The art of making classes in Serbia: Another particular case of the possible

Abstract

The paper presents a construction of social space in Serbia using multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) on data from a 2005 national survey based on a probability sample of 1364 interviewees. We discuss the theoretical and methodological consequences of a different understanding of the principle of capital composition in comparison with Bourdieu's research practice. We argue that social capital should be included not only in the theory of capitals, but also in the construction of social space, and that social capital and cultural capital should be treated both in terms of their volume (quantity) and in terms of different types (qualities). In Serbian society, we distinguish between “local cultural capital” and “global cultural capital” and between “social capital of solidarity” and “political social capital.” The results indicate (1) the strong gravitational pull of the social space – i.e., that social space can be used as a predictive map for cultural participation, taste, styles of material consumption, identities, attitudes, and political preferences of citizens of Serbia; and (2) that four theoretical classes can be discerned in social space in Serbia (farmers, workers, middle classes and higher classes).