Week 10 - Cultural Consecration (Organizational Form)

Question 1

What was cultural capital like in the late 19th century?

Answer 1

-there was little distinction between high and low culture
-e.g. variety shows had an eclectic mix of music, comedy, and theatrics
-e.g. museums contained a mix of fine arts, anthropological artifacts, and sideshows

Question 2

According to Demagio, how did we get to the point where there is such a clear distinction between high and low culture?

Answer 2

-traces back to 19th century Boston

Question 3

What were the main changes during the 19th century?

Answer 3

-disestablishment of state churches
-wig political party replaced by the Republican party
-irish potato famine drove Irish refugees to America

Question 4

Disestablishment of the state churches

Answer 4

no longer got support fromt he state but ad to raise the money themselves

Question 5

Wig party replaced by republican party

Answer 5

wigs focused on infrastructure

Question 6

irish potato famine

Answer 6

-provided opportuntities and threats for white anglo-saxon protestants (WASPS)

-opportunities: business oportunities made puritan decendants newly wealthy, creation of back bay
-threats: politically (high nubers of immigrants would influence polls) and culturally (catholic religion)

Question 7

How did WASPs reassert their dominance with the influx of Irish immigrants?

Answer 7

-they reasserted their dominance through the creation of cultural capital

Question 8

How did the creation of the back bay create new opportunities?

Answer 8

-the combination of the suburban land boom (physical space) and the rise of non-profits created ways for high culture institutions to rise
-WASPs used this to symbolically reaffrim their status even though they no longer has state or religious influence

Question 9

Expain legal changes during this time

Answer 9

-During the 19th century, the states made corporate charters a routine process, rather than it being difficult to obtain
-A version of this was the non-profit organization

Question 10

Market as cheapening art

Answer 10

-art that is commerical is viewed as being less meritorious
-e.g. art galleries don’t put prices next to works because they don’t want the art viewed as a commodity – they’re trying to increase the cultural capital of the artworks by distancing them from commercialism