Apprehending distinction empirically

an analysis from multimethod research

Abstract

In this paper, we discuss how to investigate the relationship between distinction, cultural capital and social classes empirically, with emphasis on the methodological issues from the research Distinction in São Paulo. After an analysis of how Bourdieu and other authors understood the distinction and sought to apprehend it empirically, we mobilized the referred research to demonstrate the gains of using multimethod research for this purpose. We analyze in more detail how the focus group phase was mobilized in this research.