Sociology of Art : how do art worlds operate?

8/13/2019 Sociology of Art : how do art worlds operate?

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he Sociology of Art

How do art worlds

operate?


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p

Everyone agrees on some basic things

- About how art worlds developed

But disagreement on how to understand

how they work today

Two main approaches:

- Howard ! Becker- "ierre Bourdieu


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Bourdieu: #ield $o# cultural production%

Durkheim: social structures influence

individuals actionsWeber: struggles and competition

between individuals and groups

To win power, be dominant

&'()*+&T

Becker $art world%

American Smbolic !nteractionism&'-'"E,AT+'(

Art is "collectivel produced#

$ourdieu is mis-guided


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Everyone agrees!!!Art

- A label, put on some things and not others- %abel put on things b powerful groups

- !nvented & Social construction of modern

societ

- When' ()thcentur !tal onwards***

-Wide influence from earl (+

th

centur:- The Romantics:

Art versus Society

Art versus Mass Culture


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Art becomes institutionalisedfrom c* (.s

ethod .: "A&E/reate new, separate,

special spheres for the "worship# of "Art#

"aul /iaggio:Before 1850s, mixing of different sorts of culture

After 1850s, culture divided up into separate

spheres

Art!igh culture" concert halls, opera houses

Mass culture" popular theatres # clu$s


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ethod 0: A,1ET A(/ '(E2

$7T "Art# comes to have its own special

economyBe#ore .3th&: products made for rich patrons

4"patronage# sstem5

.3th&: products made for a new art market, of4upper5 middle class consumers

S0the "art world# is an econom that denies

it is an econom

/ollective belief: "Art# is about more than

mone


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ethod 4: BE&'+(5 A6T'(''6

$efore (+th/: the production of cultural

products is 80T S69A2AT6 201 other

parts of societ

- %irect ECONOMIC control $y patrons

- %irect POLITICAL control $y governments

- esp* b (5 censorship; < Academies

- rom (.s: "art world# starts to break free ofthese forms of control

$ecomes an "autonomous# social sphere


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So by about .377!!!

9eople T=!8> there is a thing called "the art

world#, and T=!8> it is "special#!t S661S to be removed from other parts of

societ

!t A/T7A%%? is, in this sense:!t works according to its own

uni@ue was of operating

!t is not controlled from "outside#

!t has its own: (5 uni@ue econom


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'ne Art 8orld9 or any

There is one big "Art World#, encompassing allthe arts

!t is made up of specific "art worlds#

- 1usic 9ainting - %iterature, etc

- These in turn are made up of more specific

"art worlds#

e*g* %iterature art world: Drama art world

8ovels art world & 9oetr art world


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Bourdieu;s way o# putting it!!!

There is one big )ield o# &ultural

"roduction $)&"%

- &nvolving 'Art( A)% 'Mass Culture

cannot e3amine one without the other

/9 involves sub-#ields

- 1usic, 9ainting, %iterature

e*g* the field of literar production6ach of these is made up of sub-sub-fields

4e*g* 1usic: opera; BaCC; rock, etc5

A%% !6%DS W02> !8 S!1!%A2 WA?S


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B'6,/+E6 - 6A,2HAB+T6 < &A"+TA* < )+E*/

An individual is thoroughl shaped b their=A$!T7S

=A$!T7S is class-based

An individuals =A$!T7S is primaril that of the

social class of their parents

4this can be changed to some e3tent latereg b formal education5

Some =A$!T7S are more sociall valued than

others: 7pper middle class & working class


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B'6,/+E6 - 6A,2

7pper middle class habitus A'&+ATE/8+TH high levels o# &A"+TA*

T=266 T?96S 0 5E(E,A*/A9!TA%:a56conomic

b5Social

c5/ultural

%ower middle class habitus middling levels

Working class habitus low levels


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)+E*/

"articular parts o# society are #ields:

e*g* 6ducation, 2eligion, Eovernment, /ultural

9roduction, /ultural /onsumption

(5Struggles&competition between different


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5 ?our habitus and capital must be ,E*E=A(T

for the specific field ou are in

)5 6ach field is centred around its own S96/!!/

4uni@ue5 T?96 0 /A9!TA%

*ield of music" music capital

*ield of +a" +a version of music capitalH5 To be "successful# in a field, ou must have

a5The "right# sort of habitus and general capital

02 T=AT !6%D 4in most, but not all fields,this means upper middle class habitus5

b5 =igh levels of the specific capital valued !8

T=AT !6%D


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A )ield o#

&ultural"roduction


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High capital producers-consecrated

-'ld < Established

*ow capital producers-non-consecrated

2oung < not established

ass audience

)or pro#itHeteronomy

mall or no

audience

(ot #or pro#itArt #or art;s

sake

Autonomy


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High capital producers

-consecrated-'ld < Established

*ow capital producers-non-consecrated

2oung < not established

ass audience

)or pro#itHeteronomy

mall or no

audience

(ot #or pro#itArt #or art;s

sake

Autonomy

",'/6&E,:

"opular but

>uality directors

e!g! pielberg

",'/6&E,:

Hollywood

Blockbuster

directors

A6/+E(&E:*ower middle

class

iddlebrow

",'/6&E,:

Art-House

directors

",'/6&E,:

6nknown9 low-

budget indie

directors


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Things to note:.% 8hat T2"E o# cultural producer ou become

4i*e* which sort of position ou occup in the field5Will be strongl influenced b our habitus and

our general capital

these will influence what field-specific capital

ou can get


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Howard ! BeckerBourdieu over-emphasises:

- 9ower of habitus I capital- Struggles and competition

- =idden, unconscious structures

Bourdieu assumeswhat he will find

8ot empiricall-grounded

need more fle3ible, more empiricallsensitive, grounded approach

replace #ields with art worlds


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"Think, with respect to an work of art, of allthe activities that must be carried on for

that work to appear as it finall does* ora smphon orchestra to give a concert,

for instance, instruments must have been

invented, manufactured and maintained,

a notation must have been devised andmusic composed using that notation,

people must have learned to pla the

notated notes on the instruments, times

and places for rehearsal must have beenprovided, ads for the concert must have

been placed, publicit arranged and

tickets sold# 4$ecker, (+HG5

&mportance of support personnel


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"ower:Eatekeepers

%eciding .hich artistsart.ors .ill

$e valued not valued

Art world gatekeepers trans#orm

products into art

eg 1250s on" '+a art .orld(

&nvented $y music critics and po.erfulmusicians

Eatekeepers never have total power


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Becker - "roblems

.% icro-#ocus

but where is "wider societ#'

0% &lass-based habitusnot

important'

4% impli#ies Bourdieu

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Sociology of Art : how do art worlds operate?