DISTINCTION IN BRITAIN, 2001–2004?

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis study delineates a scheme for examining Bourdieu's theory which relates social structure and cultural consumption (the homology thesis). Interpreting homology as the exclusive mapping between the space of cultural consumptions and social structure e.g., ‘high’ art as the exclusive domain of the upper class, is inadequate. Bourdieu's theory allows a more refined scheme which incorporates habitus. I elaborate this scheme and derive some propositions regarding the pattern of music consumptions and social structure. A Multiple Indicator Multiple Cause model is used to examine the homology thesis directly; where in the measurement part, a latent class model is used to derive types of consumers (or space of cultural consumption), and simultaneously, in the structural part, a logistic model is used to estimate stratification effects of being in one of the types. Using survey data sponsored by Arts Council England, it is shown that the space of music consumptions is inhabited by two types of music consumers: the popular and the dominant class. Furthermore, this space is shown to be structured by social class thereby lending some support to the homology thesis.