Enter Culture, Exit Arts?: The Transformation of Cultural Hierarchies in European Newspaper Culture Sections, 1960-2010

Description

Key debates of contemporary cultural sociology - the rise of the 'cultural omnivore', the fate of classical 'highbrow' culture, the popularization, commercialization and globalization of culture - deal with temporal changes. Yet, systematic research about these processes is scarce due to the lack of suitable longitudinal data. This book explores these questions through the lens of a crucial institution of cultural mediation - the culture sections in quality European newspapers - from 1960 to 2010. Starting from the framework of cultural stratification and employing systematic content analysis both quantitative and qualitative of more than 13,000 newspaper articles, Enter Culture, Exit Arts? presents a synthetic yet empirically rich and detailed account of cultural transformation in Europe over the last five decades. It shows how classifications and hierarchies of culture have changed in course of the process toward increased cultural heterogeneity. Furthermore, it conceptualizes the key trends of rising popular culture and declining highbrow arts as two simultaneous processes: the one of legitimization of popular culture and the other of popularization of traditional legitimate culture, both important for the loosening of the boundary between 'highbrow' and 'popular'. Through careful comparative analysis and illustrative snapshots into the specific socio-historical contexts in which the newspapers and their representations of culture are embedded - in Finland, France, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the UK -, the book reveals the key patterns and diversity of European variations in the transformation of cultural hierarchies since the 1960s. The book is a collective endeavour of a large-scale international research project active between 2013 and 2018. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents List of figures List of tables List of boxes Preface and acknowledgements 1 Introduction: newspapers and the study of changing cultural hierarchies Prologue: the day that sealed the status of rock as art? The themes of this book Aims and definitions Why study cultural change through newspapers? Cultural stratification: beyond the consumption/production divide Data and the comparative setting Approach and methods Outline of the book Part I: The shift in cultural legitimacy 2 The transformation: on the rise of popular culture and the decline of classical highbrow arts Introduction The opening up of legitimate culture: theoretical perspectives Comparative dimensions and expectations Towards increased heterogeneity? The persistent dominance of the most established arts Transformations inside the established arts: literature and music The decline of classical highbrow arts Conclusion 3 Both legitimization and popularization: how evaluations of pop-rockand classical music have become increasingly similar Introduction The concepts of legitimization and popularization An aesthetic dimension in the articles published in culture sections Legitimization and popularization: quantitative approach Legitimization of pop-rock Popularization of classical music The tension between artistic quality and commercial success in aesthetic evaluations Conclusion Part II: Dimensions of the transformation 4 Globalization: on the tension between national andinternational culture Introduction Perspectives on the globalization of culture Cultural globalization: quantitative approach Cultural globalization: qualitative approach Conclusion 5 Commercialization: on the commercial dimension and advertisements Introduction From the enduring tension between art and money to commercialization of culture Autonomy in peril? The commercialization of cultural journalism Commercial dimension in newspaper data: quantitative approach The role of commercial elements in cultural coverage: qualitative approach Advertising as another aspect of the commercial dimension Conclusion 6 Beyond culture: politics and the role of culture in a wider socio-historical context Introduction Artistic valuation and politics: a complicated relationship Political dimension in newspaper data: quantitative approach Spanish and Turkish national identities in the making: political contexts Continuity and change Conclusion Part III: The place and space of culture 7 Packaging of culture: on the ‘crisis’ of cultural journalism and journalistic popularization Introduction Changing cultural journalism The space of culture The place of culture The packaging of culture Is there a ‘crisis’? Culture cover stories Conclusion 8 Conclusion Epilogue: the death of a philosopher-celebrity Enter culture, exit arts? Transformation and stability Problems in comparative research and studying cultural change Appendices Appendix A: collecting and coding the newspaper data Appendix B: additional tables References Index