Structure of Cultural Rejection

Abstract

This study explores the relationship structure of cultural rejection. The proposition is advanced that people reject cultural practices as the proxies of out-groups who are perceived to be associated with them, so that they would maintain social identities that are separate from those of out-groups. Using data on musical preferences from 1993 General Social Survey, it applies blockmodeling—a methodology originally developed in social network analysis—in a new way to analyze the structure of cultural rejection within U.S. society. The results indicate that blockmodeling based on cultural rejection is effective in uncovering sociologically meaningful positions among the respondents. The results are mostly consistent with the omnivore thesis, while highlighting the multifaceted nature of cultural divisions in the United States. Finally, the identified positions correspond with respondents’ perception of the degree of unity (or lack thereof) among Americans, consistent with the theoretical assumption of this study.