Cultural Sociology in Practice
21st Century Sociology (Series Nr. 2)
1. Edition January 2002
276 Pages, Softcover
Wiley & Sons Ltd
ISBN:
978-0-631-21090-0
John Wiley & Sons
Cultural Sociology in Practice is a concise introduction to the burgeoning new field of cultural sociology. Using straightforward language and popular examples, the book sorts out the various definitions of the word "culture" in a sociological context.
List of Figures and Tables.
Acknowledgments.
1. Introduction: What is Culture and How Does Culture Work?.
Part I: Culture and Society:.
2. Religion and Ideology: Systems of Meaning in the Modern (and
Postmodern) World.
3. The Media and Popular Culture.
4. Race and Representation.
Part II: Cultural Methodology: Getting a Handle on
Culture:.
5. Naturalistic Inquiry: Ethnography, Ethnomethodology, and
Dramaturgical Research.
6. Discourse Analysis and Audience/Reception Research:
Constructing and Deconstructing Texts, Talk, and Meaning.
7. Structure, Agency, and "Comprehensive" Cultural
Sociology.
References.
Index.
Acknowledgments.
1. Introduction: What is Culture and How Does Culture Work?.
Part I: Culture and Society:.
2. Religion and Ideology: Systems of Meaning in the Modern (and
Postmodern) World.
3. The Media and Popular Culture.
4. Race and Representation.
Part II: Cultural Methodology: Getting a Handle on
Culture:.
5. Naturalistic Inquiry: Ethnography, Ethnomethodology, and
Dramaturgical Research.
6. Discourse Analysis and Audience/Reception Research:
Constructing and Deconstructing Texts, Talk, and Meaning.
7. Structure, Agency, and "Comprehensive" Cultural
Sociology.
References.
Index.
"Cultural Sociology in Practice is a shockingly good book.
Edles achieves the almost impossible task, a highly accessible book
for students that provides a powerful and sophisticated
disciplinary statement for their teachers. This is a wide-ranging
survey of the vast and surging new field of cultural sociology. It
is also a deep and penetrating theoretical and methodological
argument in its own right. Moreover, Edles does not just write
about the work of others; she provides numerous and compact
cultural-sociological studies of her own. Filled with wisdom,
fairness, and creativity, this is one of the very best statements
of cultural sociology ever written." Jeffrey Alexander,
University of California at Los Angeles
"Cultural Sociology in Practice brightly illuminates the
practices of studying culture in all of its forms for readers
seeking a map of the field. Laura Desfor Edles writes intelligent,
critical, and lucid prose as she explores the specifically
sociological chartings of such cultural phenomena as religion,
race, and the mass media. An eminently useful survey." Robin
Wagner-Pacifici, Swarthmore College
Edles achieves the almost impossible task, a highly accessible book
for students that provides a powerful and sophisticated
disciplinary statement for their teachers. This is a wide-ranging
survey of the vast and surging new field of cultural sociology. It
is also a deep and penetrating theoretical and methodological
argument in its own right. Moreover, Edles does not just write
about the work of others; she provides numerous and compact
cultural-sociological studies of her own. Filled with wisdom,
fairness, and creativity, this is one of the very best statements
of cultural sociology ever written." Jeffrey Alexander,
University of California at Los Angeles
"Cultural Sociology in Practice brightly illuminates the
practices of studying culture in all of its forms for readers
seeking a map of the field. Laura Desfor Edles writes intelligent,
critical, and lucid prose as she explores the specifically
sociological chartings of such cultural phenomena as religion,
race, and the mass media. An eminently useful survey." Robin
Wagner-Pacifici, Swarthmore College
Laura Desfor Edles teaches sociology at California State
University, Northridge. She is the author of Symbol and Ritual
in the New Spain: The Transition to Democracy after Franco
(1998).
University, Northridge. She is the author of Symbol and Ritual
in the New Spain: The Transition to Democracy after Franco
(1998).
