Il pubblico della lirica: consumo di cultura o cultura di consumo?

Drawing upon a quantitative and qualitative in depth analysis of data provided by the Osservatorio dello Spettacolo della Regione Emilia Romagna (Entertainment Observatory of the Emilia Romagna Region), the essay explores the audiences of opera in the Emilia Romagna region. Through sociological investigation and socio-demographic analysis, the essay aims to draw the profile of the audiences, emphasizing the value added by the experience and social implications of cultural consumption. The main outcome is two fold. On the one hand, it aims to understand how social structure and belonging have effect upon the Opera consumption; it investigates if the culture consumption is a social instrument to the reproduction of the social differences system. On the other hand, the essay explores if this culture of consumption allows a space for the emotional and symbolic dimension of the non instrumental reasons.