Disputing about taste: Practices and perceptions of cultural hierarchy in the Netherlands - Table of contents

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Disputing about taste: Practices and perceptions of cultural hierarchy in the

Netherlands

van den Haak, M.A.

Publication date

2014

Link to publication

Citation for published version (APA):

van den Haak, M. A. (2014). Disputing about taste: Practices and perceptions of cultural

hierarchy in the Netherlands.

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Promotiecommissie

Promotores:

Prof. dr. N.A. Wilterdink

Prof. dr. G.M.M. Kuipers

Overige leden:

Prof. dr. C.J.M. van Eijck

Prof. dr. B. Kempers

Dr. J. Lievens

Dr. O.J.M. Velthuis

Prof. dr. A. Warde

Faculteit der Maatschappij- en Gedragswetenschappen

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6   

The scope of research: Five cultural disciplines 68 The dynamic aspects of taste: Taste biographies 71 The social aspects of taste: Comparisons with others 71 Specific questions on hierarchies and policies 72

Ranking the cards: Unravelling tastes and hierarchies 73

The selection of items 74

Which respondents to search, and how: Questions of sampling 78

Comparing status and age groups: Defining the quotas 78 The sampling procedure: Randomly filling the quotas 80 The increased role of education: Some consequences for the research 84

On the practice of interviewing 88

The presentation of self 89 Perceptions of the interviewer 90 Constructing an answer 92 Diverging interpretations of used concepts 94

Chapter 3

The relation between hierarchy and taste: The ranking of items

99

Puzzles, negotiations, and refusals: The ranking in practice 100

Ignorance and faking: The knowledge of items 104

Consensus on high and low culture: Hierarchy and taste compared 107

Outliers and dispersion: Variations in the hierarchy 112

High and low reversed: Deviant cases discussed 112 Is André Rieu high or low? High dispersion on specific items 113 The consecration of Bach: The role of educational level 115 The canonisation of classical rock: The role of age 118 The irrelevance of gender 123

High culture as the old higher educated’s taste 123

Conclusion: A persisting but changing cultural hierarchy 125

Chapter 4

Distinction or not? Hierarchical versus egalitarian narratives

127

Looking down and up: Hierarchical narratives 129

‘I’m not culturally literate’: The case of Ria 129 ‘Everyone watches pulp’: Exploring cultural distinction 131 ‘I feel like an inferior person’: Looking up to others and down on oneself 136 Frequency, knowledge and attitude: Specific hierarchical practices 140

7   

Egalitarianism, individualism and anti-elitism: Anti-hierarchical narratives 148

‘We’re all the same’: The case of Nel 148 ‘There is no disputing about taste’: Individualist views 150 ‘Hazes can be high culture too’: Opposing the high–low distinction 152 Resisting fakeness and snobbery: Anti-elitism as a form of egalitarianism 155 Authentic tastes and moral boundaries: Egalitarianism as alternative distinction 160

Conclusion: The coexistence of opposite narratives 164

Chapter 5

Combining and ignoring repertoires: Ambivalences and neutrality

167

The case of Cultuurshake: Ambivalence and neutrality about hierarchies in a television

show 168

Cross-tabulating cultural repertoires: Developing a typology of respondents 171

Switching between repertoires: The ambivalent type 175

‘I don’t mean it in a derogatory way’: The case of Inge 175 Distinctive or not? Being inconsistent 178 ‘That’s not a value judgement’: Downplaying statements 180 ‘I don’t dare to say it’s kitsch’: The bad tastes of proximate others 183 ‘It’s just not their world’: The unease of upwardly mobile people 185 To conclude 189

Not engaging in the hierarchy debate: The neutral type 190

‘It doesn’t appeal to me’: The case of Arie 191 Exploring and extending the neutral type 193 Taking serious non-hierarchical narratives 194

Conclusion: Uneasiness about cultural distinction 196

Chapter 6

Taste biographies and classifications: How people explain their own and others’

tastes

199

Porridge spoons and planting seeds: Perceptions of the origins of taste 201 ‘Brought up with culture’: The importance of parental socialisation 201 Opening windows: Different sources of secondary socialisation 205 Turning Orfeo into a fairytale: Passing culture on to one’s children 208 Understanding Jimi Hendrix: Parental influences in pop music 211

‘They are too simple for that’: How people explain taste differences 214

Youth culture and conservatism: The interrelatedness of age and birth cohort 216 Chick flicks and macho shows: Perceptions of gendered tastes 221 Coalmen, PhDs, and high IQs: Finding alternatives for class differences 223

The scope of research: Five cultural disciplines 68 The dynamic aspects of taste: Taste biographies 71 The social aspects of taste: Comparisons with others 71 Specific questions on hierarchies and policies 72

Ranking the cards: Unravelling tastes and hierarchies 73

The selection of items 74

Which respondents to search, and how: Questions of sampling 78

Comparing status and age groups: Defining the quotas 78 The sampling procedure: Randomly filling the quotas 80 The increased role of education: Some consequences for the research 84

On the practice of interviewing 88

The presentation of self 89 Perceptions of the interviewer 90 Constructing an answer 92 Diverging interpretations of used concepts 94

Chapter 3

The relation between hierarchy and taste: The ranking of items

99

Puzzles, negotiations, and refusals: The ranking in practice 100

Ignorance and faking: The knowledge of items 104

Consensus on high and low culture: Hierarchy and taste compared 107

Outliers and dispersion: Variations in the hierarchy 112

High and low reversed: Deviant cases discussed 112 Is André Rieu high or low? High dispersion on specific items 113 The consecration of Bach: The role of educational level 115 The canonisation of classical rock: The role of age 118 The irrelevance of gender 123

High culture as the old higher educated’s taste 123

Conclusion: A persisting but changing cultural hierarchy 125

Chapter 4

Distinction or not? Hierarchical versus egalitarian narratives

127

Looking down and up: Hierarchical narratives 129

‘I’m not culturally literate’: The case of Ria 129 ‘Everyone watches pulp’: Exploring cultural distinction 131 ‘I feel like an inferior person’: Looking up to others and down on oneself 136 Frequency, knowledge and attitude: Specific hierarchical practices 140

Egalitarianism, individualism and anti-elitism: Anti-hierarchical narratives 148

‘We’re all the same’: The case of Nel 148 ‘There is no disputing about taste’: Individualist views 150 ‘Hazes can be high culture too’: Opposing the high–low distinction 152 Resisting fakeness and snobbery: Anti-elitism as a form of egalitarianism 155 Authentic tastes and moral boundaries: Egalitarianism as alternative distinction 160

Conclusion: The coexistence of opposite narratives 164

Chapter 5

Combining and ignoring repertoires: Ambivalences and neutrality

167

The case of Cultuurshake: Ambivalence and neutrality about hierarchies in a television

show 168

Cross-tabulating cultural repertoires: Developing a typology of respondents 171

Switching between repertoires: The ambivalent type 175

‘I don’t mean it in a derogatory way’: The case of Inge 175 Distinctive or not? Being inconsistent 178 ‘That’s not a value judgement’: Downplaying statements 180 ‘I don’t dare to say it’s kitsch’: The bad tastes of proximate others 183 ‘It’s just not their world’: The unease of upwardly mobile people 185 To conclude 189

Not engaging in the hierarchy debate: The neutral type 190

‘It doesn’t appeal to me’: The case of Arie 191 Exploring and extending the neutral type 193 Taking serious non-hierarchical narratives 194

Conclusion: Uneasiness about cultural distinction 196

Chapter 6

Taste biographies and classifications: How people explain their own and others’

tastes

199

Porridge spoons and planting seeds: Perceptions of the origins of taste 201 ‘Brought up with culture’: The importance of parental socialisation 201 Opening windows: Different sources of secondary socialisation 205 Turning Orfeo into a fairytale: Passing culture on to one’s children 208 Understanding Jimi Hendrix: Parental influences in pop music 211

‘They are too simple for that’: How people explain taste differences 214

Youth culture and conservatism: The interrelatedness of age and birth cohort 216 Chick flicks and macho shows: Perceptions of gendered tastes 221 Coalmen, PhDs, and high IQs: Finding alternatives for class differences 223

8   

‘Grachtengordel’ and mobility: Place as a metaphor for class 226

Nouveaux riches and snobbery: Cultural versus economic capital 228 The bicycle repairman from Delft: Perceptions of type of occupation 229

Conclusion: Ambivalent perceptions of agency and structure 230

Chapter 7

How to value art? On the criteria for good art and high culture

233

A quantitative account of criteria 235

Popular aesthetics 239

From sentiment to enthralment: Valuations of emotions 239 From substance to interpretation: Valuations of content 241

Classic criteria for high culture 244

‘I don’t want to be shocked’: Valuations of morality 244 On nonsense and naturalness: Valuations of realism 247 On skills and virtuosity: Valuations of craftsmanship 249

When contrasting criteria collide: An intermezzo on abstract art 251

An overarching criterion: Valuations of complexity 256

Pure aesthetics and modern criteria for high culture 260

‘There’s a tension between the pots’: Valuations of form over function 260 Seniority versus experiments: Valuations of originality 262 ‘It feels plastic to me’: Valuations of authenticity 266

Social criteria 268

Mainstream versus underground: Perceived relations between popularity and quality 268 High culture for elites: Valuations of social status 272

Conclusion 274

The application of criteria in general 274 The perceived characteristics of high culture 276 Discussion: Possible opinions on a ‘new’ hierarchy 278

Conclusion 281

Research questions and methods 282

Hierarchical practices, perceptions and opinions 283

Practising cultural hierarchy 283 Defining cultural hierarchy 285 Valuing cultural hierarchy 286

Analysing contradictions and tensions 287

Practising and opposing cultural hierarchy 287

9   

Practising and defining cultural hierarchy 287

Differences between research groups 290

Discussion and suggestions for further research 292

Limitations of this research 292 The relative role of cultural taste in hierarchical practices: Some afterthoughts 294

Appendix 1. Glossary of Dutch examples

297

Appendix 2. Overview of respondents

Appendix 3. Descriptions of criteria in table 7.1

319

Bibliography 321

Summary 335

Samenvatting 341

‘Grachtengordel’ and mobility: Place as a metaphor for class 226

Nouveaux riches and snobbery: Cultural versus economic capital 228 The bicycle repairman from Delft: Perceptions of type of occupation 229

Conclusion: Ambivalent perceptions of agency and structure 230

Chapter 7

How to value art? On the criteria for good art and high culture

233

A quantitative account of criteria 235

Popular aesthetics 239

From sentiment to enthralment: Valuations of emotions 239 From substance to interpretation: Valuations of content 241

Classic criteria for high culture 244

‘I don’t want to be shocked’: Valuations of morality 244 On nonsense and naturalness: Valuations of realism 247 On skills and virtuosity: Valuations of craftsmanship 249

When contrasting criteria collide: An intermezzo on abstract art 251

An overarching criterion: Valuations of complexity 256

Pure aesthetics and modern criteria for high culture 260

‘There’s a tension between the pots’: Valuations of form over function 260 Seniority versus experiments: Valuations of originality 262 ‘It feels plastic to me’: Valuations of authenticity 266

Social criteria 268

Mainstream versus underground: Perceived relations between popularity and quality 268 High culture for elites: Valuations of social status 272

Conclusion 274

The application of criteria in general 274 The perceived characteristics of high culture 276 Discussion: Possible opinions on a ‘new’ hierarchy 278

Conclusion 281

Research questions and methods 282

Hierarchical practices, perceptions and opinions 283

Practising cultural hierarchy 283 Defining cultural hierarchy 285 Valuing cultural hierarchy 286

Analysing contradictions and tensions 287

Practising and opposing cultural hierarchy 287

Practising and defining cultural hierarchy 287

Differences between research groups 290

Discussion and suggestions for further research 292

Limitations of this research 292 The relative role of cultural taste in hierarchical practices: Some afterthoughts 294

Appendix 1. Glossary of Dutch examples

297

Appendix 2. Overview of respondents

Appendix 3. Descriptions of criteria in table 7.1

319

Bibliography 321

Summary 335

Samenvatting 341