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25 - On Culture

The Problem of Culture Flows in Weak Ties

from IV - New Perspectives

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 October 2021

By
Bonnie H. Erickson
Edited by
Mario L. Small ,
Brea L. Perry ,
Bernice Pescosolido  and
Edward B. Smith
Mario L. Small
Affiliation:
Harvard University, Massachusetts
Brea L. Perry
Affiliation:
Indiana University, Bloomington
Bernice Pescosolido
Affiliation:
Indiana University, Bloomington
Edward B. Smith
Affiliation:
Northwestern University, Illinois
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Summary

Some kinds of useful culture flow well through weak ties, bringing more useful culture to people with a more diverse set of weak ties to acquaintances with a diverse cultural repertoire, as in Granovetter’s “Strength of Weak Ties.” But some kinds of culture do not flow well through most kinds of weak ties. To begin an understanding of such variations, I argue we should consider ties within and between unequal status groups in some form of inequality, since inequality powerfully shapes the kind of culture that people will be willing to send and receive in weak ties. I use my recent study of weak ties within and between the three most important ethnic groups in Toronto (White, Chinese, and Black) to explore when which kinds of culture flow, and to develop a theory of such flows using Weber on status groups, Simmel on sociability, a pinch of Bourdieu, and insights from leading qualitative work on interethnic relationships and culture.

Keywords

network diversitysocial capitalethnic inequalityknowledge of notablesmusical tastesperceptions of discriminationnetworks and culture
Type
Chapter
Information
Personal Networks
Classic Readings and New Directions in Egocentric Analysis
 , pp. 651 - 674
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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