The Sound of Elites: How Elites Navigate a Meritocratic and Anti-Elite World

We’re speaking at a time of historic economic inequality, with current debates marked by a surge in public attention to elite power, influence, and visibility. As wealth gaps reach levels not seen since World War II, we ask: how are today’s elites responding? Are they expressing status and superiority in the same ways as before, or has their mindset evolved in a world that claims to be more democratic and meritocratic? We’ll also explore elite culture through institutions like classical music, and examine how major cultural organizations are navigating calls for greater diversity and inclusivity. Our discussion draws on two recent books by our guest Kristina Kolbe and Aaron Reeves (co-authored with Sam Friedman). Aaron Reeves a Professor of Sociology at the London School of Economics and Political Science, focusing on the causes and consequences of social inequality, particularly in the areas of public health, welfare reform, and elite formation. He recently published th is the co-authored book Born to Rule: The Making and Remaking of the British Elite (with Sam Friedman). Our second guest is Kristina Kolbe, an Assistant Professor of Sociology of Arts and Culture at Erasmus University Rotterdam. Her research examines how inequalities of class, race, and gender are reconfigured through cultural production. She just published her book The sound of difference: Race, class and the politics of ' Diversity ' in classical music. Bryan Boyle is the host of this episode an a Lecturer and Doctoral Researcher in Sociology at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, where he specializes in the intersection of labor, culture, and elite studies. His ethnographic research includes immersive fieldwork as a butler to explore how service labor sustains elite lifestyles. - Kolbe, K. (2024). The sound of difference: Race, class and the politics of ' diversity ' in classical music. Manchester University Press. - Kolbe, K. (2021). Playing the system: ’ Race ’- making and elitism in diversity projects in Germany's classical music sector. Poetics, 87, 101532. - Reeves, A., & Friedman, S. (2024). Born to rule: The making and remaking of the British elite. Harvard University Press. - Reeves, A. (2019). How class identities shape highbrow consumption: A cross-national analysis of 30 European countries and regions. Poetics, 76, 101361. Podcast editors of this season: Luuc Brans, Kobe De Keere, Sanne Pieters & Geert Veuskens This podcast is co-financed from the BINQ project, funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, Grant No. 101052649. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Council Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. This podcast is also kindly supported by the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR) at the University of Amsterdam.