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Summary The arts in sociology, Chapter 3
- Instelling
- Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (RuG)
Summary of the arts in sociology chapter 3, the literature of week 42 and 43.
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Literature week 42+43. The arts in society chapter 3Boltanski, Thévenot and Chiapello (1996, 2006). They see the social world as composed of different
‘worlds’ each with their specific set of values, such as market, domestic, civic values, et cetera. These
different sets of values can be present in any social situation and people can make an appeal to any
of these sets of values, or value regimes. In that sense, they agree with the perspective of value
sociology, which posits humans as hybrid creatures: they deal with different value regimes in social
situations and can ‘travel’ between them as they see fit. Disagreements or conflicts between social
agents frequently occur as a result of the fact that people do not apply the same set of values to the
same social situation. On the other hand, different value regimes can also be aligned by reaching a
compromise that overcomes the differences. Within each world, persons can try to attain or possess
‘grandeur’ or value. Grandeur implies that one possesses a certain socially agreed upon value.
Persons who experiences grandeur in one world is loyal to that world and its subjects.
Boltanski’s scheme of seven ‘worlds’ or more or less durable regimes of value has been derived from
political-philosophical texts, but also from management handbooks and other practical professional
literature. Each regime has its distinct higher common principle that structures how persons, objects,
and courses of action are evaluated, and each regime has its distinct ‘personae’ or protagonists and
objects and looks at the kind of relationships between them. Boltanski and Thévenot argue that no
single set of evaluative criteria can account for all possible justifications. The seven value regimes are
potentially active in all social situations. The notion of value regimes can also be applied to other
fields of social activity, such as law, medicine or journalism. Each of these will have specific
interpretations of the seven regimes and these can be equally conflicting with how in other sectors in
society, say politics, value is defined.
The Inspired Polity
In the world of inspiration the bizarre, the unusual, the ethereal, but above all the unspeakable are
key elements. The protagonists of this world are passionate figures with a drive to create. Those who
wish to earn ‘grandeur’ in this value regime must be autonomous, unique and authentic. Those who
constantly seek inspiration through the unusual, the uncertain and the risky can also become loose
cannons. Those who do not abide social rules or the rules of art to some degree at least, run the risk
of becoming isolated, of becoming an outsider-artist – amusing, but irrelevant. They may even be
declared insane. The protagonists of the project polity wisely restrict themselves to socially and
economically acceptable risks. The protagonists of the world of inspiration are reminiscent of the
romantic type of the artist bohemian – a maladjusted and marginal figure from the grey domain
between madness and genius. Artists are to a certain extent, seen as role models for the whole of
society, because nowadays everybody is supposed to be creative and authentic.
The Domestic Polity
The domestic polity is based on the concepts of home and family. It values the old over the young,
the male over the female and blood ties over voluntary ties. The protagonists in the domestic value
regime are the mother and father figures, but also – perhaps more relevant to the art world – the
figure of the ‘master-teacher. The highest principles in the domestic domain are 3 In the case of
religiously inspired inspiration this should be taken literally: relics often are bones or pieces of the
body of a saint. 4 procreation, tradition and respect for hierarchy. Contrary to the inspired polity, in
the domestic polity, spontaneity and innovation are not highly valued, whereas consideration,
politeness, and tradition are. The road to grandeur here is paved with wisdom, honesty, good
conduct and dignity. The preferred behavior is to act ‘normal’ and use ‘common sense’. Within the
domestic polity one does not rise in the hierarchy of values by following abstract or formal rules like
in the world of industry, nor by exempting oneself from all the rules and following one’s own inner
compass (like in the inspirational polity), but by setting the right example. The domestic regime may
deteriorate through impoliteness and lack of respect, or by gossip and indiscretions. After all, if the
, secrets from the domestic sphere are brought out into the open, damage is done to the entire family,
commune, cult or artistic movement. Here too, there is a risk of ruin by exaggeration.
The Fame Polity
The fame polity is founded on the public opinion as a general and shared principle. This means that
people’s prestige, and that of things, is determined by their reputation. In this world one has to draw
attention time and again, as the unknown has no value. The fame polity is an attention regime that
rests on a narcissistic longing for recognition. The protagonists here are the stars and their fans,
personalities, opinion leaders and journalists. Media, brands and public relations play a crucial part,
they are the central objects in this polity. The fame regime is also the world of propaganda. All sorts
of tools can be applied: from press conferences to rumor campaigns. A person’s success or grandeur
is demonstrated by how renowned they are. It is important to realize that renown can stem from
different sources. When it is based on an artistic reputation or the valuation by experts in your field,
the values of the inspired and fame polity are easily aligned. But when the personal lives of artists
become the subject for their renown, rather than their work and its merits, this may work against
their artistic valuation. Those who morbidly seek the opinion of the public will find that they will
‘resolve’ in it -> they lose their individuality.
The Civic Polity
The core value of this polity is the ‘general interest’ which makes this polity slightly problematic as
only individuals truly exist while this polity focuses on the collective. In the civic polity the objects
provide stability: laws, rules and legitimacy. In this polity, the most valued people are representatives
(i.e. they perform a certain role rather than being an individual), who ‘sacrifice’ their personal
interest in the name of the group they represent and serve and contribute to solidarity, cohesion or
community spirit. A central role can only be played here as representative of a collective.
Investments are done by forgoing private interest. Protagonists are appointed by elections or by
delegation. Laws, rules and statutes describe and safeguard the procedures. Political parties, unions
and labour associations are the central organizations in this polity. Participation, emancipation and
civic rights are the core elements of this polity. Exaggerated attention to procedures and the
decision-making process bureaucracy may lead to paralysis and impasse. The attempt to use the arts
to promote social cohesion is an appeal to this value regime as well, even if that appeal only serves
to mask a more autonomous (and thus inspired) justification for the arts.
The Industrial Polity
In the industrial value regime the main principles are efficiency, performativity and orientation
towards the future. Much importance is attached to the reliability, measurability and comparability
of procedures as well is to wellfunctioning technological and logistics support systems. The
protagonists of this world are the professional, the specialist and the craftsman. They are valued for
their professional knowledge and the work they deliver. In the industrial regime clear goals are
preferred and the means to reach those goals are carefully measured. This is what the sociologist
Max Weber referred to as ‘goal-rationality’. This value regime is not only found in factories. This
polity demands investment to improve working methods to make operations more efficient,
controlled and predictable, and as a consequence, it places a high value on standardization. From the
inspirationist perspective, the products of the culture industry are debasingly inauthentic and
impersonal.
The Market Polity
Central principles here are competition, rivalry and the pursuit of profit. The ‘democratic’
requirement that everyone must be able to compete (at the right price) is one of the conditions for
the optimal functioning of a free market system. The protagonists of the market are businessmen,
traders, real estate agents, clients and of course consumers. Personal, hard-to-reproduce quality – a
strength in the inspirational polity and a weakness in the industrial one – can be used as a
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