Consuming sports: distinction, univorism and omnivorism
2011; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 15; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1080/03031853.2011.625276
ISSN1743-0445
Autores Tópico(s)Sports, Gender, and Society
ResumoAbstract The question of the social usage of culture and its links with social groups continues to be a topic of discussion. The aim of this article is to contribute to the debate by examining coherence in the choice of physical activities and sports. The study focuses on upper social groups, questioning, from a macro-sociological standpoint, their possible omnivority and their dissonance of choice with regard to these activities. Based on a quantitative survey of sports participated in by the French, the study shows that omnivority and massification of activities are major phenomena. However, upper social groups in France remain distinguishable, in terms of both their 'high level of omnivority' and their choice of distinctive activities. Dissonance is another of their characteristics, although to a lesser extent. Acknowledgements We would like to thanks Elisabeth Pike from University of Chichester for her precious help throughout the writing process and David Hassan for his great support. Notes 1 Among recent publications, see: Lahire Lahire, Bernard. 2004. La culture des individus, Paris: La découverte. [Google Scholar], La culture des individus, Peterson Peterson, Richard. 2004. Le passage à des goûts omnivores: notion, faits et perspectives. Sociologie et sociétés, 36(1): 145–64. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar], 'Le passage à des goûts omnivores'; Couleangeon, 'Classes sociales' Coulangeon, Philippe. 2004. Classes sociales, pratiques culturelles et styles de vie. Sociologie et sociétés, 36(1): 59–85. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]. 2 Bourdieu, Distinction. 3 White and Wilson White, Philip and Wilson, Brian. 1999. Distinctions in the Stands: An Investigation of Bourdieu's 'habitus', Socioeconomic Status and Sport Spectatorship in Canada. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 34: 245–64. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar], 'Distinctions in the stands'; Mehus Mehus, Ingar. 2005. Distinction Through Sport Consumption: Spectators of Soccer, Basketball, and Ski-jumping. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 40(3): 321–34. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar], 'Distinction Through Sport Consumption'. 4 Wilson Wilson, Thomas. 2002. The Paradox of Social Class and Sports Involvement: The Roles of Cultural and Economic Capital. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 37: 5–16. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar], 'The Paradox of Social Class and Sports Involvement'; Stempel Stempel, Carl. 2005. Adult Participation Sports as Cultural Capital: A Test of Bourdieu's Theory of the Field of Sports. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 40(4): 411–32. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar], 'Adult Participation Sports as Cultural Capital'. 5 Stempel, 'Adult Participation Sports as Cultural Capital'. 6 Wilson, 'The Paradox of Social Class and Sports Involvement'. 7 Bourdieu, Distinction. 8 The definition of sport can be very exclusive, when referring to competition and traditional federations, or inclusive, for example, when people include walking. The inquiry let people define their own sport, which could include so-called physical activity. 9 Grignon Grignon, Claude. 1988. Les enquêtes sur la consommation et la sociologie du goût. Revue économique, 1: 15–32. [Google Scholar], 'Les enquêtes sur la consommation et la sociologie du goût'. 10 Besnard and Grange Besnard, Philippe and Grange, Cyril. 1993. La fin de la diffusion verticale des goûts?. L'année sociologique, 43: 269–89. [Google Scholar], 'La fin de la diffusion verticale des goûts?'. 11 See Hennion Hennion, Antoine. 2001. Music Lovers. Taste as Performance. Theory, Culture & Society, 18: 1–22. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], 'Music Lovers'; Pedler Pedler, Eric. 2004. Entendement musical et malentendu culturel: le concert comme lieu de confrontation symbolique. Sociologie et sociétés, 36(1): 127–44. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar], 'Entendement musical et malentendu culturel'; Peterson and Simkus Peterson, Richard and Simkus, Albert. 1992. "How Musical Taste Groups Mark Occupational Status Group". In Cultivating Differences: Symbolic Boundaries and Making of Inequality, Edited by: Lamont, Michèle and Fournier, Michel. 152–86. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. [Google Scholar], 'How Musical Taste Groups Mark Occupational Status Group'. 12 Mignon and Truchot Mignon, Patrick and Truchot, Gérard. 2002. Les pratiques sportives en France, Paris: INSEP. [Google Scholar], Les pratiques sportives en France. 13 Peterson, 'Le passage à des goûts omnivores', 155. 14 Of more than 17,000 activities cited in the survey, the 6526 interviewees declare a mean of 2.6 activities each and the total number of different activities is 279. 15 Bourdieu, Distinction; Pociello Pociello, Christian. 1995. Les cultures sportives, Pratiques, représentations et mythes sportifs, Paris: Presses Universitaires de France. [Google Scholar], Les cultures sportives. 16 Cibois Cibois, Philippe. 1993. Le PDM, pourcentage de l'écart maximum: un indice de liaison entre modalités d'un tableau de contingence. Bulletin de méthodologie sociologique, 40: 43–63. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar], 'Le PDM, pourcentage de l'écart maximum'. 17 Grignon and Passeron Grignon, Claude and Passeron, Jean-Claude. 1989. Le savant et le populaire – Misérabilisme en sociologie et en littérature, Paris: EHESS-Gallimard-Seuil. [Google Scholar], Le savant et le populaire. 18 Lahire, La culture des individus. 19 Lamont Lamont, Michèle. 1992. Money, Morals and Manners: The Culture of the French and American Upper-Middle Class, Chicago: Chicago University Press. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar], Money, Morals and Manners:; Warde, Martens, and Wend Warde, Alan, Martens, Lydia and Wend, Olsen. 1999. Consumption and the Problem of Variety: Cultural Omnivority, Social Distinction and Dining Out. Sociology, 33(2): 105–24. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar], 'Consumption and the Problem of Variety'. 20 Fox Fox, William, ed. 1998. Social Statistics and Doing Statistics Using Microcase, Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth. [Google Scholar], Social Statistics and Doing Statistics Using Microcase. 21 Pociello, Les cultures sportives. 22 See, in particular, Peterson and Kern Peterson, Richard and Kern, Roger. 1996. Changing Highbrow Taste: From Snob to Omnivore. American Sociological Review, 61: 900–7. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], 'Changing Highbrow Taste'. 23 Bourdieu Bourdieu, Pierre. 1984. Distinction: a Social Critique of the Judgment of Taste, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. (original published 1979) [Google Scholar], Distinction, 112. 24 Augustini, Irlinger, and Louveau Augustini, Muriel, Irlinger, Paul and Louveau, Catherine. 1996. Un aspect négligé par l'étude de l'engagement sportif: la multipratique et ses modalités. Loisir et société / Society and Leisure, 1: 237–59. [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar], 'Un aspect négligé par l'étude de l'engagement sportif'. 25 Ohl Ohl, Fabien. 1992. Analyse sociologique des attitudes économiques des sportifs. Regards sociologiques, 5: 19–32. [Google Scholar], 'Analyse sociologique des attitudes économiques des sportifs'. 26 Bourdieu, Distinction. 27 Ohl, 'Analyse sociologique des attitudes économiques des sportifs'. 28 Fridman and Ollivier, 'Présentation', 9. 29 Bryson Bryson, Bethany. 1997. What About the Univore? Musical Dislikes and Group-Based Identity Construction Among Americans with Low Levels Education. Poetic: Journal of Empirical Research on Literature, the Media and the Arts, 25: 141–56. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], 'What about the univore?'. 30 Erickson Erickson, Bonnie. 1996. Culture, Class and Connections. American Journal of Sociology, 102: 217–51. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], 'Culture, Class and Connections'. 31 Lefevre and Ohl Lefevre, B. and Ohl, F. 2007. Les choix des pratiques physiques et sportives des Français: omnivorité, univorité et dissonances. Science et Motricité, 62(3): 81–90. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar], 'Les choix des pratiques physiques et sportives des Français'. 32 To study the differences between PCS+ and PCS − , the following criteria were selected:•the number of SPA+, SPA − and neutral SPA (SPA for sports and physical activities);•the presence of opposing activities (1 SPA+ and 1 SPA − ), which represents a form of dissonance;•the nature of the balance that results from adding all the values of the activities (+1 = a bourgeois activity, − 1 = a middle or working class activity, 0 = a 'mass-appeal' activity from the point of view of PCS);•the dissonance of the balance (another form of dissonance): there is dissonance when it is positive for the PCS − and negative for the PCS+;•the presence of at least one of the two forms of dissonance.In all tables, the notation (+) indicates that there is a statistically significant attraction at the 1% level, whereas the notation ( − ) indicates that there is rejection at the 1% level. 33 Couleangeon, 'Classes sociales'. 34 Lahire, La culture des individus, 255. 35 Lahire, La culture des individus, 255, 258. 36 Bernstein Bernstein, Basil. 1972. Class, Codes and Control, London: Paladin. [Google Scholar], Class, Codes and Control. 37 DiMaggio, Paul DiMaggio, Paul. 1987. Classification in Art. American Sociological Review, 52: 440–55. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]. 'Classification in Art', 445. 38 Lahire, La culture des individus. 39 Ohl and Taks Ohl, Fabien and Taks, Marijke. 2008. "Cross Cultural Dimensions of Sporting Goods Consumption". In Social and Cultural Diversity in a Sporting World, Edited by: Hallinan, Chris and Jackson, Steven. 211–28. London: Emerald. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar], 'Cross Cultural Dimensions of Sporting Goods Consumption'. 40 Sports are coded as +1 (linked to PCS+), − 1 (popular sports) or 0 (non-distinctive sports). Dominance is calculated from the sum of the values. When the balance is positive, this means that the dominant activities are those of the PCS+, and when it is negative it means that the dominant activities are popular sports. 41 Wilson, 'The Paradox of Social Class and Sports Involvement'. 42 Couleangeon, 'Classes sociales'. 43 Erickson, 'Culture, Class and Connections'. 44 Groeneveld, Houlihan, and Ohl Groeneveld, Margaret, Houlihan, Barrie and Ohl, Fabien, eds. 2011. Social Capital and Sport Governance in Europe, London: Routledge. [Google Scholar], Social Capital and Sport Governance in Europe. 45 For example, Erickson, 'Culture, Class and Connections'. 46 Lamont and Molnàr Lamont, Michèle and Molnàr, Virág. 2001. How Blacks Use Consumption to Shape their Collective Identity. Journal of Consumer Culture, 1: 31–45. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar], 'How Blacks Use Consumption to Shape their Collective Identity'. 47 Erickson, 'Culture, Class and Connections'. 48 Warner Warner, Lloyd. 1949. Democracy in Jonesville, New York: Harper and Row. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar], Democracy in Jonesville. 49 Obviously, it is only possible to compare data relating to the same level of analysis since results may differ according to the level of observation (Desjeux Desjeux, Dominique. 1998. "Les échelles d'observation de la consommation". In Comprendre le consommateur, Edited by: Cabin, P. Auxerre: Sciences Humaines. [Google Scholar], Les échelles d'observation de la consommation). 50 Stempel, 'Adult Participation Sports as Cultural Capital'. 51 Ohl Ohl, Fabien. 2004. Goût et culture de masse: l'exemple du sport. Sociologie et Sociétés, XXXVI(1): 209–28. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar], 'Goût et culture de masse'. 52 Emmison Emmison, Michael. 2003. Social Class and Cultural Mobility. Reconfiguring the Cultural Omnivore Thesis. Journal of Sociology, 39(3): 211–30. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], 'Social class and cultural mobility'. 53 For example, it may be observed that within a well-defined social category, tastes are very different (Bellavance, Ratté, and Valex Bellavance, Guy, Ratté, Myrtille and Valex, Michel. 2004. Le goût des autres. Sociologie et sociétés, XXXVI(1): 27–58. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar], 'Le goût des autres'). 54 De Singly De Singly, François. 2003. Les uns avec les autres. Quand l'individualisme crée du lien, Paris: Armand Colin. [Google Scholar], Les uns avec les autres. 55 Skille Skille, Evind. 2005. Individuality or Cultural Reproduction? Adolescents' Sport Participation in Norway: Alternative versus Conventional Sports. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 40(3): 307–20. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar], 'Individuality or Cultural Reproduction? Adolescents' Sport Participation in Norway: Alternative versus Conventional Sports'.
Referência(s)