Distinction Pierre Bourdieu’s Distinction is an influential study book on the social functions of taste and culture in modern society. It examines how social class determines our aesthetic preferences and judgments. The book focuses on the French bourgeoisie and highlights the subtle social strategies behind distinctive tastes.
Bourdieu explains that we are all unconscious snobs; our choices in taste are never neutral, but form a system of social hierarchy. Distinction shows how these differences in taste work as social signals and instruments of power. This work therefore offers profound insight into the social structures and cultural practices that shape our society.