Conceptualising Cultural Environments

1. Conceptualising Cultural Environments Lecture Four: The Economic and Political Significance of Cultural Consumption – the demand for events

2. Understanding Demand • Demand is an economic concept that attempts to describe the relationship between a product, price and purchase • In terms of cultural consumption this is generally seen to be represented in terms of participation in a particular activity • Going to a gig • Taking part in a sporting activity • But, demand is not always just about those people who take part – we need to take into account those people who do not participate • This is particularly important in the public sector

3. Understanding Demand • We can look at demand in various different ways • We may measure effective demand • Essentially counting the number of participants • Latent demand • An unfulfilled demand • We need to think about how we get people to realise that they have a need/want that they wish to fulfil • Deferred demand • Occurs when we do not have the physical resources to do something • Potential demand • Occurs when we do not have the personal resources to do something

4. The Economics of Cultural Consumption • There are many factors which influence our cultural consumption • The price of many cultural products is multi-faceted • E.g. going to the a music festival • Time trade-off • What else could/should you be doing at that time? • Average cost • The higher the average cost the lower the participation • Marginal cost • Determines frequency • E.g. once equipment is bought it may be cheaper to do

5. The Economics of Cultural Consumption • The demand for cultural products can be seen to be elastic in that demand may change as price changes • We can segment and target markets differently • Can use intelligent pricing • Remember, cheap is not always good! • Cultural products are often seen to be ‘income elastic’ – they become important when people have spare income but can be the first thing to go when this is not the case

6. The Demand for Culture

7. Cultural Taste To understand cultural consumption in this way is somewhat simplistic There are various other factors which influence the cultural choices that we make Bourdieu (1977) suggests that we live in a world of ‘fields’ which are comprised of a series of institutions, rules, rituals, conventions, categories, designations, appointments and titles which constitute an objective hierarchy which produces and authorizes certain discourses and activities (Webb et al, 2002:21-22) It is these fields which allow us to construct and display our identity via consumption

8. Understanding Capital • In order to negotiate these various fields a level of cultural capital is required • Cultural capital refers to social assets which allow us to understand and negotiate certain fields • Bourdieu (1986) suggests that there are four types of capital: • Economic capital (financial resources) • Social capital (our links to other people) • Cultural capital (knowledge, skills and education which give us an advantage over others) • Symbolic capital (resources based on who we are and our position within society)

9. Cultural Capital • Bourdieu (1986) breaks cultural capital down into three forms • Institutionalised cultural capital • Most commonly in the form of educational/academic awards and recognition • Objectified cultural capital • Ownership of cultural goods and products • But, there is a difference between ownership and consumption • Embodied cultural capital • Is bestowed upon us

10. Events as Fields of Distinction Essentially cultural fields offer us a means of shaping our identity via distinction and domination Consuming different events says different things about us We can also see aspects of differentiation and domination within events How do we manage this???