Consumo e distinção social no campo cultural da música: um estudo no estado de Minas Gerais

Abstract

The understanding of the mechanisms and social consequences of consumption used to express the social position (commonly called status consumption) has been the center of a rich theoretical debate (BOURDIEU, 1984; LAMONT, 1992; SIMMEL, 1904; VEBLEN, 1899). In this context, Bourdieu's (1984) theory has become more recognized. For this author, social stratification is related to cultural consumption in the sense that individuals in higher social positions prefer and consume predominantly "high culture", while individuals in lower social positions prefer and consume mostly "popular culture". Over time, new elements have been thrown into the debate, including challenging the Bourdieu's thesis. Peterson (1992) for example, structured the thesis of the "cultural omnivore", according to which individuals of higher social positions tend to exhibit eclectic tastes, which includes both lowbrow and highbrow culture. Since then, several scholars have been seeking empirical evidence that confirms or contests Bourdieu’s theory (1984). In this context, the development of this study is inserted, which aimed to identify patterns of consumption and taste in the cultural field of music and the influence of sociological variables on these patterns. Therefore, a quantitative approach was used, in which 1,168 people were interviewed by the application of a semistructured questionnaire. The questionnaires were applied in three cities of Minas Gerais: Belo Horizonte, Juiz de Fora and Lavras. Non-parametric tests were used for the analysis of the data using descriptive analysis, correlation analysis and multiple correspondence analysis (MCA). In the results, cultural capital proved to be the most influential variable on musical taste by genres of status, reinforcing Bourdieu's (1984) arguments on the social division of taste. As observed, the musical field in the studied context divides between individuals with low cultural capital who appreciate mainly popular genres and individuals with high cultural capital who mostly appreciate genres of status. In addition to cultural capital, the present study also revealed the influence of the sociological variables: education, income, age, gender and size of the city on the music consumption. Regarding the identification of cultural omnivores (Peterson, 1992), the results did not reject its existence; however, they appeared in a rather small number. Finally, the MCA confirmed the existence of a marked division between the taste for culturally legitimized musical genres and popular musical genres, and these differences are produced, notably, by schooling and cultural capital. Therefore, it is argued that although many scholars have confirmed the spread of popular genres in the upper class as well as greater access and tolerance aligned with the cultural omnivore theory, it is through the homology and the snobbish taste that the musical diffe rences of taste, in the studied context, gain greater power of explanation.