Abstract
The debate on celebrities in the social sciences is recent. The first essays on the topic date from the 1970s and 80s. The author argues that celebrities did not yet constitute what he terms a sociological emblem. The text shows how the emblem of 'mass culture' predominated in the cultural sphere until the notion of mass became surpassed by the ideas of 'difference' and 'flexibility,' a new context in which the individual imposes on the homogeneity postulated previously.
Keywords
Cultural sociology; Sociological theory; Contemporary world; Celebrities; Mass culture