Cultural Chameleons: Repertoire Diversification and Adaptability in Cultural Production

• In Event: 228 - Section on Sociology of Culture Paper Session. Cultural Production, Old and New

Abstract

The benefits of variety in cultural consumption have been widely documented, with much focus on the rise of omnivorousness. In contrast, theory and research about the benefits of variety in cultural production require elaboration and refinement. Are diverse cultural repertoires as valuable to cultural producers as they are to consumers? How are they cultivated and used, and what benefits do they offer? Using 56 in-depth interviews with three groups of cultural producers (musicians, filmmakers, and fashion designers), these questions are examined. Interviews show that diverse cultural repertoires are indeed valuable and that cultural producers cultivate them in three ways. First, they diversify production by engaging with a range of genres, skills, and fields. Second, they diversify their audiences by trying to appeal to a variety of needs and to seek out new untapped audiences. Third, they broaden their orientations to cultural production by renegotiating traditional boundaries between artistic and economic interests through entrepreneurialism. Importantly, diverse cultural repertoires are necessary but insufficient for career success. Producers must also be adaptable and must know when and where particular types of production will be most beneficial. I dub these producers “cultural chameleons” who, like their animal counterparts, possess a variety of “colors” and can adapt these colors appropriately in particular contexts.

Author

• Allyson Stokes, University of Texas-Austin