The consumption of cultural products: An analysis of the Spanish social space

This article analyses the social consumption of cultural products by Spaniards from the standpoint of microeconomics and sociology. By comparing Lancaster's new consumer theory to Bourdieu's theory, we show the usefulness of simultaneous analysis of consumption from both perspectives. The results provide evidence supporting the hypothesis of expressive functions, distinction and symbolic properties of cultural products. In addition, the new consumer theory has various implications for both cultural policymaking and marketing of cultural products. ©2002 Kluwer Academic Publishers.