Pureness And Transcend:Bourdieu's Aesthetic Theory And The Phenomenon Of "Aesthetic Socialization"

Aesthetic taste is one of the important concepts in western aesthetic theory,meanwhile,it also becomes an important subject of cultural sociology.Bourdieu's aesthetic theory is based on his criticism of Kant's theory.Therefore,in order to comprehend Bourdieu,we should first understand what Kant's theory is about.Kant is the first aesthetician who studied the aesthetic taste systematically in the history of western aesthetics.He put forward the "disinterestedness in aesthetic appreciation",which exerts far-reaching influence on later generations.However,along with the acceleration of modernization,the phenomenon of "aesthetic socialization" has attracted more and more attention.After Kant,scholars like Tolstoy,Nikolai Chernyshevsky and Eagleton reexamined Kant's aesthetic theory,based on the standpoint that aesthetic taste had to do with social class.Nowadays,Bourdieu put forward one of the most important challenges to Kant's aesthetic theory.He insists that Kant's pure aesthetics neglects the social distinction behind the aesthetic taste of different people.Also,the aesthetic taste which Kant proposes is the privilege of the social groups who have advantages in cultural capital.Therefore,after Bourdieu,the disinterestedness in aesthetic appreciation seems no longer as objective as it seems.Meanwhile,aesthetic taste becomes the symbol of cultural capital and social distinction,instead of the metaphysical concept.After Bourdieu,many contemporary sociologists criticize and amend Bourdieu's theory,based on their empirical research results.Among which,the most important criticism comes from Peterson's cultural omnivore thesis.Based on the analyses of cultural omnivore thesis,this article proposes that although Bourdieu put forward his theory in the 1980s,and is challenged by scholars like Peterson,his theory is still applicative and insightful in our era.