Este artículo ofrece un análisis detallado de la división ideológica interna dentro de la elite c... more Este artículo ofrece un análisis detallado de la división ideológica interna dentro de la elite chilena.
Con motivo de los 40 años del golpe de estado de 1973, se celebraron en Chile una gran cantidad d... more Con motivo de los 40 años del golpe de estado de 1973, se celebraron en Chile una gran cantidad de eventos conmemorativos. En diálogo con relexiones previas sobre los clivajes políticos y la signiicación simbólica del territorio, este artículo propone una interpretación de la conmemoración que permite observar la actualidad y eicacia del clivaje autoritarismo/democracia. Asimismo, se observa que dicha división fragmenta a la capital chilena en dos grandes lugares de memoria, constituidos como sendos escenarios dentro de los cuales cobra sentido público o colectivo la defensa de dos memorias que todavía dividen a los chilenos.
RESUMEN Los recientes conflictos sociales y políticos desatados en Chile sitúan a la cultura en u... more RESUMEN Los recientes conflictos sociales y políticos desatados en Chile sitúan a la cultura en un lugar de cruce de narrativas de cambio y expresiones artísticas plurales. En este artículo, se argumenta que la inversión de nociones clave del acervo intelectual de Pierre Bourdieu es una vía fructífera para entender el momento histórico del país desde una perspectiva cultural.
Contrary to the idea that neighbourhood cohesion is something that inherently benefits the poor o... more Contrary to the idea that neighbourhood cohesion is something that inherently benefits the poor or counterbalances the forces of social exclusion, in this article we argue that it can also function as a mechanism of cumulative advantage. In order to explore this proposal, we offer a definition and key dimensions of neighbourhood cohesion based on three components: place attachment, local relations and commitment to the local common good. We test our proposal in a highly segregated Latin American city: Santiago, Chile. A combination of survey data and georeferenced information was obtained from a random sample of 700 residents. The results reveal the existence of four neighbourhood cohesion types: Communitarians, Belongers, Strangers and Outsiders. As expected, we found that people who reside in affluent areas and perceive themselves to live in more reputable neighbourhoods are those who report the strongest patterns of neighbourhood cohesion. We conclude by questioning the scope and...
This chapter brings together the main findings from each chapter, to provide evidence that shows ... more This chapter brings together the main findings from each chapter, to provide evidence that shows that social mobility and residential mobility are very significantly related, but that these two types of mobility are also associated with other components of everyday life that define upper middle class expectations, parenting practices, cultural repertoires, and politics. In this chapter, we propose a typology composed of three main clusters: Inheritors, Achievers, and Incomers. Taken together, these depict an internal class fragmentation in a dense and complex way. We also show how certain groups are most privileged in reproducing their positions, while others face particular constraints, which are not only material but also cultural and political.
This chapter presents a detailed account of the literature on class reproduction, particularly fo... more This chapter presents a detailed account of the literature on class reproduction, particularly for the upper middle class. We also engage in current debates on new forms of accumulation, boundary work between the most privileged groups in society and the rest of the population, processes of reproduction of inequality and their relationship to school and residential choices, and parenting and the development of cultural practices along with particular cultural repertoires, among others. We contend that this class cannot be properly understood without understanding more deeply the ways in which these families articulate, mobilize, and accumulate various resources in the long run and in everyday life.
This chapter examines the ways in which Santiago’s barrio alto has grown over the past decades, l... more This chapter examines the ways in which Santiago’s barrio alto has grown over the past decades, leading to high levels of social segregation of the most privileged. The offer of housing for the upper middle classes, and upward occupational mobility, has raised expectations of belonging to this class. Social and spatial mobility into and within the barrio alto is not, however, a random happenstance. It is structured along lines delineating less and more privileged places, trajectories, and settings. In this chapter, we explore various types of socio-spatial trajectories of our upper middle class interviewees, which demonstrate the imbricated relationships between intergenerational, occupational, and residential trajectories. Nevertheless, living and staying in the barrio alto is not a trivial matter even for the more privileged. Many actively struggle to be there, at the apex of the Chilean social pyramid.
This chapter aims to present a comprehensive understanding of upper middle class (political) cult... more This chapter aims to present a comprehensive understanding of upper middle class (political) cultural repertoires in relation to a variety of topics of public interest, such as inequality, globalization, and meritocracy. Our purpose is to add another layer to the already complex depiction of a fragmented upper middle class, which we have unveiled throughout the previous chapters. We also, however, put forward the crosscutting argument that notwithstanding this fragmentation, we can see a remarkable internal coherence within each segment. This coherence is, we claim, one outcome of an ongoing process taking place intra- and inter-generationally, between partners, between parents and children, and between families and schools. We will demonstrate the existence of clear cultural repertoires related to politics which variously emphasize, inter alia, tolerance, (blind) obedience to rules versus a reflexive stance toward them, and globalized views on economics and culture, versus strong s...
The declining interest in class analysis in social sciences as an approach which contributes to t... more The declining interest in class analysis in social sciences as an approach which contributes to the understanding of social phenomena has not implied the complete extinction of class lexicon. Indeed, it is increasingly common to find debates about the middle class, not only within the academia but also at the social commentary level. Thus, the middle class is considered an expression not only of a social reality, but of a political ideal too. Even though the term middle class is frequently used, beyond sociological research, this article stresses that there has not been agreement between academics about its characteristics, and this has made difficult to draw widely accepted borders between this and other classes. This has become known as the boundary problem. The aim of this paper is to offer a comprehensive view of this problem, particularly focusing on debates about its definition, intellectual conditions of emergence, causes, and some suggested solutions.
The homology idea contends that a very close relationship takes place between social positions (e... more The homology idea contends that a very close relationship takes place between social positions (economic and cultural capital) and cultural practices. This idea is at the center of Pierre Bourdieu’s work La Distinction (1984[1979]) and the subsequent studies in the sociology of culture that considered this book a necessary landmark. In this paper, we use data from the International Social Survey Programme for comparing 26 countries from different geographical and cultural areas, in order to assess the homology thesis’ applicability with a large set of very different countries. Using canonical correlation analysis, our results underline how structurally similar are the wide set of countries analysed. On the one hand, we found an analogous hierarchy of activities and social positions or capitals. On the other hand, the level of association between the factorial axis defined on cultural activities and those axis calculated using capitals are also very similar.
Este artículo ofrece un análisis detallado de la división ideológica interna dentro de la elite c... more Este artículo ofrece un análisis detallado de la división ideológica interna dentro de la elite chilena.
Con motivo de los 40 años del golpe de estado de 1973, se celebraron en Chile una gran cantidad d... more Con motivo de los 40 años del golpe de estado de 1973, se celebraron en Chile una gran cantidad de eventos conmemorativos. En diálogo con relexiones previas sobre los clivajes políticos y la signiicación simbólica del territorio, este artículo propone una interpretación de la conmemoración que permite observar la actualidad y eicacia del clivaje autoritarismo/democracia. Asimismo, se observa que dicha división fragmenta a la capital chilena en dos grandes lugares de memoria, constituidos como sendos escenarios dentro de los cuales cobra sentido público o colectivo la defensa de dos memorias que todavía dividen a los chilenos.
RESUMEN Los recientes conflictos sociales y políticos desatados en Chile sitúan a la cultura en u... more RESUMEN Los recientes conflictos sociales y políticos desatados en Chile sitúan a la cultura en un lugar de cruce de narrativas de cambio y expresiones artísticas plurales. En este artículo, se argumenta que la inversión de nociones clave del acervo intelectual de Pierre Bourdieu es una vía fructífera para entender el momento histórico del país desde una perspectiva cultural.
Contrary to the idea that neighbourhood cohesion is something that inherently benefits the poor o... more Contrary to the idea that neighbourhood cohesion is something that inherently benefits the poor or counterbalances the forces of social exclusion, in this article we argue that it can also function as a mechanism of cumulative advantage. In order to explore this proposal, we offer a definition and key dimensions of neighbourhood cohesion based on three components: place attachment, local relations and commitment to the local common good. We test our proposal in a highly segregated Latin American city: Santiago, Chile. A combination of survey data and georeferenced information was obtained from a random sample of 700 residents. The results reveal the existence of four neighbourhood cohesion types: Communitarians, Belongers, Strangers and Outsiders. As expected, we found that people who reside in affluent areas and perceive themselves to live in more reputable neighbourhoods are those who report the strongest patterns of neighbourhood cohesion. We conclude by questioning the scope and...
This chapter brings together the main findings from each chapter, to provide evidence that shows ... more This chapter brings together the main findings from each chapter, to provide evidence that shows that social mobility and residential mobility are very significantly related, but that these two types of mobility are also associated with other components of everyday life that define upper middle class expectations, parenting practices, cultural repertoires, and politics. In this chapter, we propose a typology composed of three main clusters: Inheritors, Achievers, and Incomers. Taken together, these depict an internal class fragmentation in a dense and complex way. We also show how certain groups are most privileged in reproducing their positions, while others face particular constraints, which are not only material but also cultural and political.
This chapter presents a detailed account of the literature on class reproduction, particularly fo... more This chapter presents a detailed account of the literature on class reproduction, particularly for the upper middle class. We also engage in current debates on new forms of accumulation, boundary work between the most privileged groups in society and the rest of the population, processes of reproduction of inequality and their relationship to school and residential choices, and parenting and the development of cultural practices along with particular cultural repertoires, among others. We contend that this class cannot be properly understood without understanding more deeply the ways in which these families articulate, mobilize, and accumulate various resources in the long run and in everyday life.
This chapter examines the ways in which Santiago’s barrio alto has grown over the past decades, l... more This chapter examines the ways in which Santiago’s barrio alto has grown over the past decades, leading to high levels of social segregation of the most privileged. The offer of housing for the upper middle classes, and upward occupational mobility, has raised expectations of belonging to this class. Social and spatial mobility into and within the barrio alto is not, however, a random happenstance. It is structured along lines delineating less and more privileged places, trajectories, and settings. In this chapter, we explore various types of socio-spatial trajectories of our upper middle class interviewees, which demonstrate the imbricated relationships between intergenerational, occupational, and residential trajectories. Nevertheless, living and staying in the barrio alto is not a trivial matter even for the more privileged. Many actively struggle to be there, at the apex of the Chilean social pyramid.
This chapter aims to present a comprehensive understanding of upper middle class (political) cult... more This chapter aims to present a comprehensive understanding of upper middle class (political) cultural repertoires in relation to a variety of topics of public interest, such as inequality, globalization, and meritocracy. Our purpose is to add another layer to the already complex depiction of a fragmented upper middle class, which we have unveiled throughout the previous chapters. We also, however, put forward the crosscutting argument that notwithstanding this fragmentation, we can see a remarkable internal coherence within each segment. This coherence is, we claim, one outcome of an ongoing process taking place intra- and inter-generationally, between partners, between parents and children, and between families and schools. We will demonstrate the existence of clear cultural repertoires related to politics which variously emphasize, inter alia, tolerance, (blind) obedience to rules versus a reflexive stance toward them, and globalized views on economics and culture, versus strong s...
The declining interest in class analysis in social sciences as an approach which contributes to t... more The declining interest in class analysis in social sciences as an approach which contributes to the understanding of social phenomena has not implied the complete extinction of class lexicon. Indeed, it is increasingly common to find debates about the middle class, not only within the academia but also at the social commentary level. Thus, the middle class is considered an expression not only of a social reality, but of a political ideal too. Even though the term middle class is frequently used, beyond sociological research, this article stresses that there has not been agreement between academics about its characteristics, and this has made difficult to draw widely accepted borders between this and other classes. This has become known as the boundary problem. The aim of this paper is to offer a comprehensive view of this problem, particularly focusing on debates about its definition, intellectual conditions of emergence, causes, and some suggested solutions.
The homology idea contends that a very close relationship takes place between social positions (e... more The homology idea contends that a very close relationship takes place between social positions (economic and cultural capital) and cultural practices. This idea is at the center of Pierre Bourdieu’s work La Distinction (1984[1979]) and the subsequent studies in the sociology of culture that considered this book a necessary landmark. In this paper, we use data from the International Social Survey Programme for comparing 26 countries from different geographical and cultural areas, in order to assess the homology thesis’ applicability with a large set of very different countries. Using canonical correlation analysis, our results underline how structurally similar are the wide set of countries analysed. On the one hand, we found an analogous hierarchy of activities and social positions or capitals. On the other hand, the level of association between the factorial axis defined on cultural activities and those axis calculated using capitals are also very similar.
This book is a study of class formation at the top of the social hierarchies during the turbulent... more This book is a study of class formation at the top of the social hierarchies during the turbulent and changing early twenty-first century. Contrary to perceptions that privileged individuals exist according to little more than market and economic logics, the book provides evidence that they are by no means absent from politics and civic engagement. Adopting a focus on reproduction, distinction, and politics, it delves into the complex relationship between cohesion and fragmentation that exists within the most privileged groups formed over the course of the contemporary neoliberal period.
By knitting a dialogue between spatial analysis, multiple correspondence analysis, and in-depth interviews, the book provides insights into the intricate relations between institutions and political subjectivities, and the role of space and mothering in the political socialisation of Chile’s most privileged families. The result is a dense description of a social class fragmented by subtle ideological lines based upon economic inheritance, socialisation within homogeneous family environments, paths into the labour market, and social and political activities.
Este libro es el producto de una confluencia de niveles de análisis. Con el objetivo de completar... more Este libro es el producto de una confluencia de niveles de análisis. Con el objetivo de completar una sociología que construye sus explicaciones desde características mayormente del individuo, se propone la necesidad de dar cuenta de la práctica cultural desde dimensiones macro (cambios tecnológicos y económicos), meso (desigualdades socioeconómicas y el espacio) y micro (subjetividades) sociales. El objetivo es contribuir a entender las extensas y profundas transformaciones que se han producido en el ámbito del gusto y la participación cultural durante las últimas décadas. Si el cambio nunca se detiene, hacemos una radiografía del ocurrido desde mediados del siglo XX hasta la actualidad en el Cono Sur de América. Basándonos en entrevistas en profundidad realizadas en Buenos Aires, Montevideo y Santiago, y mediante una amplia revisión de estudios y literatura en las áreas de la sociología urbana y de la cultura, e incluyendo aproximaciones desde la economía y la antropología, proveemos un retrato móvil de la experiencia de la vida urbana construida desde lo que se puede entender como la epistemología de la práctica cultural. Finalmente, lejos de comprenderse como un continente, las ciudades devienen un contenido de significados que anclan temporalidades en lugares físicos (edificios, monumentos, calles, plazas, terrenos sin uso aparente, ruinas e incluso lugares hoy inexistentes), desde donde aquéllos que las viven reconstruyen, a menudo a través de relatos nostálgicos, escenas arraigadas en el tejido subjetivo de la historia social de las mismas.
In the contemporary context of increasing inequality and various forms of segregation, this volum... more In the contemporary context of increasing inequality and various forms of segregation, this volume analyzes the transition to neoliberal politics in Santiago de Chile. Using an innovative methodological approach that combines georeferenced data and multi-stage cluster analysis, Méndez and Gayo study the old and new mechanisms of social reproduction among the upper middle class. In so doing, they not only capture the interconnections between macro- and microsocial dimensions such as urban dynamics, schooling demands, cultural repertoires and socio-spatial trajectories, but also offer a detailed account of elite formation, intergenerational accumulation, and economic, cultural, and social inheritance dynamics.
Este libro tiene como objetivo principal proporcionar una herramienta de estudio a los estudiante... more Este libro tiene como objetivo principal proporcionar una herramienta de estudio a los estudiantes de sociología de la cultura o interesados en esta área de conocimiento. De ningún modo tiene como aspiración ser o convertirse en un libro canónico que trate de ofrecer interpretaciones definitivas de los autores aquí revisados. Por el contrario, es un texto que pretende ser un puente hacia la teoría sociológica de la cultura, es decir, un lugar para transitar camino hacia otro lado: la teoría social, las obras originales, las palabras de los pensadores que han contribuido a la constitución histórica de una perspectiva sociológica para la cual la cultura es un concepto clave.
Artículo en torno a los temas que propone el libro "El miedo a los subordinados" (ed. LOM) de Kat... more Artículo en torno a los temas que propone el libro "El miedo a los subordinados" (ed. LOM) de Kathya Araujo.
The purpose of this journal issue has to do with pointing out the role of musical practices, unde... more The purpose of this journal issue has to do with pointing out the role of musical practices, understood in a very broad sense, to deepen global transformations, or creating global communities. The issue will thus welcome papers, focused on youth, or intergenerational differences, dealing with examples of new tastes, marginalized communities giving a response to their realities of subordination or middle class internal lines of fragmentation through music, cultural stratification and the renewing of capitals, identity expressions by LGBTI groups, politization of first nations and/or subordinated national communities, feminist responses, reconfiguration of urban/rural cleavages, etc. Words such as strong identities, hybridity beyond social classes, intersectionality, minorities, nostalgia are also relevant for this call. Regarding the methodological approaches, scholars are invited to make proposals which use qualitative and quantitative methods, including a combination of the both of them, or innovative techniques that can shed light on globalized musical practices today.
Uploads
Papers by Modesto Gayo
eventos conmemorativos. En diálogo con relexiones previas sobre los clivajes políticos y la signiicación
simbólica del territorio, este artículo propone una interpretación de la conmemoración que permite
observar la actualidad y eicacia del clivaje autoritarismo/democracia. Asimismo, se observa que dicha
división fragmenta a la capital chilena en dos grandes lugares de memoria, constituidos como sendos
escenarios dentro de los cuales cobra sentido público o colectivo la defensa de dos memorias que todavía
dividen a los chilenos.
eventos conmemorativos. En diálogo con relexiones previas sobre los clivajes políticos y la signiicación
simbólica del territorio, este artículo propone una interpretación de la conmemoración que permite
observar la actualidad y eicacia del clivaje autoritarismo/democracia. Asimismo, se observa que dicha
división fragmenta a la capital chilena en dos grandes lugares de memoria, constituidos como sendos
escenarios dentro de los cuales cobra sentido público o colectivo la defensa de dos memorias que todavía
dividen a los chilenos.
By knitting a dialogue between spatial analysis, multiple correspondence analysis, and in-depth interviews, the book provides insights into the intricate relations between institutions and political subjectivities, and the role of space and mothering in the political socialisation of Chile’s most privileged families. The result is a dense description of a social class fragmented by subtle ideological lines based upon economic inheritance, socialisation within homogeneous family environments, paths into the labour market, and social and political activities.
El objetivo es contribuir a entender las extensas y profundas transformaciones que se han producido en el ámbito del gusto y la participación cultural durante las últimas décadas. Si el cambio nunca se detiene, hacemos una radiografía del ocurrido desde mediados del siglo XX hasta la actualidad en el Cono Sur de América.
Basándonos en entrevistas en profundidad realizadas en Buenos Aires, Montevideo y Santiago, y mediante una amplia revisión de estudios y literatura en las áreas de la sociología urbana y de la cultura, e incluyendo aproximaciones desde la economía y la antropología, proveemos un retrato móvil de la experiencia de la vida urbana construida desde lo que se puede entender como la epistemología de la práctica cultural.
Finalmente, lejos de comprenderse como un continente, las ciudades devienen un contenido de significados que anclan temporalidades en lugares físicos (edificios, monumentos, calles, plazas, terrenos sin uso aparente, ruinas e incluso lugares hoy inexistentes), desde donde aquéllos que las viven reconstruyen, a menudo a través de relatos nostálgicos, escenas arraigadas en el tejido subjetivo de la historia social de las mismas.