Routledge The Sociology Of Taste

The modern society of consumption is a society of fashion. Fashion has extended its influence over various fields of social life and, together with taste, become central to our understanding of the inner dynamics of any modern society.The Sociology of Taste looks at the role of taste - or the aesthetic reflection - in society at large and in modern society in particular. Taking case studies from social life, for example eating and food culture, it illustrates the role of fashion in the formation of collective taste. Review "Gronow makes thoughtful distinctions between genuine and artificial needs in his socio-cultural explanations of modern consumption, and he is especially clever at tracing patterns of consumption...." -"Philosophy in Review From the Back Cover The roles of fashion and taste are central to our understanding of the social dynamics in any modern society. In this treatise on the aestheticization of social life, Jukka Gronow uses the insights of Veblen, Simmel and Lyotard, among others, to show how fashion operates as a form of play binding modern society together and allowing an equilibrium between the opposing forces of individualization and socialization. Drawing on Georg Simmel's original sociological interpretation of Immanuel Kant's aesthetics, this book argues that in a society characterized by a high degree of individuality, we judge everyday life on its aesthetic qualities. This book offers an analysis of the social mechanism of fashion and the role of 'community of taste' as it appears in social life.