Cultural Capital in the Economic Field: A Study of Relationships in an Art Market

• Published in: Philosophy of management Vol. 17; no. 2; pp. 169 - 185
• Main Authors: Vigerland, Lars, Borg, Erik A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01-06-2018; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Art markets; Bourdieu Correspondence analysis Cultural capital Economic capital Field Multiple correspondence analysis Symbolic capital; Business and Management; Corruption in government; Cultural capital; Education; International Political Economy; Philosophy; Politics, Economy and the Organization of Society; Politik, ekonomi och samhällets organisering; Field; Bourdieu; Economic capital; Correspondence analysis; Cultural capital; Symbolic capital; Multiple correspondence analysis
• ISSN: 1740-3812; 2052-9597; 2052-9597
• DOI: 10.1007/s40926-017-0061-2

In this study of an economic field and its relationships to a cultural field, we apply Pierre Bourdieu’s central concepts of economic capital, cultural capital, symbolic capital and field, and thus follow in a tradition that at the outset was considered to be post-structuralism, but which by Bourdieu later has been brought into the realm of realism. We have mapped relationships between the actors and thus the field structures that these relationships entail. The fields in which a segment of an art world is operating is represented in multi-dimensional figures which illustrate relationships and bonds between the different categories of organizations. Some of the business actors we have studied are engaging in cultural activities with a great deal of autonomy, others are connected to the cultural field in less active ways. In participating in the cultural field they are in different ways and to different extents accumulating symbolic capital including prestige and honor. The method we have applied is multiple correspondence analysis which was frequently used by Bourdieu.