Temps, culture et communication : pour une critique de la statistique culturelle
How can cultural indicators be grounded in theory? This question, stemming from methodological challenges inherent in the study of the relationships between work time and leisure time, arises as a result of the theoretical deficit apparent in cultural statistics. Whether one is studying leisure time or work time, it is essential to take a critical look at the basis for this dichotomy, just as it is to clearly analyze the social practices associated with these categories. However, analyses of leisure-time use are often based on cultural-activity statistics, which are particularly limited in terms of their explanatory scope. Although statistics on some of these activities have been available since the beginning of the 1900s at least, it was in the 1970s that the need for knowledge related to the implementation of cultural policies spurred the production of statistics on a greater and more detailed scale. To give meaning to this mass of data, it is necessary to draw the boundaries between that which is culture and communications among all the other social activities. The development of frameworks for cultural statistics by UNESCO and statistics agencies constitutes an attempt to meet this imperative, whereas leading-indicator initiatives seek to give meaning to statistics. However, these endeavours are noted for their weak theoretical foundation, a problem which becomes critically apparent in the definition of indicators which are inevitably normative in scope. To break this deadlock in cultural statistics, it is essential at the very least to clarify the concepts associated with the notion of culture. Consequently, the methodology for this study is based on a critical analysis of certain core documents that led to the development of the UNESCO Framework for Cultural Statistics, and on seminal papers by Fernand Dumont, Pierre Bourdieu, and Jürgen Habermas, who have been chosen for their ability to view cultural activities as they relate temporally to the social sphere as a whole. This concept of temporality is itself examined from the perspective of several theoretical approaches. On examination, the dichotomy of time into abstract time and concrete time suggests that cultural practices could be measured not only according to the amount of social time devoted to them, but also as time that has commercial value. The findings of this critical analysis of frameworks for cultural statistics and the papers by Dumont, Bourdieu, and Habermas support the development of a cultural indicators project for the Observatoire de la culture et des communications du Québec (OCCQ). This system of indicators was developed according to a grid defining cultural indicators, their objectives, and their significance. The indicators were chosen through a consultation process led by the OCCQ. Lastly, we will be proposing a list of theoretical statements to bolster the theoretical framework for the system of indicators.
Communication Culture Indicators Statistics Social time