Distinction versus Democracy in a Globalizing Context: How Omnivores Perceive Cultural Globalization

• In Event: 078 - Section on Sociology of Culture Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: Table 05. The Sociology of Taste

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between cultural omnivorism and attitudes toward cultural globalization. Since the discovery of cultural omnivorism in the U.S. and its subsequent empirical verification in a variety of Western societies, scholars have begun to investigate the meaning behind this new mode of consumption. Some have argued that cultural omnivores, by selecting across the traditional highbrow/lowbrow divide, are more likely to hold open and tolerant beliefs. I empirically test this argument by investigating how cultural omnivores perceive globalization, a phenomenon that has the symbolic potential to represent two opposing processes: multiculturalism and Americanization. If perceived as a symbol of multiculturalism, globalization may appear to fit within cultural omnivores’ ideology of tolerance and inclusion. If perceived as Americanization, cultural omnivores may have strong motives for disapproval. Using data from the 2007 wave of the Eurobarometer, I test this relationship across five countries. I draw upon national repertoire theory to explain why some countries should be more likely to equate globalization with Americanization. Logistic regression results show that in France omnivores are both less likely to feel threatened by globalization and more likely to make cultural distinctions from the U.S. than other cultural consumers. Omnivores in West Germany and Great Britain also make sharp distinctions against the U.S. By contrast, omnivores in the Netherlands and East Germany do not make sharp contrasts. These results hold when controlling for political slant, income, and education. The empirical findings suggest that omnivores, while open, retain an eye for distinction.

Author

• Katharine Tatum, Emory University