Cultural Sociology: An Introduction - Paperback

by Les Back (Author), Andy Bennett (Author), Laura Desfor Edles (Author)

Cultural Sociology: An Introduction is the first dedicated student textbook to address cultural sociology as a legitimate model for sociological thinking and research. Highly renowned authors present a rich overview of major sociological themes and the various empirical applications of cultural sociology.

• A timely introductory overview to this increasingly significant field which provides invaluable summaries of key studies and approaches within cultural sociology
• Clearly written and designed, with accessible summaries of thematic topics, covering race, class, politics, religion, media, fashion, and music
• International experts contribute chapters in their field of research, including a chapter by David Chaney, a founder of cultural sociology
• Offers a unified set of theoretical and methodological tools for those wishing to apply a cultural sociological approach in their work

Back Jacket

In recent years, sociology has recognised the significance of culture as a focus for understanding the processes and systems of relations through which societies are arranged. It is no longer seen as merely the by-product of structural experiences of class, gender, race, but as a force in itself for the creation of social experience.

The field is now burgeoning and Cultural Sociology: An Introduction is the first dedicated student textbook to systematically address cultural sociology as a legitimate model for sociological thinking and research. A group of highly renowned and respected authors focus on major sociological themes and issues, such as gender, class, and race, and clearly illustrate how their application in cultural sociology compares with their use in more conventional sociological approaches. The book also sets out the key antecedents contributing to the emergence of cultural sociology and presents students with a firm grounding in theoretical and methodological principles applied by cultural sociologists in their work.

The result is a rich overview of the various empirical applications of cultural sociology, which engages student interest by outlining cultural sociological approaches with a connection to everyday cultural experiences, including music, fashion, eating, and media.

Author Biography

Les Back is Professor of Sociology at Goldsmiths, University of London.

Andy Bennett is Professor of Cultural Sociology and Director of the Griffith Centre for Cultural Research at Griffith University in Queensland, Australia. He has authored and edited numerous books including Popular Music and Youth Culture, Cultures of Popular Music (2001), Remembering Woodstock (2004), and Music Scenes (edited with Richard A. Peterson, 2004). He is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Sociology.

Laura Desfor Edles is Professor of Sociology at California State University, Northridge.

Margaret Gibson is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at Griffith University.

David Inglis is Professor of Sociology at the University of Aberdeen, UK. He has written in the areas of the history of social thought, historical sociology, the sociologies of culture, art and aesthetics, and the cultural sociology of globalization. He is founding editor of the journal Cultural Sociology.

Ronald Jacobs is Associate Professor of Sociology at University at Albany, State University of New York. He is the author of Race, Media and the Crisis of Civil Society (2000) and The Space of Opinion (2011), and co-editor of Oxford Handbook of Cultural Sociology (2011).

Ian Woodward is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at Griffith University.