Short description:

Examining the role culture plays in shaping our social world, this is accessible, contemporary and global introduction to Cultural Sociology.

Long description:

In today?s world, both cultures and societies are changing more quickly than ever before. The Third Edition of Cultures and Societies in a Changing World sheds light on the role culture plays in shaping our social world. A vital and personal aspect of individual identity, culture shapes a person?s norms, values, beliefs, and practices. This Third Edition introduces the sociology of culture and explores cultural phenomena including stories, beliefs, media, ideas, art, religious practices, fashions, and rituals from a global sociological perspective.

The author takes a global approach by considering cultural examples from various countries and time periods, by delving into the ways globalization processes are affecting cultures and by offering an explanation of post-Cold War era culture-related conflicts.

New to this edition:

? Explores the effects of political symbols and rituals on the status quo in a new chapter devoted to the interplay of culture and power

? Focuses on new media, especially the cultural implications of participatory media such as blogs, MySpace, videologs, and podcasting

? Features updated cases and examples from the most important cultural research of the 21st century

Intended Audience

This compelling textbook makes an ideal supplement to sociology courses such as the Sociology of Culture, Cultural Studies, Ethnic Studies, and Popular Culture.

"Excellent, comprehensive introduction to the key concepts in sociology of culture."

Table of Contents:

1. Culture and the Cultural Diamond
Two Ways of Looking at Culture
The Best That Has Been Thought and Known
That Complex Whole
Connections: The Links Between Culture and Society
The Cultural Object
The Cultural Diamond
Summary
Questions for study and discussion
Recommendations for further reading
2. Cultural Meaning
Why Do We Need Meaning?
Culture and Meaning in Reflection Theory
Culture as Mirror
The Greek Background to Reflection Theory
Culture and Meaning in Marxian Sociology
From Earth to Heaven: The Materialist Approach to Culture
Historical Materialism
Research Directions from the Marxian Tradition
Culture and Meaning in Functionalist Sociology
Culture and Meaning in Weberian Sociology
The Anxious Protestants and the World They Built
The Cultural Switchman
Meaning Systems or a Tool Kit?
Meaning, Modernity, and the Clash of Cultures
Summary
Questions for study and discussion
Recommendations for further reading
3. Culture as a Social Creation
Durkheim and the Social Production of Culture
The Problem of Modern Social Life
Social Bonds: The Role of Religion
Culture as Collective Representation
The Collective Production of Culture
Symbolic Interactionism
Subcultures
Cultural Innovation and Social Change
Cultural Lags and Leads
Cultural innovations
Summary
Questions for study and discussion
Recommendations for further reading
4. The Production, Distribution, and Reception of Culture
The Production of Culture
The Culture Industry System
Cultural Markets
The Production of Ideas
Reception
Audiences and Taste Cultures
Horizons of Expectations
Freedom of Interpretation: Two Views
Seduction by Mass Culture
Resistance Through Popular Culture
Summary
Questions for study and discussion
Recommendations for further reading
5. Identities, Problems, Movements
Constructing a Collective Identity
Constructing a Social Problem
Making Trouble
From Happening to Event to Social Problem
The Career of a Social Problem
Constructing a Social Movement
Summary
Questions for study and discussion
Recommendations for further reading
6. Organizations in a Multicultural World
Organizational Cultures
Culture and Motivation
Cultures of Solidarity and Ambiguity
Organizations in Cultural Contexts
Working Across Cultures
Summary
Questions for study and discussion
Recommendations for further reading
7. Culture and Connection
Media Revolutions and Cultural Communities
Oral Cultures
Written Cultures
Print Cultures
ICT Cultures
The Cultural Impact of the Internet
Mediated Transnationals
Questions for Study and Discussion
Recommended for Further Reading
8. Culture and Power
Power: What Is It, Who Has It, and Why Do People Submit to It?
Power in Face-to-Face Interactions
Identity Politics
The Aesthetics of Power
Political Acts as Cultural Objects
Cultures Without Centers
Questions for Study and Discussion
Recommended for Further Reading