Presentation

This paper introduces the special issue on models of omnivorous cultural consumption. What do omnivores look like when examined from up close, using qualitative, disaggregated, or alternative quantitative approaches? The papers suggest that omnivorousness is more complex than previously thought. Among their main conclusions, they show that omnivorousness does not refer to a single unified attitude towards culture; it is expressed, albeit in different ways, by people at all levels of socioeconomic status; it does not necessarily mean the end of exclusion, however; and it is one among many criteria of classification mobilized by individuals in everyday life.