READING BETWEEN THE LINES: SOCIAL, CULTURAL, AND EROTIC CAPITAL IN AMERICAN AND IRISH WOMEN’S BOOK CLUBS By Copyright 2015 Christy M. Craig Submitted to the graduate degree program in Sociology and the Graduate Faculty of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. ________________________________ Chairperson Brian Donovan ________________________________ Joane Nagel ________________________________ Mehrangiz Nakafizdeh ________________________________ Kelly Chong ________________________________ Kathryn Conrad Date Defended: August 28, 2015 The Dissertation Committee for Christy M. Craig certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: READING BETWEEN THE LINES: SOCIAL, CULTURAL, AND EROTIC CAPITAL IN AMERICAN AND IRISH WOMEN’S BOOK CLUBS ________________________________ Chairperson Brian Donovan Date approved: August 28, 2015 ii ABSTRACT This dissertation examines the role of reading and book club attendance in the lives of Irish and American women’s fiction readers who actively participate in women’s book clubs. This research used mixed methodology, including ethnographic observation, participation in book club meetings, and in-depth narrative interviews. I examined how women developed a sense of social place, increased cultural capital, and developed gendered sexual identities through reading and participation in women’s book clubs. Clear differences emerged in the different cultural contexts of each country, particularly as related to the role of reading in romantic relationships. Women in Ireland utilized reading and book clubs to develop knowledge and understanding; women in the United States were influenced to increase their status partially in order to potentially secure or retain a high-status romantic partner. At the same time, important key themes relating to social positionality and social networks, capital development, and the construction of sexuality were similar and central to women in both cultural environments. This research adds to our understanding of the sexual field by exploring the way women increased their erotic habitus outside of the sexual field for increased erotic capital within the sexual field. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to thank my advisor, Brian Donovan. This journey would not have been possible without your support throughout my graduate career. You inspired me to engage gender and culture, and I would not have been able to complete this project if it were not for your support during my doctoral coursework, research, and dissertation. Thank you to my committee members, Joane Nagel, Mehrangiz Nakafizdeh, Katie Conrad, and Kelly Chong. Your suggestions, feedback, and support have been helpful to me throughout my dissertation process. Kristen, there are no words to express my gratitude for you and your unending faith in me. Thank you for providing a literal and figurative oasis for me to process, write, and grow. To my dear friend Courtney, I have leaned on you more than you know, and your constant love bolstered me from the beginning of my research and every step along the way. Elena, you have been there for me since the day we began graduate school, and your consistent encouragement and cheerleading, along with our writing dates, pushed me farther in this project than I would have otherwise gone. Thank you to my family, in the US and abroad, for supporting me in this endeavor. To my sister, Sadie, thank you for believing in me and encouraging me when life got rough. To my parents, thank you for supporting me on the long uphill road that is graduate school, and for never doubting that I would make it to the finish line. Grandma, thank you for cheering me on and continually supporting me as I followed my dreams – I’m looking forward to catching up on our Scrabble games! I iv am deeply grateful for my Irish family. Thank you for being as excited about my research as I have been, and for offering endless hospitality. I have eternal gratitude for Leila, Gidget, Estes, Maggie, TJ and Quinn, for never failing to put a smile on my face and loving me unconditionally no matter how many hours I spent sitting at my desk writing over the years. Last, but not least, to my husband, David, thank you for knowing when to bring coffee, and supporting me along the way. You never doubted my academic abilities, and that means more to me than you know. Finally, thank you to the women who took part in this study and graciously invited me into your book clubs, your homes, and your lives. I cannot thank you enough. This project would not have been possible without your participation, and I will always appreciate you opening your doors to me. v TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................................... 1 RESEARCH QUESTIONS .....................................................................................................................................8 READING, MEANING, AND CULTURE...........................................................................................................9 FIELDS, CAPITAL, AND HABITUS................................................................................................................ 15 THE SEXUAL FIELD........................................................................................................................................... 18 BOOK CLUB OVERVIEW.................................................................................................................................. 21 Girls Read - Denver............................................................................................................................................22 Women, Reading, and Wine - Denver........................................................................................................23 Denver Book Group A.......................................................................................................................................26 Denver Book Group B.......................................................................................................................................27 Dublin Readers....................................................................................................................................................28 Dublin Women’s Reading Club.....................................................................................................................29 Dublin Book Group A........................................................................................................................................30 Dublin Book Group B........................................................................................................................................32 Dublin Book Group C ........................................................................................................................................34 DISSERTATION OVERVIEW .......................................................................................................................... 35 METHODLOGY ......................................................................................................................................37 SITE SELECTION ................................................................................................................................................ 38 BOOK CLUB MEETINGS................................................................................................................................... 40 INTERVIEW RECRUITING.............................................................................................................................. 45 INTERVIEWS ....................................................................................................................................................... 47 ANALYSIS.............................................................................................................................................................. 55 READING IDENTITY: DEVELOPMENT OF KNOWLEDGE AND SOCIAL CAPITAL...............57 WOMEN’S READING GROUPS....................................................................................................................... 60 BECOMING READERS ...................................................................................................................................... 68 Development oF Reading Habits..................................................................................................................69 Continuing Reading Habits............................................................................................................................74 JOINING THE CLUB............................................................................................................................................ 75 Knowledge and Identity Formation...........................................................................................................75 Developing ConFidence ....................................................................................................................................79 SOCIAL CAPITAL AND BOOK CLUB PARTICIPATION......................................................................... 82 Unique Friendships............................................................................................................................................88 CULTURAL CAPITAL,