SAC 3

Question 1

Production of culture approaches

Answer 1

Howard Becker & Richard A. Peterson

Question 2

Peterson’s 4 key areas of production of culture

Answer 2

• Gatekeepers (publishers, managers, ppl who filter who gets in or out)
• Reward system (prestige, Grammy, money, likes)
• Market structures (concentrated, independent)
• Artistic careers (networks, permanent or freelance)

Question 3

Production of cultural perspective

Answer 3

“The production of culture perspective focuses on how the symbolic elements of culture are shaped by the systems within which they are created, distributed, evaluated, taught and preserved.” (Peterson & Anand)

• Culture is the dependent variable

Question 4

Art worlds perspective

Answer 4

1. Art production is a collective activity
2. This has a division of labor, with roles and role overlap
   - Art worlds are characterised by varying degrees of division of labor (core / support personnel)
3. And had conventions, that guide how people can work together

Question 5

Conventions

Answer 5

“Conventions make collective activity simpler and less costly in time, energy, and other resources; but they do make unconventional world impossible, only more costly and difficult” (Becker)

• Enables collaboration but also constrains the artist

Question 6

Bourdieu on the field of cultural production

Answer 6

• Material production (e.g. publisher, artist) and symbolic production (e.g. critics, consumers)

-Autonomous pole (small scale): art for art’s sake, “Disinterestedness” in monetary gain, cultural capital dominant; prestige

• Heteronomous pole (large scale): other fields take over, especially commercial consideration (economic fields), Economic capital; sales
• Which artists deserve attention and what artistic criteria makes for “good” art

Question 7

Differences of Bourdieu and Becker

Answer 7

• Bourdieu is more interested in macro-level dynamics, Becker in micro-level dynamics / networks
• Conflict for Becker plays out in different layers of the art-world (i.e. audiences, personnel), Bourdieu analyzes bigger issues, such as class and power struggles

Question 8

Similarities of Bourdieu and Becker

Answer 8

• Art world and fields both are social domains in which art takes place through combined actions and actors (not individual artists)
• Conventions / ideologies structure those domains
• Domains are multiple and overlap

Question 9

Artist as a profession - How is it defined? Economic VS Symbolic capital?

Answer 9

Follow conventions (most), innovate (some): Need to be accepted by art world / need to accept art world (Artist = reputation)

Economic definition? Education identified? Self/peer identified?

-> Economic capital (money
Demand of audience, short term (e.g. sales), critical recognition
-> Symbolic capital (prestige)
Trust in critics, gallery owners, long-term investment (e.g. reviews, canons)

Question 10

Artistic careers (risks): critique)

Answer 10

1. Precarious (‘risky’), or even ‘precarious success’
2. Poorly paid (short term, project based, ‘day job’
3. Unequal (inequalities of ‘race’, class and gender disability)

• Gig economy, high supply / low demand ‘As good as your last job’