Taste transformation in the context of social mobility

Abstract

This article provides a theoretical effort to extend the literature on taste transformation and emphasize its shortcomings in explaining this process in social mobility contexts. Firstly, we conduct an overview of taste research in consumer behavior, followed by a presentation of the main concepts on taste transformation under debate in the literature of consumer culture theory and a discussion of the gaps in these frameworks. Secondly, we discuss how a context of social mobility could afford new directions for research on taste transformation. The Brazilian case is proposed as an illustration of this proposition due to its recent socioeconomic instability. Finally, we identify opportunities for future research by exploring (a) taste as a mechanism of distinction-across and (b) taste in inertial acquisition dynamics.