Cultural omnivorous, univorous or simply disinterested? : cultural participation amongst tertiary educated youths

Abstract

Recent studies on cultural participation point out the way youth are more than ever omnivores in their cultural taste (Peterson, 1992). This contrasts Pierre Bourdieu’s study of ‘Distinction’ (1984) since he claims that cultural participation is highest amongst those who are equipped with high levels of education. The aim of this research is to determine whether youth in tertiary education in Malta are culturally omnivore, univore or simply disinterested in cultural participation. Building on the quantitative findings collected by the last Cultural participation survey conducted by the Arts Council Malta, I will interpret them and reach this research’s aims through a qualitative study. The theoretical framework of this study focuses on the Omnivore thesis by Richard Peterson (1992) which criticises Pierre Bourdieu’s (1984) theory of ‘Distinction’. Peterson (1992) suggests that individuals, especially those equipped with high levels of education are no longer cultural snobs as Bourdieu (1984) refers to them. They have transformed into cultural omnivores. This shift in the cultural world has led to other studies to try and determine the reasons behind this transformation. A qualitative research method is used to answer the research question. Snowballing and Purposive sampling were used to select youths between the ages of 18 to 25 who are currently reading an under or postgraduate course at the University of Malta. The data collected was acquired through semi-structured, face to face interviews. All ethical considerations were taken as the participants’ well being is a priority. This research’s findings suggest that even though tertiary educated youths are considered to be cultural omnivores, they are still selective in their cultural participation and interests. There are various cultural events they attend to but they still prefer newly introduced ones. However, they still cannot be considered as disinterested in attending others. This study presents various reasons for this.