Source
The article chosen is by Lizardo Omar. It was published on January 3, 2011. The title of the article is “experiential stratification bases and consumption of high status culture”. It is from the journal of theory culture and society, volume number 28 pp. 678-696.
Purpose of research
The key question that the author seeks to answer is whether people in order-giving positions have a high chance of engaging in high status culture consumption in contrast to people in order taking positions. He notes that research has proven that culture consumption has continued to be shaped by variables that are associated with prestige and power including occupation status, occupational resources and education.
This has supported the proposition that persons in the social structure occupying high status positions are more likely to choose high status cultural goods (high status culture consumption). Experiential status basis in this study is explained as the position of either being ‘order-giving’, or order taking. It is this that the author seeks out to find out whether it is a determinant of high status culture orientation. The study examines the indicators of social positions associated with high status consumption, in addition to interaction between theories of stratification and the studies of lifestyle and culture.
The writer notes that previous research has demonstrated the fact that occupying authorized slots in the society hierarchies has consequences that are predictable in relation to the individual’s emotive and cognitive orientation towards cultural symbols. There is the general expectation that the having a position of power is associated with positive cognitions and emotions and a sense of identification with high status and hence, consumption. On the other hand, a person at a disadvantage position (order receiving), has a sense of powerlessness and isolates from public authority symbols.
Theoretical perspective
The theoretical perspective that the author brings out is that there is the expectation that positions of authority at work will affect the orientation towards a high status culture. In other words, persons whose routine work involves order-giving have a high possibility of orienting themselves towards a high-status culture as opposed to persons that routinely are order-takers. This means that those in positions of power or authority are likely to consume high status culture; thus, refrain from non-high status culture.
Methodology
Data was obtained from General Social Survey (GSS) of 1998 to 2008 culture modules. The GSS is carried out by an opinion research center twice in a year. The sample population is obtained from non-institutionalized American adults. These adults must be English speaking. This data was appropriate because it contains information about the art’s consumption by the respondents. It also contains the information about the respondents’ occupation and positions of authority within the work place.
In order to indicate the cultural orientation and taste, seven questions were posed to the respondents. These questions were whether: one has gone to the theatre for a movie, gone popular music live performance, gone to a stage play, watched a dance performance or watched a live ballet, heard an opera performance or classical music, visited a gallery or an art museum or read a play or a novel. The variables were coded 1 if the answer to any of the questions was yes. If otherwise, the answer was encode as zero.
The GSS was also used to categorize one as being an order taker, or giver. The order givers are those that supervise anyone at work or those that supervise those who supervise others. Those who receive orders from supervisors are the order takers. This two were then tabulated as scales (order giving and order taking scale). Control variables were also tabulated. This included gender (variable equals one for female), race (variable equals one for Afro-America), age (in years), marital status (variable equals one for married), education (in years) and occupation resources. For those that had a variable one, zero was given if results were otherwise.
Findings
Maximum likelihood confirmation factor analysis was utilized for the seven questions variable. The result is that museum or art visiting, dance performances, theatre going and classical music attendance are on a high status culture. Popular music and movies are on a popular culture factor. All the data was tabulated. The results are in concordance with the general expectation. The results also support the theological perspective of the authors. Order givers are more likely to pursue the high status culture. The persons in position of authority are more likely to attend a dramatic performance or theatre, go to a dance performance or a ballet or attend a symphony or an opera. Based on the conformational factor analysis, this are categorized as high status culture pursuits.
The persons that are in an order taking position are less likely to involve themselves in these high-status culture pursuits, with an exception of Museum or Theatre going. Using an OLS regression, those in an authority position increase their chances of ending up consuming high status pursuits. Those in an order receiving position have a decreased chance of the above. Authority position was found not to have any prediction on the person’s score of popular consumption. The control variables such as education do not alter this findings significantly.
The above findings lead to the focus on positional indicators which are associated with the distribution of symbolic resources and material within the social structure. This implies that indicators of power that are connected to everyday activities are significant predictors of which persons are oriented to symbols of high status within the society. Therefore, order-givers are more likely to involve themselves in high-status cultural endeavors than the order-takers. The powerless alienate themselves from high status symbols and activities.
Conclusion
The research was successful and demonstrated the application of social stratification. Those in authority (order-givers) consume the high status cultural pursuits while the order-takers consume the low status cultural pursuits. In my opinion, education and social resources have a major influence on the social position of an individual. It is the quality of education an individual receives that dictates their social position. However, the research does not explain the role of taste among the participants in undertaking the cultural arts events. This is because taste may greatly influence the likelihood of one participating in the events.
In the American society some events in arts are regarded as popular as opposed to others. Where popular events are involved an individual of high status may participate even when the art is considered to be of low cultural status. In the modern American society, there is a cultural sanction separation of “workplace” and at “home”. This separation may have a great influence on the activities that the individual engages in while at home. The position of the individual at work may shift at home from the order giver to the order taker. This does not necessarily mean that their cultural preferences have to change to low status cultural pursuit. Furthermore, in the current American society cultural stratification is not based only on position and interaction. Rather it is also based on education and cultural resources. It is also based on fashion and personal preferences.
This article relates to economic sociology which seeks to explain the association between capitalism and social stratification. Social stratification is based on modernity and class relations in the society. It explains the interaction of individuals in a society considering their class and status.
Reference list
Lizardo,O. (2011). Experimental Stratification bases and Consumption of high status Culture. Theory culture and society, 28, 678-696.http://www.nd.edu/~olizardo/papers/si-experiential-stratification.pdf
