The Cultural Sociology of Art and Music

“This book elegantly demonstrates how fecund cultural sociology might be when its different traditions and factions are brought into real dialogue with each other. Through a series of engaging case studies and thoughtful theoretical discussions, it points the way to a renewal of the sociology of art and music.”

 —David Hesmondhalgh, author of Why Music Matters

“Lisa McCormick’s collection shows things have come a long way since debates in the sociology of the arts were mired in oppositions between aesthetic and social approaches. The contributions demonstrate it is possible to metaphorically chew gum and walk (if not run or perform cartwheels) at the same time. The authors draw on perspectives from French pragmatism, social aesthetics, textural sociology, symbolic boundaries, creative ecologies and the Strong Program. A timely set of contributions to an important but sometimes overlooked field of sociology.”

—Eduardo de la Fuente, University of South Australia, Australia

This edited collection develops the Strong Program’s contribution to the sociological study of the arts and places it in conversation with other cultural perspectives in the field. Presenting some of the newest and most original research by both renowned figures and early career scholars, the volume marks a new stage in the development of the cultural sociology of art and music.

The chapters in Part 1 set new agendas by reflecting on the field’s history, presenting theoretical innovations, and suggesting future directions for research. Part 2 explores aesthetic issues and challenges in the creation, experience, and interpretation of art and music. Part 3 focuses on the material environments and social settings where people engage with art and music. In Part 4, the contributors examine controversies about music and contestation over artistic matters, whether in the public sphere, in the American judicial system, or in an emerging academic discipline. The editor’s introduction and Ron Eyerman's afterword place the chapters in context and reflect on their collective contribution to meaning-centered sociology.

Lisa McCormick is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Edinburgh, UK. She was co-editor of the journal Cultural Sociology from 2016 to 2020.