Cultural PortraitMontevideo from opera to cumbia
Rosario [email protected] of the Republic –Uruguay University of Campinas -Brazil
Crossroads in Cultural Studies International ConferenceLingnan University. Hong Kong, 17-21 June, 2010. Session: Cultural consumption and social inequalities in Latin America
Purpose and hypothesis This paper is a Phd thesis titled “Cultural Portrait, Montevideo between “drums”, operas and ‘cumbias’” main results. Where – When – Who - Why Purpose: analyze the complexity of Montevideo´s social classes cultural consumption practices during the first decade of the twenty-one century. It wonders about the linkage between tastes, practices and cultural consumption patterns and the social stratification´s ways, especially social classes. The principal hypothesis: cultural consumption –in this period and this place- expressed not only social integration, but also social inequalities. In other words, cultural consumption was a resource to identify social class’s identity “marks” and reinforce symbolic barriers.
Where: Latin América -Uruguay - Montevideo
When: first decade 21st century
Who: Social Classes (John Goldthorpe Classification)
Why? Why Uruguay?
Uruguay used to be considered as the ‘America´s Switzerland’ The foundational myths of the country refers to the country as :
high culture and education country political concensous not Latin-american country, not indigenous population, most population is descendent from europeans, “middle class” country, ‘succesfull’ country: Maracaná soccer player championship in 1950.
Why Montevideo city? Montevideo is Uruguay’s capital city Is the big city in the country with 1:500.000 habitants. It concentrates the principal cultural infra-estructure.
Main problems and resultsClass Habitus & Style of life Cultural capital & Audiovisual capitalTraditionalism & Internationalization /Cosmopolitism Cultural consumption inequalities in the city
There are some different tensions and contradictions between cultural consumption and classes.
Class Habitus & Style of life
Musical tastes
From ‘latin pop’ to ‘cumbia plancha’ and ‘cumbia cante’
Fro
2004-2008
2009-2010
From cumbia to ‘latin pop’ 1950-2000
2001-2004
II. From popular to “mainstreaming”/ “cross-social” practices/tastes Rock and pop
Musical tastes
I. Class habitus? Musical Tastes and social classes Everyone: middle brow ….. Rock and pop, tango, folk.
Middle class’ tastes centrality. Traditional tastes.
Managers and Professionals : snobs or omnivores? High brow: classical music, jazz and blues “Middle brow” too: rock and pop, tango, folk
Manual workers: low brow - tropical music –cumbia “plancha” – cumbia “cante” music + middle brow + 25% high brow
III. Cultural Capital & Audiovisual Capital
III. Cultural Capital & Audiovisual Capital Cultural capitalIncorporated /Built Capital
"Language learning. Skills for global exchange-read or speak another language besides Spanish.
Art learning. Non-formal education in art.
Objective capital
Original painting or sculptures’ possession
Musical instruments' possession
Books at home. More than 50 books possession
Institutionalized capital
Degrees in education. Post-graduation.
Literate culture: reading books, magazines and newspapers.
Audiovisual CapitalIncorporated/built capital Access to a variety of audiovisual windows.
-Two hours or more daily broadcast.-Listen to radio every day or almost every day .- ‘Regular ‘-at least once a month- assistance to the cinema .- Internet use "almost daily”.
Objective capital.
• Audiovisual equipment.-Possession of black and white TV, color, radio,
amateur radio, cassette players, CD audio, walkman / discman.
-Camera, video camera, camcorder.-Video or DVD.-Possession of 50 or more disks or CDs at home.-Phone, phone cell. -Possession of a computer.-Internet connection.- Cable TV, Direct TV.
Audiovisual capital
Internet routines
Ceibal Plan “one laptop per child” (2009)
III. Traditionalism & Internationalization cultural consumption patterns
Carnival:‘lubolos’ and ‘comparsas’ at the Llamadas
Tango: tradition - nostalgia´s crystallization
Internacionalization – Cosmopolitan Patterns
Travelling values
IV. Cultural consumption inequalities in the city
Montevideo: social fragmentation and spacial segregation High Zone Low Zone
Cultural Apathy
Conclusions
Conclusions The two thousand´s years illustrate a period of cultural ambiguities and social contradictions in Montevideo city. The dominant model of social appropriation of culture and arts is "imagined" integrated and inclusive, however inequalities are gradually revealed. In extreme cases, the period brings a new way of social exclusion from the cultural consumption. Class cultural inequalities expressed grades as the Uruguayan social structure, moreover the urban fragmentation and the recent social inequalities had increased the distance between the grades and impact on cultural consumption patterns. For instance, cultural practices and tastes between managers and manual workers expressed a deep social divided. Cultural consumption is increasingly valued in terms of visual diversity, technology and internationalization and at the same time is re-valued in terms of traditions and cultural habitus, art knowledge and possessions –or cultural capital.
Diversity and inequality coexist in the period, but at the end cultural consumption is more a symbolic frontier for the majority and just an individualized style of life for the minority. It is at the same time an expression of social polarization and urban´s fragmentation in the city. In this context, social dilemmas reveals the cultural portrait’s complexity. The cultural portrait of Montevideo’ society in the 21st century expresses an interstitial consumer society, a changing cultural pattern and especially a fractured social matrix after the reinforcement of social distinction mechanisms.
Gracias / Thank you
