Page 97 - Cultural Change and Ordinary Life

88 Cultural change and ordinary life

none of these capitals of their own is sufficient to the overall analysis. Third,
she shows how the consideration of these issues requires attention to the way
in which people pursue their own actions, even if these are not theorized
via RAT. Moreover, these actions are shown to have a significant measure of
contingency about them. In part, such contingency might be explained by the
changing structural or institutional context, especially in this case with respect
to the education system. However, while this may be important as context, it is
not a sufficient explanation on its own.

Conclusion
In this chapter, I have summarized and outlined some important research on
different dimensions of ordinary life. The specific areas investigated include
political and voluntary participation, TV viewing and schooling. There are four
levels on which I wish to conclude this discussion emphasizing long-run trends,
the life course/life stages, the organization of the year, month, week and day,
and that human social action remains of significance in all these processes.
First, I have used the work discussed to point to long-run trends and
convergences in time use and social capital. These discussions are important
as they illuminate how what has been happening over a significant period,
but also mean that we can consider some over-hyped arguments for the pace
of change with some degree of scepticism. However, within such a context,
which might point to more stability in social and cultural life than some
commentators have suggested, it is then important to recognize the shifts that
are taking place, such as the increased perception of pressure on middle-class
lifestyles, the polarization in the distribution of social capital and associational
membership, the importance of more subtle cultural distinctions, and so on.
Thus, there is a situation where these significant changes can be related to
longer-run processes. Likewise, there can be seen to be long-run processes in
how people seek to act to benefit their children with respect to education.
Again, however, significant contemporary changes can be seen, especially
related to institutional changes in education itself. Change is not happening
overnight, but it is happening.
Second, I have drawn out arguments that show that the stage of life that
a person is at is culturally significant. This may seem obvious, but it is surpris-
ing how much the point has actually been neglected as cultural experience has
been related to social cleavages such as class and gender. While the idea of life
stage and life course is part of discussions that consider how culture or specific
parts of it relates to youth culture (e.g. Laughey 2006), generation (see ‘classic-
ally’ Mannheim 1952), or to older age and so on, my emphasis here has been
slightly different in that I have sought to show the process nature of the life
stages. This is significant, I feel, in seeking to capture the trajectory of cultural
consumption through different life stages, which will be affected by structural
constraints but will also show some commonality with tastes from a previous
stage on the part of the individual. The interaction between these different
dimensions is of some significance.
Third, I have pointed to the importance of the micro-processes of the
ordering of time and activity over the year, month, week, day, and so on.