Sociology about Art

For sociologists, making, distributing, and using art and cultural products constitute social practices, yet, sociologists disagree on how to investigate these practices. Organised around three main schools of thought - critical sociology, symbolic interactionism, and social systems theory - Sociology about Art serves as an introduction to, and a self-reflective discussion about, how sociologists study the Arts. Providing a wide spectrum of approaches in art sociology, the book focuses on examining not only the famously cited theorists (notably Bourdieu, Becker, and Peterson) but also offers an overview of the sociologists who are often overlooked (Hennion, Heinich, Luhmann, and Van Maanen, among others). In presenting these various approaches, the crux of discussion concerns the status of art in sociological analyses. Following a critical assessment of the classical theories and assessing the risks of failing to observe the function of art, the authors contend that the perspective on art works, their forms, affordances, and meanings, can and should be integrated into sociological research for it to become a sociology that is truly about art. A vital resource for students seeking to understand sociological discourses surrounding art and set up their own research projects, Sociology about Art will appeal to scholars and students of sociology with interests in the arts and cultural policy.

Sara Malou Strandvad is Lead of libraries, culture houses, and citizen service in Odsherred municipality, Denmark, and previously worked at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. Quirijn Lennert van den Hoogen is Assistant Professor of Arts Sociology and Arts Policy at the University of Groningen and the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Manuel Reyes is a junior lecturer at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands and the translator and editor of L.J. Müller's Sound and Sexism.

Introduction; Part I: Art and Critical Sociology; 1. Introduction to Critical Sociology; 2. Art and Distinction; 3. Fields of Cultural Production; 4. The Legacy of Bourdieu's Field Perspective; Part II: Art and Interpretative Sociology; 5. Introduction to Interpretative Sociology; 6. Art Worlds; 7. Art and the Production of Culture Perspective; 8. Art and the Actor-Network Perspective; Part III: Art and Systems Theory; 9. Introduction to Systems Theory; 10. Luhmann and the Complexity of Society; 11. Art as a Social System; 12. The Function of Art in Society; Part IV: Conclusion; 13. A New Pathway for Sociology of Art: Sociology About Art