Distinction and Globalization: The Formation of Transnational Spaces of Taste

• Grant number: 25/01011-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Start date: December 01, 2026
• End date: June 30, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Sociology - Other specific Sociologies
• Principal Investigator: Michel Nicolau Netto
• Grantee: Michel Nicolau Netto
• Host Investigator: Frederic Lebaron
• Host Institution: Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas (IFCH). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Université Paris-Saclay, France

Abstract

The relationship between class and culture gained significant prominence with the works of Pierre Bourdieu, particularly following the publication of Distinction in 1979. This book has often been interpreted as suggesting that cultural capital is intrinsically tied to a competent appreciation of high culture-a capacity predominantly held by the class fraction rich in such capital. However, recent studies demonstrating the declining role of high culture as a marker of distinction in contemporary societies have raised questions about the validity of the concept of cultural capital itself. Conversely, other investigations argue that cultural capital has assumed new forms and invites us to explore and understand these transformations. In the context of globalization, the debate surrounding cosmopolitan capital has gained traction as an emerging form of cultural capital. Empirical research suggests that non-national tastes have become a contemporary source of distinction and a mechanism for class boundary formation. This project builds on this discussion, while addressing its limitations in understanding the emergence of new spaces shaped by globalization. To this end, the research will draw on data from Brazil (Beyond Distinction project) and Europe (INVENT project ) to conduct a comparative analysis between Brazil and France. This will enable the mapping of transnational taste spaces that are distinctively accessed by different social classes. Additionally, it will explore the production of symbolic hierarchies within a specific cultural domain-the tourism market. Ultimately, the project aims to advance our understanding of how globalization reshapes processes of distinction. (AU)