Cosmopolitan cultural consumption: Preferences and practices in a heterogenous, urban population in Switzerland

Abstract

Several authors in contemporary cultural consumption research have argued that the traditional axis of distinction between highbrow culture and popular culture is in the process of being replaced by a new axis of distinction between an open cosmopolitan cultural capital and a more local less open, cultural capital. We take up this issue and study cosmopolitan cultural consumption, which is defined by its openness for and engagement with cultural products and services from foreign cultures. We have exploratively developed new measures of cosmopolitan cultural consumption, which focus on the geographic breadth of consumption beyond western countries and on knowledge, tastes and modes of consumption, thus taking the esthetic disposition in consumption into account. Furthermore, the data enable us to study the relationship between consumption and other measures of transnational experiences and identification. Our results indicate that cosmopolitan consumption is not rampant in the population. Furthermore, it is part of a broader pattern of cosmopolitanism that is characterized by supranational identifications, transnational relations, and experiences. They show furthermore that cosmopolitan cultural consumption is strongly determined by different forms of cultural capital, thus being a form of class-based practice.

Internet usage and cosmopolitanism in Europe: a multilevel analysis

“…The results for the demographic variables are very much in line with previous empirical studies: people who are higher educated, younger, and are living in larger municipalities have more interest in foreign culture than their counterparts (see Meuleman & Lubbers, 2014;Pichler, 2008;Rössel & Schroedter, 2015). There is no effect of income.…”

“…This literature closely aligns to studies that take a more practical stance and examines taste preferences, more specifically openness to media products and culture from other parts of the world (e.g., Kuipers & De Kloet, 2009;Meuleman & Savage, 2013;Rössel & Schroedter, 2015). Again, the higher educated are more likely to engage in foreign culture (Meuleman & Savage, 2013;Rössel & Schroedter, 2015). What is more, transnational experiences and social capital positive affect preferences for foreign culture (Mau, Mewes, & Zimmmermann, 2008;Rössel & Schroedter, 2015).…”

“…In contrast, these authors thus consider how citizens apply cultural openness in their everyday lives, for instance by the decoupling of behavioral benefits (e.g., consumption of foreign music) and more complex attitudinal dilemmas (Skrbis & Woodward, 2007). This literature closely aligns to studies that take a more practical stance and examines taste preferences, more specifically openness to media products and culture from other parts of the world (e.g., Kuipers & De Kloet, 2009;Meuleman & Savage, 2013;Rössel & Schroedter, 2015). Again, the higher educated are more likely to engage in foreign culture (Meuleman & Savage, 2013;Rössel & Schroedter, 2015).…”

“…Again, the higher educated are more likely to engage in foreign culture (Meuleman & Savage, 2013;Rössel & Schroedter, 2015). What is more, transnational experiences and social capital positive affect preferences for foreign culture (Mau, Mewes, & Zimmmermann, 2008;Rössel & Schroedter, 2015). How internet usage affects these various forms of cosmopolitanism is still largely unknown.…”

Cultural globalization on the printed page: Stability and change in the proportion of foreign cultural products in European quality newspapers, 1960–2010

“…Various attempts have been made to study cultural globalization empirically, one of which was to investigate cultural consumption and taste from a cosmopolitan point of view (see Lizardo, 2005;Pichler, 2012;Regev, 2013;Woodward et al, 2008). Globalized, cosmopolitan taste can be traced by measuring (e.g., through survey data) cosmopolitan cultural knowledge, tastes in world music, tastes based on preferences for foreign cuisines, or modes of actual cosmopolitan consumption (Meuleman and Savage, 2013;Rössel and Schroedter, 2015). Cosmopolitan cultural orientation and tastes also have been studied through qualitative methodologies (Cappeliez and Johnston, 2013;Savage et al, 2010;Wright et al, 2013).…”