English

Biography

I was born in Hoorn, the Netherlands, in 1976. From 1994 to 2000 I studied sociology at the University of Amsterdam. I specialized in Cultural Sociology, particularly taste differences and cultural hierarchies. For my internship in 1999 at the Boekman Foundation, for instance, I researched the then new secondary school course 'CKV1' (cultural and artistic education). My Master thesis was about the film preferences (Hollywood vs. arthouse) of highschool kids.

After my graduation in 2000 I worked for two years at the Sociology and Anthropology Department of the UvA, as teacher for first-year students, and as an assistent to the Bachelor Master Committee (aimed to reform the curriculum). From 2003 to 2007 I worked part time at the medical secretariat of a mental hospital in Amsterdam, while working on a PhD proposal in my spare time. Further, I was a movie journalist at 8weekly.nl.

Research

Since January 2008 I work at the AISSR on the PhD project 'Perceptions of cultural hierarchies'. In this project I investigate which criteria and classifications people use to define cultural objects (in a.o. music, films, and the visual arts), particularly how people describe their preferences and dislikes compared to other one's preferences and dislikes. I try to unravel the often used concepts 'high' and 'low culture': do these concepts still mean anything in an (alleged) egalitarian society, or did the distinction fade away?

I do this research by means of in-depth interviews with ninety people of different social backgrounds. Part of the interviews is the ranking of cultural objects, which will be analysed in a quantitative way.

The research is granted by NWO (open competition). It is supervised by prof. dr. Nico Wilterdink en dr. Giselinde Kuipers.

International conferences

  • ‘Perceptions of cultural hierarchies’. European Sociological Association, Student Miniconference. Lisbon, 31 August, 2009.
  • ‘Perceptions of cultural hierarchies in present-day Dutch society'. Thirty years after "Distinction". Sciences Po, Paris, 5 November, 2010.
  • '"High culture is an arrogant name." Unease with cultural hierarchies in the Netherlands.' European Sociological Association 10th Conference. Geneva, 8 September, 2011. 

Publications

Until now I have only published in Dutch:

 

  • Haak, M. van den (1999), ‘Op school mag alles. Het kwaliteitsoordeel bij het nieuwe schoolvak CKV1.’ Boekmancahier 11(41): 257-268.
  • Haak, M. van den (2000), Lola hilft. Een verkennend en kwalitatief sociologisch onderzoek naar jongeren en films. Amsterdam: UvA, MA thesis (not published).
  • Haak, M. van den (2001), ‘Kijkervaring gewenst. Filmeducatie voor jongeren lijkt resultaat te hebben.’ Boekmancahier 13(48): 183-195.
  • Haak, M. van den (2009), '"Cultuurbarbaren, welkom!" Het verheffingsdiscours in het tv-programma Cultuurshake.' In: M. Aerts & M. van den Haak (eds.), Popvirus. Popularisering van religie en cultuur. Amsterdam: Aksant.
  • Duits, L. & M. van den Haak (2009), 'Popvirus: aanstekelijk of ziekmakend?' In: M. Aerts & M. van den Haak (eds.), Popvirus. Popularisering van religie en cultuur. Amsterdam: Aksant.
  • Haak, M. van der [sic] (2011), 'André Rieu versus 50 Cent. Onderzoek naar percepties van 'lage' en 'hoge' cultuur.' Sociologie Magazine 19(1): 23-24.
  • Brinkgreve, Christien, Marcel van den Haak, Bart van Heerikhuizen, Johan Heilbron & Giselinde Kuipers (eds.) (2011), Cultuur en ongelijkheid.Diemen: AMB.
  • Haak, Marcel van den (2011), 'Eén pot nat of niet? Distincties in de Nederlandstalige muziek.'In: C. Brinkgreve et al., Cultuur en ongelijkheid. Diemen: AMB, pp. 122-135.