Cultural paticipation in Norway
In a new volume titled "The Routledge Companion to Bourdieu’s 'Distinction" three researchers from the Department of Sociology contributes with the chapter "Cultural Distinctions in an Egalitarian Society".
Main content
Mapping lifestyles in Norway using Geometrical Data Analysis
In this chapter the authors map lifestyle differences in Norway, analysing survey data on cultural participation by way of Geometrical Data Analysis. The analysis shows clear signs of a class-structured distribution of cultural practices, which suggests that cultural distinctions are at work in a society often depicted as ‘egalitarian’. Using the recently developed technique Class Specific Analysis to analyse internal divisions in a subsample of teenage respondents, the analysis reveals that teenagers from educated homes are those most prone to engage in scholastic and institutionally recognised activities. Thus, the analysis points to prevailing class reproduction in the cultural sphere.
Exploring the genesis of Bordieu's classic volume "Distinction"
This edited collection explores the genesis of Bourdieu's classical book Distinction and its international career in contemporary Social Sciences. It includes contributions from contemporary sociologists from diverse countries who question the theoretical legacy of this book in various fields and national contexts. Invited authors review and exemplify current controversies concerning the theses promoted in Distinction in the sociology of culture, lifestyles, social classes and stratification, with a specific attention dedicated to the emerging forms of cultural capital and the logics of distinction that occur in relation to material consumption or bodily practices. They also empirically illustrate the theoretical contribution of Distinction in relation with such notions as field or habitus, which fruitfulness is emphasized in relation with some methodological innovations of the book. In this respect, a special focus is put on the emerging stream of "distinction studies" and on the opportunities offered by the geometrical data analysis of social spaces.
Read more about the volume at routledge.com or at akademika.no
