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Democracies of Taste Ruled by the Law of Jante? Rudiments of a Nordic Sociology of Consumption

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Abstract

This chapter provides a sociological overview of what and how Nordics consume. These “what” and “how” questions are approached through Bourdieu’s sociology of taste. The “what” of Nordic consumption is illuminated through DiMaggio’s dimensions of taste patterns, namely (1) differentiation, (2) hierarchization, (3) universality, and (4) strength of symbolic boundaries. The “how” of Nordic consumption is explained through Nordic cultural tendencies for social conformity and muted displays of distinction. Examples and empirical evidence on taste patterns are presented. The chapter concludes with the introduction of new avenues for sociological analysis into Nordic taste.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Rahkonen (2008) speculates that Mäkelä’s hostility toward Bourdieu may have also been ideologically motivated. Bourdieu’s ideas of rigid and invisible forces creating social division did not jibe well with the strong leftist zeitgeist of the 1980s.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Aalto University School of Business, Helsinki, Finland

    Henri A. Weijo

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  1. Henri A. Weijo
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Correspondence to Henri A. Weijo .

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  1. University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark

    Søren Askegaard

  2. Stockholm Business School, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

    Jacob Östberg

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Weijo, H.A. (2019). Democracies of Taste Ruled by the Law of Jante? Rudiments of a Nordic Sociology of Consumption. In: Askegaard, S., Östberg, J. (eds) Nordic Consumer Culture. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04933-1_2

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