week (5)

Bourdieu week:

Yesterday I sent a song by email to some of my friends ..I wrote a “self interpretation” about the song to indicate why I does like it. then I got tow different responds ..my first friend said: what a bad taste, your taste is awful. I was still shocked when another friend has just sent me: I like the song, you always has this unique taste in your choices, and by your words you make things even more charming..!!!

Now, could you help me Bourdieu to understand the reason of these different responds to the same “object” and the same “interpretation”?

According to you, the taste is controlled by people who are in power, and if some one doesn’t have the same language and the same ability to understand the codes he is not welcomed in this system.

So, back to my story: who belongs to the “system” or to the high class art? My friend or me? And who doesn’t belong?

In Bourdieu surveys the cultural practices and preferences in literature, painting or music are closely linked to educational level and secondarily to social origin.

Yes, in our Suadi society the distinction between levels and classes are clearly exist. But this is not enough to apply Bourdieu theories in my society. However, lots of issues are raised in order to understand Bourdieu notions:

• - according to Bourdieu’s thought “Habitus”, it is suggested that the people with adequate levels of education are highly engaged with high culture (museums, art galleries and theatres). But what if we flip this meaning: could we use museums ,art galleries and theatres to educate people and push them to engaged with high culture?
• - What if the concept of the “high culture” as museums and art galleries does not fit in the Saudi society because it is not a part of the history of culture? Do we have to look for another form of culture such as festivals, literature, and traditional costumes to apply this project?
• - What if we want to restructure the “cultural space” in the society? How could the museums become an effected spaces by creating “communication” between people and “signs” in this spaces?
• - Who should exist first: the museums or the museums studies? Or we should expand the term “museum” to be compatible with the different cultural needs according to each society rather than considering the European and the western sample of the museum and art work?

After this sets of questions can I understand why my friend has described my taste as an “Awful” and who give him the “authority “ to do this? Or because he is an “Arabic male” naturally he gets this right?

This is another topic…!!!!

* the painting for the artist" Fathi Afeefe" and I could see "Ramadan" in the picture as an religious festival in the Arabic world which indicate the relation between religion and cultural practices.