Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste

Distinction, habitus, and symbolic capital: a Bourdieusian reading of luxury and the sociology of tourism in Monte Carlo.

Bourdieu’s theory describes consumption function as mechanism of social differentiation. Monte Carlo is a highly codified space, where habitus is visible in the behaviors and forms of interaction of elite tourists. Symbolic capital legitimizes prestige through membership in exclusive spaces.

Aesthetic capital is a tool of distinction, with examples in Belle Époque architecture, yacht design or urban landscapes. In Monte Carlo, tourists project their status through spatial choices.

All photographs and video content belong to the author’s fieldwork archive.
© Xavier Reinaldo Virgili 2017–2025.