Not Everybody Is a Golfer: Bourdieu and Affluent Bodies in Mexico

Abstract

The present article analyzes processes of social reproduction among upper-middle- and upper-class individuals in contemporary Mexico City, using affluent golf clubs as a case study. Drawing on ethnographic data, it shows how private golf clubs are invisible sites for the average city dweller, both metaphorically and literally. This characteristic fulfills a dual political role, by (1) preventing any questioning over the monopolization of resources and (2) reinforcing social distance. The analysis then examines the relationship between old golfers (natives) and new golfers (newcomers) and how the growing participation of newcomers illustrates an important transformation in the world of affluent private golf clubs. This change reflects the inherent struggle between preservation and transformation that characterizes any social universe. The results demonstrate that Bourdieu’s concepts of field, capital, and habitus offer a flexible and powerful model to analyze affluent communities within the context of a developing nation.