W8: Class, Cultural Capital, Taste and Power

Key notes from this lecture:

The measurements for social class have varied over time. Marx determined them entirely by a person's relationship to 'means of production'. There used to be 3 main classes; Proletarians, Bourgeoisie and Aristocracy. These were determined by looking at your occupation, wealth and education.

However, a recent BBC initiative has determined that there are now 7 classes, which are determined by your relationship to the economic, social and cultural.

Taste can be said to be an indicator of class. Catherine McDermott stated that a critical judgement of human objects and culture creates a well trained appreciation of what is aesthetically pleasing. It depends on knowledge, connoisseurship and critical appreciation.

But what is aesthetically pleasing? A study of beauty/ branch of philosophy/ a colour palette?

Is taste learned as well? Historically, it's admiring and desiring objects that are deemed 'beautiful'. But can taste be learned and then taught to others? Can it be natural or neutral, or is something always affected by cultural capital?( the status gained from non-financial factors, like education, clothes, food).  Learning is said to start the moment that we're born and can reflect our family's culture, religion and value system. Our taste positions us withing cultural hierarchies as well though.

Pierre Bourdieu defined cultural capital. He was also interested in the construction and performance of class and in what roles education, consumption and cultural capital had in this. Whether there was a form of value associated with culturally authorised tastes, such as consumption patterns, attributes, skills and awards.

Also considered was whether the same cultural level means it is easier to connect and share with others. Here parent influence plays a large part as practicing the same activities may generate a taste or make it easier to relate to similar others.

Essay:

I found this lecture really appropriate and interesting for my essay as reviews are basically centered around personal tastes. As it appears that there has always been a mass evaluation of Metropolis, it would be useful to apply McDermott's theory to see why, when we're all developing tastes, that we could have ended up with one mass opinion and at set times in history? Highlighting contributing factors would help this as well.