Has the price made reading classier?

Shekar Beigi, a university professor and social analyst, believes: If we want to give a sociological analysis based on Iran's data, it seems to say that reading books is for the wealthy class, is not completely correct or not the whole story.

Iran's Sefir Arjan Culture and Publishing Service, Nafiseh Khalili, book reading crisis in Iran cannot be explained only by the decrease in purchasing power or the increase in the price of books. This issue, in a deeper layer, is also related to the inequality in access to resources and cultural opportunities; An inequality that affects reading habits, cultural choices, and even people's perception of the necessity of reading books. From this point of view, the concept of "cultural capital" in Pierre Bourdieu's thought can provide a framework for examining the relationship between books, social status and lifestyle in Iranian society.

In Bourdieu's view, cultural capital is not limited to the amount of knowledge or education of individuals; This capital is also manifested in the way of education, taste, habits and the ability to take advantage of cultural opportunities. Books can also be one of the carriers and tools for acquiring this capital. But the question is, to what extent is reading in Iranian society linked to dignity and social respect? Is reading still a public activity available to everyone, or is it gradually becoming a behavior dependent on certain classes and groups?

In a detailed interview with Alia Shekharbeigi, a professor at the Islamic Azad University of Tehran, and a social analyst, we have followed these questions: How has the geography of book reading been formed in Iran, and what role do factors such as income, education, place of residence, access to the library, and the price of books play in it? Can family and social environment make reading a part of a person's lifestyle from childhood?

Emphasizing the role of cultural capital, family upbringing, lifestyle, and social environment, Shekarbeigi believes that these factors affect people's perception of books: whether they consider buying books as a cultural necessity or an additional expense. The dialogue tries to show that the issue of reading books is not only an individual choice; Rather, it is related to the opportunities that society and family provide to people.

Will reading in Iran become an expensive hobby for a special class?

Statistical evidence and sociological analyzes show that book reading in Iran has moved towards a distinct commodity and to some extent class, and of course the main audience of the book is mostly educated groups; who live in the metropolis and these people; Accordingly, they have a higher cultural capital. Certainly, the place where people live in Tehran and big cities has a direct and significant impact on people's reading, and breaking this monopoly requires the simultaneous action of the government and the private sector. For example, the government can be effective in the field of expanding reading by providing infrastructure, policy making and providing subsidies and working with the private sector. Also, the civil society is effective in this field with innovation in the field of book distribution, pricing and production of attractive content.

Regarding the answer to the question of whether reading in Iran has become an expensive hobby for a certain group, I should say; If we want to give a sociological analysis based on the data of Iran, it seems to say that reading books for the rich class is not completely correct or not the whole story; Rather, the issue of access to books and the possibility of turning reading into a regular habit has become more dependent on people's economic and cultural resources than before. Therefore, it is necessary to talk about a kind of stratification of book consumption, and at the same time, we should speak cautiously about the exclusivity of book reading.

Now the question that arises here is; Why should we talk about the price of books? The most important economic evidence in today's society is the price increase, including the increase in the price of books. But the sociological issue and the issue that seems more important than the price of the book is that the book is not a basic commodity for the survival of the family; Therefore, when the economic situation of the family is under pressure, it is natural that in this situation the family first removes or postpones expenses that are not necessary.

In a report prepared based on household income and expenses, the share of cultural expenses in the basket of goods of Iranian families has decreased during the years 2016 to 1402. Based on the same data, the share of cultural expenses of the total household expenses was reported as 5.49% in the first decile and 8.48% in the 9th and 10th deciles.

Buying a book does not mean reading a book!

Published reports of cultural spending data show that the share of books in household spending baskets has increased from 18 percent in 1396 to 10 percent in 1402; Therefore, the issue is not only that the price of the book has increased from 165 thousand tomans to 169 thousand tomans; Rather, the issue is that disposable household income for cultural consumption has decreased and books have become a disposable item for a part of society, but can it be concluded from these statistics that only affluent groups read books, definitely not.

This result cannot be proven from the available statistics; Because in the conditions of increasing book prices, it can be seen that the book market has different and wide audiences. On the other hand, buying a book does not mean reading a book; For example, a low-income person may borrow books from the public library or his friends or use digital and subscription versions and read, and a person with a good income may buy books and not read.

Inequality in shopping should not be confused with inequality in reading books

If we check the statistics of book sales, we may confuse the inequality in buying books with the inequality in reading books. The more important thing is that presenting an economic report can bring a social analysis. Suppose two families have the same income. In the first family, the parents read books to their children since childhood, there is a library at home, and books are discussed with the children at home, but in the second family, this history and method does not exist. Here, the price of books is the same for both families, but the relationship of the two families with books is not the same. So the price of the book is not the only determining factor for people to read books; Rather, cultural capital, family education, type of upbringing, lifestyle and social environment determine whether a person considers buying books as a cultural need or an additional expense.

For this reason, from the sociological point of view, the crisis of book reading in Iran is not only the crisis of the power to buy books in Iran; It is also about the crisis of inequality in access to opportunities and cultural resources. "Pierre Bourdieu's cultural capital" can be useful for the analysis of Iran's book-reading society. So, reading in Iran is absolutely not just entertainment for the book-reading class. Economic evidence shows that reading books in Iran is not just a hobby for the affluent, but economic evidence shows that the increase in book prices and the decrease in the share of cultural expenses have made regular access to books difficult for low-income groups. As a result, studying as a sustainable cultural habit is tied to people's income status, education and cultural capital more than in the past.

Therefore, the interpretation of expensive books from a sociological point of view can be an assumption and not a definite result for data analysis. Perhaps the deep question is whether the high cost of books has caused the class divide in Iran, or has this caused the poor to read less books or those with lower cultural capital to read less books? Investigating the fact that the high price of books has exacerbated the study gap, can itself be the core of an analysis for reading books in Iran.

In the current situation, who are the main audience of the book market? Who read books and who don't read books?

If we have a social perspective, we should distance ourselves from the dichotomy of book readers and non-readers, because the evidence of the book market in Iran has diverse audiences; Of course, the cultural consumption of books is definitely related to the cultural, social, economic, class, educational and occupational status of people, but to answer the question of who is the main audience of the book market, it is good to examine the results of a study; The results of a sociological research conducted on 15,606 teenagers over 15 years old in 31 provinces of the country; It shows that the increase in the level of education, job status and economic base, in addition to the amount of study, has an effect on the area of buying books and increasing its purchasing power.

The book market, in addition to increasing the price of books with an unequal distribution of cultural capital, if we want to present a social picture of the audience of the main book market, the audience that consumes more books is more concentrated among people with higher education, a better job position, and a better economic status. This issue is very important because it shows that the book market is not only facing the issue of book price; It also faces the issue of unequal distribution of cultural capital.

Do only certain groups read books?

No; This interpretation is too absolute; For example, based on the Statistics Center's household behavioral culture statistics in 2019, it shows that there is non-curricular book reading among people aged 15 and above, and the study pattern has been very diverse; From reading the Qur'an to praying to novels and stories, psychology and religious subjects. Even Nair's publishing market data shows that the audience of the book market is not only intellectuals, academics and the cultural middle class. In 1404, among the fields that had the most titles of published books; They included children and adolescents of social sciences and literature.

In addition, the study of book purchases shows that the purchase of religious books has a wide audience for children and teenagers. Also, if we only use novels, philosophy, human sciences and literature as criteria, we definitely target a very limited picture of the book's audience. But an important change in the style of reading books is that the audience is not necessarily a buyer of printed books. This issue is very important for the analysis of reading today. The purchase and consumption of digital books has also grown; For example, in the report of 1403, Taqcheh stated that its users spent more than 12 million hours of study in that year.

The number of users read at least one book. It has increased by 50% compared to the previous year. Of course, these figures are for the same platform and cannot be generalized to the entire community, but it can lead to a change in perspective. So, a person may be the target of the book market, but use the library, second-hand books, electronic and audio books, and loans from the library.

If we accept that book reading in Iran has become stratified, what is the solution to break this monopoly? Government or private sector? If the government is responsible, what should it do? If the private sector can, what solutions should it have?

If we accept the stratification of studying in Iran, the government has a more effective contribution in reducing the inequality of access to books, but it also needs the help of the private sector and cannot do anything alone. The private sector can help by creating diverse and attractive content, but we must accept; The logic of the market by itself does not go towards the low income classes; Because the private market is moving towards more demand and purchasing power. It is clear that the government is more important in breaking the class monopoly of study; Because it is the only actor that can create cultural infrastructure such as a library without depending on the individual's purchasing power on other factors. For example, a person has to go to the library to buy a book worth 200 or 300 thousand tomans.

In this situation, the role of providing books for the audience through the creation of libraries should be assumed by the institution of public libraries; However, this institution also complains about the lack of resources. For example, in 1402, the number of resources of public libraries of this institution was stated to be 50 million books, and at the same time, this institution emphasizes the lack of funds for buying books. We must know, the library is an important anti-class study tool; Because it affects the individual's income and ability to buy books and cuts the pressure of the book price on the low-income group by making the book available to the audience for free.

The private sector can offer audio and electronic books cheaper, or expand online book sales in places far from bookstores, or expand the supply of second-hand and shared books. Wide distribution using the subscription model of books or offering books to the market according to the diverse needs of users are also other practical options in which the private sector can be involved. These solutions can reduce the cost of entering the world of books. But the areas that need the most cultural interventions; It is the least attractive for private sector investors from an economic point of view. But the government can say that this region is not an attractive market in terms of economic investment. In terms of cultural justice; Less privileged areas also need libraries and cultural investment.

How to define the class geography of book reading in Iran? What is the relationship between income, education, place of residence, access to the library, and the price of books with people's reading? How can these components turn reading into an action for a specific group?

Regarding whether the place of residence has an effect on people's reading, it must be said that it can definitely have an effect, but it cannot be said absolutely that the city itself is the factor of reading books. The reason why the place of residence plays an important role in reading books is that in Tehran and big cities there is usually a density of books due to bookstores, scientific and academic centers, public and university libraries, various places where books are sold, educational centers and book exhibitions, social groups that have higher cultural consumption and more access to new and specialized books; Therefore, someone who lives in Tehran and big cities; He does not have access to new and more physical books, he is probably exposed to a cultural environment in which reading becomes a social norm and lifestyle.

But is being from Tehran a factor in becoming a book reader? No, it is not necessarily so. For example, someone who lives in Tehran does not become a book reader because of the city of Tehran. If you assume that the number of reading books in Tehran is more than that of a small city, this number is possible; It is not necessarily because of the city of Tehran, but because of the accumulation of factors such as education, income, educational access, student population, and more cultural capital that exists in this city; Accordingly, there are more people who read books, but if we say that because of Tehran, the amount of reading in this city is more, we have lost part of the reality. In general, the city is not an important factor for measuring the amount of reading, but because a city may be exposed to the existence of more cultural capitals, perhaps it can be said that the urban environment, more cultural access, the formation of different cultural networks and the strengthening of cultural capital, there is a possibility of reading more books in this environment.

Therefore, the place of residence is probably one of the influencing factors on reading books in Iran, but the available evidence alone does not allow us to independently say that big cities are a separate factor in people reading books; because other variables are involved in this situation; Of course, geography is an independent factor in people becoming book readers, but the more important social issue here is to check whether geography itself is an independent factor in reading books or is a reflection of cultural and economic inequalities in different regions of Iran.

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