Cultural Participation: The perpetuation of middle-class privilege in Dublin, Ireland

This book explores the development of cultural taste in Dublin, Ireland, and how it is linked to cultural participation in later life. It shows how cultural consumption has broadened from traditional high art forms to a more omnivorous and pluralistic cultural palette, but that social boundaries and cultural distinction remain intact. Interviews with two age cohorts demonstrate how the dominant class has developed enduring cultural taste and competence, and how existing surveys reinforce traditional ways of seeing art as highbrow and formal while culture is considered domestic and informal.

Format: Hardback
Length: 140 pages
Publication date: 02 January 2023
Publisher: Springer International Publishing AG

This book delves into the intricate realm of cultural competence, knowledge, and skills, showcasing their nuanced manifestations in the middle and upper classes of Dublin, Ireland. Through the lens of Bourdieu's sociological analysis, it explores how the development of cultural taste during one's early years is intricately linked to one's participation in cultural activities throughout life. Drawing inspiration from research that captures the intricate social cartography of distinctive cultural taste, this study charts the evolving nature of cultural participation in Dublin, Ireland. It reveals how cultural consumption has expanded from the narrow realm of traditional high art forms to encompass a broad and diverse spectrum of cultural expressions. This omnivorous, broad, and pluralistic cultural palette, while challenging traditional distinctions, nonetheless reveals an emerging cultural capital profile. Art form boundaries have dissolved, yet social boundaries and cultural distinction remain intact.

Through in-depth interviews with two age cohorts in Dublin in 2019—18 to 24-year-olds and 45 to 54-year-olds—this research sheds light on how the dominant class, through histories of cultural exposure, has cultivated a remarkable cultural taste and competence that endures. By examining available data on arts attendance and cultural participation in Ireland today, this text highlights how years of cultural familiarity enable individuals to exert a subtle yet profound cultural dominance, facilitating the performance of class obliquely. It also demonstrates how existing surveys perpetuate traditional perceptions, valuing art as highbrow, formal, and esteemed while relegating culture to the realm of domestic, informal, and less valued in the eyes of the polity. This perspective shapes Irish arts strategy and policy, ultimately reinforcing the notion that art is a luxury and culture is a necessity.

Weight: 303g
Dimension: 210 x 148 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783031187544
Edition number: 1st ed. 2022