Tica Sabina
Department of Sociology and Human Geography, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
Br J Sociol. 2025 Mar;76(2):407-422. doi: 10.1111/1468-4446.13178. Epub 2024 Dec 17.
Scholars have suggested that the heightened focus on diversity in Western cultural fields may drive forms of racial commodification, impacting cultural representations of 'race'. However, few studies apply Bourdieu's theory of cultural production to understand how racial commodification may also disrupt field dynamics. This article aims to explore how racialised minority cultural producers in Norway experience the intensified focus on diversity within the cultural field. Drawing on Bourdieu's theory of cultural production, critical diversity studies and the cultural industries approach, I analyse fieldwork and interviews with 41 Norwegian cultural producers. This analysis reveals three key diversity-related changes participants experienced: (1) a transformation of racial identities into commodities, (2) a shift towards racial self-commodification, and (3) a change in the value of 'diverse stories'. The findings suggest that the increased focus on diversity encourages a form of racial commodification, with a dual impact on racialised minorities' artistic freedom. While it restricts their potential for aesthetic recognition, it also creates a platform to redefine what counts as legitimate culture. This offers insights into an under-researched aspect of diversity efforts and racial commodification, revealing how this commodification can instigate change within the cultural field.
学者们认为，西方文化领域对多样性的高度关注可能会推动种族商品化形式的出现，影响“种族”的文化表征。然而，很少有研究运用布迪厄的文化生产理论来理解种族商品化如何也可能扰乱场域动态。本文旨在探讨挪威的少数族裔文化生产者如何体验文化领域内对多样性的强化关注。借鉴布迪厄的文化生产理论、批判性多样性研究和文化产业方法，我分析了对41位挪威文化生产者的田野调查和访谈。这一分析揭示了参与者经历的与多样性相关的三个关键变化：（1）种族身份向商品的转变，（2）向种族自我商品化的转变，以及（3）“多元故事”价值的变化。研究结果表明，对多样性的更多关注鼓励了一种种族商品化形式，对少数族裔的艺术自由产生了双重影响。虽然它限制了他们获得审美认可的潜力，但也创造了一个重新定义什么是合法文化的平台。这为多样性努力和种族商品化这一研究不足的方面提供了见解，揭示了这种商品化如何能够在文化领域引发变革。
