Modes of consumption: From ‘what’ to ‘how’ in cultural stratification research

Abstract

In sociological debates about cultural stratification, a matter of dispute is whether Bourdieu's model of class-structured lifestyle differences has relevance for understanding contemporary social inequalities. According to Bourdieu's critics, the emergence and increasing pervasiveness of the cultural omnivore have made this model outdated. This article argues that the notion of the cultural omnivore has led stratification research into an unfortunate cul-de-sac, characterised typically by unfruitful discussions about whether simplistic recasts of old maps fit current cultural terrains. The article makes the point that empirically investigating how people appropriate goods is at least as important as investigating what they prefer, consume or engage in. More specifically, liking the same things does not necessarily indicate similar tastes, as a given object can be appropriated in different ways. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 46 individuals located within different positions in the local class structure of the city of Stavanger in Norway, the analysis points to clear differences between ways of appropriating goods. Four distinct modes of consumption are identified: the intellectual mode, the luxurious mode, the educational mode and the practical mode. These modes of consumption are structured along class lines, i.e. consistent with the homology thesis.