ABSTRACT
In any given modern society, as in diplomatic circles, there is also a hierarchy of formal dinners. Some, for example the Queen's Dinner in Denmark, are clearly regarded as more exclusive and more important than others. They are arenas where members of the elites meet and rub shoulders, and thus also arenas where social capital can be accumulated. In order to understand the relationship between the annual dinner and the field of power, it is important to note the particular symbolic character of the dinner. It is not a place where people meet to make decisions, and those who are invited are not necessarily there because they are particularly powerful in their fields. As could be expected, many of the invitees to the central bank's annual dinner are recruited from positions within this field of power; being successful in gaining access to these positions is a reliable access badge.
