Wright, David (2011) Making tastes for everything : omnivorousness and cultural abundance. Journal for Cultural Research, Vol.15 (No.4). pp. 355-371. doi:10.1080/14797585.2011.613222

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Abstract

This paper offers some speculative discussion about the current state of the "omnivore" debate, instigated by Richard A. Peterson. It argues that debates about the social patterning of tastes need to take greater account of changed practices of cultural production as well as consumption through the identification of two "stories of abundance" in the cultural realm. The first relates to accounts of the changing and expanding cultural industries, whilst the second considers the rich variety of widely available culture enabled by various technologies of distribution. Taking these stories into account, the paper argues that sociological analyses of cultural hierarchy might lag behind those that are mundane and everyday to both cultural producers and consumers and that an orientation to culture that ranges across established hierarchies is increasingly unremarkable. Such a change is related to the structural and discursive means through which culture is circulated. The paper concludes that cultural analysts need to modify their theoretical models and their methodological approaches to better reflect a variegated field of culture and a more fluid cultural hierarchy. In the tradition of both Peterson and Bourdieu, contemporary analyses of patterns of cultural consumption and taste need to take fuller account of the ways in which culture is produced, circulated and valued if they are to maintain their explanatory power.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HM Sociology
Divisions:	Faculty of Arts > Theatre, Performance and Cultural Policy Studies > Centre for Cultural Policy Studies
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Culture, Consumers
Journal or Publication Title:	Journal for Cultural Research
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
ISSN:	1479-7585
Official Date:	7 November 2011
Dates:	Date Event 7 November 2011 Published
Date of first compliant deposit:	18 December 2015
Date of first compliant Open Access:	18 December 2015
Volume:	Vol.15
Number:	No.4
Page Range:	pp. 355-371
DOI:	10.1080/14797585.2011.613222
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Publication Status:	Published
Access rights to Published version:	Restricted or Subscription Access

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