The Historical Transformation of Cultural Institutions

这项研究考察了美国三种文化机构的建立：博物馆、常驻歌剧院和常驻交响乐团。主要调查人员将在全国有代表性的县中考察一系列社会、经济和政治变化对文化组织建立的影响。与有着丰富文化传统的欧洲社会形成对比的是，美国人最初对高雅文化持怀疑态度，而且全神贯注于发展工业和农业的任务，并与不断增长的城市和移民问题作斗争。然而，一旦建立了文化机构的先例，博物馆、歌剧和管弦乐队的增长速度就非常快。这项研究将调查这些文化机构产生的条件，包括国家重大事件(如战争和经济衰退)的影响。一个有待检验的论点是，19世纪初培育文化的条件在很大程度上与资源的不平等有关，但其他影响(如教育)日益盛行。这项研究将有助于理解主要文化机构最初是如何建立的，并随着时间的推移而发展。

This research examines the founding of three kinds of cultural institutions in the United States: museums, resident opera companies, and resident orchestras. The principal investigators will examine the influence of a wide array of social, economic, and political changes on the founding of cultural organizations in a representative sample of counties across the nation. In contrast with European societies, which had rich cultural traditions, Americans were initially suspicious of high culture and, moreover, were preoccupied with the tasks of developing industry and agriculture, and contending with the problems of growing cities and immigration. Once precedents for culture institutions were established, however, the rate of increase in museums, opera and orchestra companies was extraordinarily great. This research will investigate the conditions under which these cultural institutions came into being, including the effects of major national events (such as wars and recessions). One thesis to be tested is that the conditions that fostered culture in the early 19th century largely relate to the inequality of resources, but other influences (such as education) increasingly prevailed. This study will contribute to an understanding of how major cultural institutions were initially established and developed over time.