Poles apart: mapping the field of arts journalism in South Africa

Abstract

A recent research report by the Media Monitoring Project (2006) into South African arts journalism confirms worrying popular observations relating to commodification and a lack of focus, purpose and status since the demise of apartheid. Although it is a valuable'baseline study', as the study positions itself at the start, in the final instance the MMP (2006) report displays neither a coherent theoretical approach or departure point, nor any consistent framework into which to place and in terms of which to discuss its findings. With this article I therefore have two aims. Firstly, by using the field theory of the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu-especially his concept of different forms of transferable capital – I develop a theoretical framework for the analysis of changes in the field of arts journalism in South Africa. Secondly, I use the MMP report in a pilot study to evaluate the current positioning of arts journalists in the context of their historic role under apartheid. The view of changes in the field of South African arts journalism expressed in this article leads to the development of Bourdieu's concept of cultural capital to include both content in support of elite power and hegemony, and content created in opposition as part of a process of power transformation. Cultural capital therefore becomes a useful tool in the description of the changing role of arts journalism in society. In conclusion I state that while the MMP report succeeded in part to account for the fact that the field of arts journalism is currently dominated by the economic pole in South African society, it failed to provide an adequate description of the related structural influence of the cultural/political pole. It is also suggested that while a focus on minority culture might bring back some purpose to arts journalism, some unifying globalising trends relating to both economic and cultural capital might negate the effort.