We have already pushed the state of the art forward through our first publication in the American Sociological Review. This paper asks: How do elites signal their superior social position via the consumption of culture? We addressed this question in a novel way by drawing on 120 years of “recreations” data (N = 71,393) contained within Who’s Who, a unique catalogue of the British elite. Our results reveal three historical phases of elite cultural distinction: first, a mode of aristocratic practice forged around the leisure possibilities afforded by landed estates, which waned significantly in the late-nineteenth century; second, a highbrow mode dominated by the fine arts, which increased sharply in the early-twentieth century before gently receding in the most recent birth cohorts; and, third, a contemporary mode characterized by the blending of highbrow pursuits with everyday forms of cultural participation, such as spending time with family, friends, and pets. These shifts reveal changes not only in the contents of elite culture but also in the nature of elite distinction, in particular, (1) how the applicability of emulation and (mis)recognition theories has changed over time, and (2) the emergence of a contemporary mode that publicly emphasizes everyday cultural practice (to accentuate ordinariness, authenticity, and cultural connection) while retaining many tastes that continue to be (mis)recognized as legitimate.
The book we have completed is also, I believe, a landmark contribution. It was nominated as a ‘Book of the Year’ by both The Times and The Economist and it was also warded the Mary C. Douglas Prize from the Culture section of the American Sociological Association. As part of the award, the book was praised for its ‘clarity in argumentation, its impressive empirical research (“empirical triumph”), its accessible and witty (!) style that makes it “delightfully readable”’. They argued that it makes ‘important contributions to, among other things, the sociology of culture’.
