Culture

Fontana New Sociology.
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nCulture, until recently neglected by sociologists, is now the subject of lively and controversial sociological study. Professor Williams describes the convergence of interests and methods that has led to this active phase and himself provides a spirited contribution to the debate.
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nHe outlines an historical sociology of cultural institutions and formations, discusses the problem of analyzing ‘schools’ and ‘movements’ which often escape conventional sociological method, and describes the means of cultural production from the point of view of cultural materialism -his own theoretical position. An examination of how particular kinds of work can be identified by social means as ‘art’ is followed by a discussion of forms, exemplified from drama, and an exploration of the idea of cultural reproduction and innovation.
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nHis final chapter, an analysis of the social organization of culture, includes an extended critique of the concept of ‘intellectuals’, and a related sociological analysis of ‘cultural producers’.