Title
Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste,New
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No judgment of taste is innocent. In a word, we are all snobs. Pierre Bourdieu brilliantly illuminates this situation of the middle class in the modern world. France?s leading sociologist focuses here on the French bourgeoisie, its tastes and preferences. Distinction is at once a vast ethnography of contemporary France and a dissection of the bourgeois mind.In the course of everyday life people constantly choose between what they find aesthetically pleasing and what they consider tacky, merely trendy, or ugly. Bourdieu bases his study on surveys that took into account the multitude of social factors that play a part in a French person?s choice of clothing, furniture, leisure activities, dinner menus for guests, and many other matters of taste. What emerges from his analysis is that social snobbery is everywhere in the bourgeois world. The different aesthetic choices people make are all distinctionsthat is, choices made in opposition to those made by other classes. Taste is not pure. Bourdieu finds a world of social meaning in the decision to order bouillabaisse, in our contemporary cult of thinness, in the ?California sports? such as jogging and crosscountry skiing. The social world, he argues, functions simultaneously as a system of power relations and as a symbolic system in which minute distinctions of taste become the basis for social judgment.The topic of Bourdieu?s book is a fascinating one: the strategies of social pretension are always curiously engaging. But the book is more than fascinating. It is a major contribution to current debates on the theory of culture and a challenge to the major theoretical schools in contemporary sociology.
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- Q: What is the main theme of 'Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste'? A: The main theme of the book is the exploration of social snobbery and the ways in which taste is influenced by social class, particularly within the French bourgeoisie.
- Q: Who is the author of this book? A: The author of 'Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste' is Pierre Bourdieu, a prominent French sociologist.
- Q: How many pages does the book have? A: The book contains 613 pages.
- Q: What type of binding is used for this book? A: This edition of the book is bound in paperback.
- Q: Is there any specific material used in the book's production? A: The product details do not specify any particular material used in the book's production.
- Q: What kind of insights can I expect from reading this book? A: Readers can expect insights into the relationship between social class and aesthetic choices, as well as a critique of the cultural practices of the bourgeoisie in contemporary France.
- Q: Is 'Distinction' suitable for anyone interested in sociology? A: Yes, 'Distinction' is suitable for anyone interested in sociology, cultural studies, or the dynamics of taste and social class.
- Q: Are there any illustrations or images in the book? A: The product details do not mention any illustrations or images included in the book.
- Q: What is the significance of taste according to Bourdieu? A: According to Bourdieu, taste is a social construct that reflects and reinforces social distinctions and power relations.
- Q: When was 'Distinction' published? A: The published date is not specified in the product details.