TASTE: Why You Like What You Like

A Cultural Studies Analysis

By: Arthur Asa Berger

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Hardcover | 24 January 2023

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Hardcover
186 Pages

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16.1 x 23.6 x 1.8

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Taste is an enigmatic topic. We recognize that taste plays an important role in our life in that everything we buy and many things we do are governed by our sense of taste. But what exactly is taste? How do we get our sense of taste and how does it affect our everyday lives? Does it evolve as we grow older or is it a constant in our lives? Is it affected by all the "influencers" to whom we are exposed as we watch TikTok and commercials, or do influencers merely spark some kind of inner sense of taste that was with us all the time? Is our taste based on our social and economic status or something else? What role do income and cost have in determining what we choose to buy? What role do the qualities of what we buy and the choices we make shape our decisions? Is taste based on logical thinking about things we wish to do or buy upon emotions we have generated by things like identification, status, or cultural imperatives? Taste always involves some element of choice, because if there is no choice, taste is irrelevant or moot. But what are the determinants when we compare things to buy or get or do when we have choices to make? This book takes its point of departure from the work of the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, whose book 'Distinction' is considered a classic work of sociological analysis. The topics dealt with are shown in the table of contents below. The book is distinctive in that it offers discussions of four methodologies/theories used in discussing taste: semiotics, psychoanalytic theory, sociological theory and Marxist theory and then applies these theories in the second part of the book to a variety of topics involving taste, such as yogurt, dogs, the singer Celine Dion, ocean cruises, brands, smartphones, men's facial hair, and so on. Readers of the book will learn four methodologies they can use in analyzing taste and see how these methodologies were applied.

Industry Reviews

Berger's book, "Taste: Why You Like What You Like", is written in the author's characteristically informal and highly accessible style and notebook-style presentation, with his own lively illustrations and minimal jargon, making it particularly attractive to students who are new to the field. It encourages students to see the topic of taste as highly relevant to their everyday lives. Short extracts from other sources alert readers to some key voices offering different perspectives. This usefully comparative approach encourages students to reflect on the differences and to consider which are most productive for their own purposes. The book is wide-ranging but (wisely for a slim volume) does not seek to be comprehensive, and the choice of topics and examples is necessarily selective (it would be useful to learn later from the readership which examples are most widely regarded as most useful). Above all, Berger's introduction communicates enthusiasm for the pursuit of understanding its topic and offers tools for students to apply for themselves.

Dr. Daniel Chandler

Aberystwyth University, Wales

Berger approaches the topic of taste with an open eye and a broad perspective. His book with the title "Taste - Why you like what you like" provides the reader with many intellectual tools to approach the pervasive phenomenon of taste. Taste is often tied to personal choice and taste is ubiquitous in today's world of consumption that offers us so many products among which we can choose, while we think we express ourselves. However, Berger shows that taste is not pure; rather, it is tied to many factors that lie outside of us. The starting point is the sociologist Pierre Bourdieu who has rooted taste in distinction and social classes. Our taste expresses where we are embedded in our society and where we want to go, simultaneously exposing our efforts to those who can read them. The value of the book is that Berger includes theory from semioticians, psychoanalysts, sociologists, Marxists, journalists, and others. This broad perspective is really helpful to understand the complex phenomenon of taste and its many invisible mechanisms.

Prof. Dr. Brigitte Biehl

SRH Berlin University of Applied Sciences

Berlin School of Popular Arts, Germany

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