This paper examines whether a model distinguishing two domains of cultural practices better characterises social reproduction mechanisms in Australian society than a unitary culture model. Factor analyses using three-year panel (N = 557) and cross-sectional (N = 2203) data from the Australian National Social Science Survey show that scholastic reading activity and beaux arts consumption are separate domains within the cultural sphere. The panel indicates that this representation is robust, and highly stable across the life-course. On the basis of these results I construct highly reliable scales measuring both types of cultural practices for respondents' parents, respondents during adolescence, and respondents at time of interview. These results clarify some of the inconsistent findings of existing research and suggest new hypotheses about the role of cultural practices in socioeconomic attainment.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Bourdieu, P. (1973) 'Cultural reproduction and social reproduction ' in R. Brown (ed.) Knowledge, Education and Cultural Change: Papers in the Sociology of EducationLondon: Tavistock: 71-112.
2.
Bourdieu, P. (1974) 'The school as a conservative force: scholastic and cultural inequalities' in J. Eggleston (ed.) Contemporary Research in the Sociology of EducationLondon: Methuen: 32-46.
3.
Bourdieu, P. (1984) Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
4.
Cronbach, L.J. (1951) 'Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests' Psychometrika16: 297-334.
5.
De Graaf, N.D. (1991) 'Distinction by consumption in Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and the Netherlands' European Sociological Review7(3): 267-290.
6.
De Graaf, N.D., M.D.R. Evans, H.B.G. Ganzeboom, J. Kelley, T. Kolosi, P. Mateju, P. Robert and D.J. Treiman (1990) 'International standard lifestyle questionnaire module' in J. Kelley, C. Bean, M. D. R. Evans and K. Zagorski (eds) National Social Science Survey: 1990 QuestionnaireCanberra: Institute of Advanced Studies, Australian National University: 10-13.
7.
De Graaf, N.D., M.D.R. Evans, H.B.G. Ganzeboom, J. Kelley, T. Kolosi, P. Mateju, P. Robert and D.J. Treiman (1993) 'International standard lifestyle questionnaire module' in J. Kelley, C. Bean, M. D. R. Evans and K. Zagorski (eds) National Social Science Survey: 1993 QuestionnaireCanberra: Institute of Advanced Studies, Australian National University: 23-25.
8.
De Graaf, P.M. (1986) 'The impact of financial and cultural resources on educational attainment in The Netherlands' Sociology of Education59: 237-246.
9.
De Graaf, P.M. (1988) 'Parents' financial and cultural resources, grades, and transition to secondary school in the Federal Republic of Germany' European Sociological Review4(3): 209-221.
10.
De Graaf, P.M. (1989) 'Cultural reproduction and educational stratification' in B. Bakker, J. Dronkers and W. Meijen (eds) Educational Opportunities in the Welfare State: Longitudinal Studies in Educational and Occupational Attainment in The NetherlandsNijmegen : ITS: 39-57.
11.
de Vaus, D.A. (1985) Surveys in Social ResearchSydney: Allen & Unwin.
12.
DiMaggio, P. (1982) 'Cultural capital and school success: the impact of status culture participation on the grades of U.S. high school students ' American Sociological Review47: 189-201.
13.
DiMaggio, P. and J. Mohr (1985) 'Cultural capital, educational attainment and marital selection' AmericanJournal of Sociology90(6): 1231-1261.
14.
Headey, B.W., E.L. Holmstrom and A.J. Wearing (1984) 'Well-being and ill-being: different dimensions? ' Social Indicators Research17: 211-34.
15.
Katsillas, J. and R. Rubinson (1990) 'Cultural capital, student achievement, and educational reproduction in Greece' American Sociological Review55: 270-279.
16.
Kelley, J., C.S. Bean, M.D.R. Evans and K. Zagorski (1990) International Social Science Surveys Australia 1990: Codebook and Machine-Readable Data FileCanberra : Institute of Advanced Studies, Australian National University.
17.
Kelley, J., C.S. Bean, M.D.R. Evans and K. Zagorski (1993) International Social Science Surveys Australia 1993: Codebook and Machine-Readable Data FileCanberra : Institute of Advanced Studies, Australian National University.
18.
Kim, J.O. and C.W. Mueller (1978) Factor Analysis: Statistical Methods and Practical IssuesBeverly Hills: Sage.
19.
Lamb, S. (1989) 'Cultural consumption and the educational plans of Australian secondary school students' Sociology of Education62: 95-108.
20.
Moser, C.A. and G. Kalton (1972) Survey Methods in Social InvestigationLondon: Heinemann Educational Books Limited.
21.
Niehof, T.J. and H.B.G. Ganzeboom (1996) 'Cultural socialization and social reproduction: a cross-national test of a cultural theory of stratification' paper presented at the annual meeting ofAmerican Sociological Association, New York City, August.
22.
Treiman, D.J. and Y. Peng (1989) 'Occupational group differences in patterns of material and cultural consumption in Denmark, Hungary, and The Netherlands'paper presented at meeting of Research Committee on Social Stratification and Mobility, Prague, Czechoslovakia, 18-21 June.
