on recognition that “different types of lifestyle can gain legitimacy according to the way in which class struggle and competition develop” (Trigg, 2001, p. 110). The different types of capital and culture one has access to shape their lifestyle, and their position in the hierarchy of legitimacy. At the top of the hierarchy is the ‘sphere of legitimacy’, which is occupied by “music, painting…literature and the theatre”, wherein consumer’s judgements are denned by legitimate authorities, such as museums and universities (Jenkins, 1992, p. 84). In the middle is the “sphere of the legitimisable”, which is occupied by such interests as jazz, the cinema and photography (Jenkins, 1992, p.84). At the bottom is the “sphere of the arbitrary”, where individual taste is “the self-conscious arbiter of choice in fashion, food, furniture and so on (Jenkins, 1992, p. 84). Bourdieu went on to say that each of the spheres in this hierarchy were “internally hierarchized in terms of vulgarity or barbarism of taste” (Jenkins, 1992, p. 85). He concludes the concept of the hierarchy of legitimacy by stating that the further we move away from cultural legitimacy, towards arbitrariness of individual taste, the social competition over definitions of vulgarity and barbarism is likely to be sharper (Jenkins, 1992, p. 85). Gans also argued that there was a perceived hierarchy of ‘taste cultures’ which ran parallel to rankings of social status and prestige (Hanquin & Savage, 2015,
In Highbrow, Lowbrow, Levine argues that a distinction between high and low culture that did not exist in the first half of the 19th century emerged by the turn of the century and solidified during the 20th century, and that despite a move in the last few decades toward a more ecumenical interpretation of “culture,” the distinction between high art and popular entertainment and the revering of a canon of sacred, inalterable cultural works persists. In the prologue Levine states that one of his central arguments is that concepts of cultural boundaries have changed over the period he treats. Throughout Highbrow, Lowbrow, Levine defines culture as a process rather than a fixed entity, and as a product of interactions between the past and the present.
Products of the culture economy take on the appearance of artwork but are in fact dependant on industry and economy, meaning that they are subjected to the interests of money and power and producing a profit “The whole world is passed through the filter of the culture industry” . To Adorno the production of art and consumerism is driven and shaped by the logic of capitalist rationality, meaning consumer products are created on the basis of whatever will sell best.
“…the culture industry has brought about the false elimination of the distance between art and life, and this also allows one to recognize the contradictoriness of the avant-gardiste undertaking: the result is that the Avant-garde, for all its talk of purging art of affirmation with forces of production consumption, became an accomplice in the total subsumption of Art under capitalism.”
The historical study of popular culture is distinct in that it diverges from the elitist perspective that governs much of our reflection on past events. Although, certain groups may face subordination in a given society, that does not imply a deficiency in their cultural achievements. From the Native people of the new world to the uneducated peasants of later years, their inferior social status in society often led their unique cultural practices into relative obscurity; dominant groups were the societal dictators of culture and the practices that future generations would deem as applicable to that time period. However, neglecting outranked cultural practices of past societies deprives historians of a more complete and accurate depiction of past societal realities. Contemporary accounts of early modern popular culture such as works by Ginzburg, Yassif and Bakhtin allow the reader to witness a shift in the earlier Romantic emphasis on the fascination and domination of the subordinate cultures [Herder] to a notion of cultural reciprocity between the elite and popular strata of society.
In existential thought it is often questioned who decides what is right and what is wrong. Our everyday beliefs based on the assumption that not everything we are told may be true. This questioning has given light to the subjective perspective. This means that there is a lack of a singular view that is entirely devoid of predetermined values. These predetermined values are instilled upon society by various sources such as family to the media. On a societal level this has given rise to the philosophy of social hype. The idea of hype lies in society as the valuation of something purely off someone or some group of people valuing it. Hype has become one of the main driving forces behind what society considers to be good art and how successful artists can become while being the main component that leads to a wide spread belief, followed by its integration into subjective views. Its presence in the art world propagates trends, fads, and limits what we find to be good art. Our subjective outlook on art is powered by society’s feedback upon itself. The art world, high and low, is exploited by this social construction. Even when objective critique is the goal subjective remnants can still seep through and influence an opinion. Subjective thought in the art world has been self perpetuated through regulated museums, idolization of the author, and general social construction because of hype.
Many factors can determine why someone belongs to a specific taste culture, but one factor that Gans (1974) believes is the most impactful is socioeconomic class. Growing up in a typical middle-class home with two parents who have only received a high school diploma, according to Gans, I belong in the lower-middle taste culture. However, I “turn to fiction that depicts the struggle of women to compete with men in male-dominated enterprises...and more recently, the potentialities and problems of women’s liberation (106). “ I read the New Yorker and Vogue, and shy away from Cosmopolitan or other women’s and homemaking magazines, which in essence means that I share more cultural
“Research shows that consumeristic hipsters use food as a mechanism for resistance through a series of insider strategies to preserve their identity. There is additional evidence to show that food is an inconspicuous yet intimate, authentic and social aspect of hipsters’ indie lifestyle.” ...
...irected, I take a drink from the drinking fountain while some others who were also observing the site hesitated or even refused to drink from it. I could taste the metallic tinge of the fountain water, but the heat of the sun made it nonetheless a refreshing drink. This can be connected to taste because I found the drinking fountain to be remarkable based on my cultural background and identities, which is my culturally specific taste. Others who visited the fountain that do not share this “experiences relating to one’s class, cultural background, education, and other aspects of identity.” (Cartwright 56) might find it hard to appreciate the drinking fountain in the manner I did. Nonetheless, viewers do have the right to experience, interpret, and use this cultural representation differently by being situated in a set of actual and relational social practices.
Culture often means an appreciation of the finer things in life; however, culture brings members of a society together. We have a sense of belonging because we share similar beliefs, values, and attitudes about what’s right and wrong. As a result, culture changes as people adapt to their surroundings. According to Bishop Donald, “let it begin with me and my children and grandchildren” (211). Among other things, culture influences what you eat; how you were raised and will raise your own children? If, when, and whom you will marry; how you make and spend money. Truth is culture is adaptive and always changing over time because
Bourdieu, Pierre. Distinction- A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste(Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1984)
Horkheimer, Max, and Theodor Adorno. “The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception,” in Dialectics of Enlightenment. New York: Seabury Press, 1972: 120-167.
1) Cultural Consumption and Everyday Life”, Reading As Production, John Storey, Pg 63, Arnold, London, 1999
This essay will analyze and critique Michel Foucault’s (1984) essay The Use of Pleasure in order to reveal certain internal weaknesses it contains and propose modifications that would strengthen his reading of sexuality as a domain of moral self-formation. In order to do so, it will present a threefold critique of his work. Firstly, it will argue that that his focus on solely the metric of pleasure divorced from its political manifestations underemphasizes state power as a structuring principle of sexuality. Secondly, it will posit that his attention to classical morality privileges written works by male elites and fails to account for the subtexts that would demonstrate other forms of morality. Finally, it will argue that the nature of actors’ resistance to moral codes, explicated through Butler’s concept of iterability and signification, is an important factor that should also be considered. As a result of this critique, this essay
Zhou, X. (2010). Culture and consumer socialization. Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences , 70 (10-A) , 3944. Saint Louis University.
Does identity dictate on appearing rather than being? The reign of ephemeral ‘fashion’ as a development of democracy and individualism is the constant change in fashion that triumphs over conformities by social groups or authorities (Lipovetsky, G 1994). According to the author, fashion is a result of the freedom or individuality developed irrespective of societal norms and conformities. Fashion is a social form of subtle bondage. The personality of a person could be either completely defined by it or could be far from it, but with subtle traces of fashion that impact life. Clothing has developed into a medium for exploring oneself and one’s own identity. According to Lipovetsky, fashion, in the contemporary society has become an emerging topic of social reflection. In today’s modern world, fashion has created its own vast culture through material products that in turn, sculpt identities. For example: If one enjoys shopping for clothing that is cruelty free or is made through natural processes, that individual could be identified as an environmentally conscious person. On the other hand, if another person enjoys luxury clothing, which could simply, mean that the individual is devoted to certain brands and is brand conscious. These examples lay down how we visually view different styles of different people around us, and perceive or judge/view certain things about