Social Structure and Cultural Production: An Empirical Analysis of Festivals' Networks

Do cultural producers know each other? Do their relations influence the cultural field? This article analyzes the impact of the social structure on the art festivals' field in Piedmont, Italy. Cultural production is described through the perspective of the relations among the producers. Festivals' organizations observe each other, exchange information and artists, co-produce events, and share performing spaces. These actions generate relations that constitute the field. Analytical tools from social network analysis and QAP regression for network data are applied to describe the field through the relational perspective and assess the impact of the social structure on the cultural system.