Cultural Consumption Analysis: Beyond Structure and Agency

Abstract

The objective of this article is to explain visits to arts institutions by merging two theoretical perspectives that are generally regarded as antithetical, the model of the human being as homo sociologicus, and the model of the human being as homo oeconomicus. This article demonstrates that visits to arts institutions cannot be explained either by structural conditions or by individual choice alone, but by a combination of both. I demonstrate this by combining Bourdieu’s theory of practice and Giddens’ structuration theory to produce a reconciled model of an agency-structure-feedback loop, applying this model to analyse the societal significance of museums and museum visits. The reciprocal relationship of structure and agency connects Giddens’ agency-driven museum visitor with Bourdieu’s structure-driven museum visitor.This case of museum analysis shows that an agency-structure polarity does not reflect reality. Neither do museums (structure) fully determine museum visitors (agency) nor do museum visitors fully determine museums (structure).