New forms of distinction: cultural elites and the problem of ‘good’ taste

Dave O’Brien

Chapter 7 in Research Handbook on the Sociology of Consumption, 2026, pp 96-105 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Cultural taste has long been a subject of academic interest. The question of how cultural interests and preferences are socially stratified and differentiated is at the heart of the sociology of culture. There is a voluminous literature, which includes both very recent and historically canonical work, so finding new contributions to this field can be difficult. This chapter considers a project that looked at a specific occupation—cultural and creative workers—to think through broader debates about cultural taste. In doing so it shows the usefulness of qualitative approaches to the study of taste, as well as the contribution that sociology of taste can make to the study of society.

Keywords: Cultural taste; Cultural elites; Cultural industries; Omnivore; Cultural and creative workers; Sociology of culture (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035310500
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