Aesthetics and the Sociology of Art

Aesthetics and the Sociology of Art PDF Author: Janet Wolff
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000376745
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 121

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Book Description
First published in 1983, Aesthetics and the Sociology of Art provides a lucid account of two divergent tendencies in the study of aesthetics. At the one extreme, traditional aestheticians have assumed that art and literature are wholly independent, following only the laws and inspirations of artists and artistic movements, and that the question of aesthetic value is accordingly unproblematic. At the other extreme, some sociologists have treated works of art as no more than manifestations of the socio-economic circumstances which produce them, arguing that aesthetic value is therefore entirely relative matter. Janet Wolff shows how both the extreme positions are untenable, and argues convincingly that we must accept that the conceptions and criteria of aesthetic value are socially constructed and inevitably ideological, while stopping short of the reductionist alternative which fails to recognise the irreducible questions of pleasure and of aesthetic discourse. This book provides an invaluably clear guide both to old debates and to otherwise obscure modern controversies, which will be welcomed both by students and scholars in the sociology of art, in aesthetics, in art history, and in literary criticism.

Aesthetics and the Sociology of Art

Aesthetics and the Sociology of Art PDF Author: Janet Wolff
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000376745
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 121

Get Book

Book Description
First published in 1983, Aesthetics and the Sociology of Art provides a lucid account of two divergent tendencies in the study of aesthetics. At the one extreme, traditional aestheticians have assumed that art and literature are wholly independent, following only the laws and inspirations of artists and artistic movements, and that the question of aesthetic value is accordingly unproblematic. At the other extreme, some sociologists have treated works of art as no more than manifestations of the socio-economic circumstances which produce them, arguing that aesthetic value is therefore entirely relative matter. Janet Wolff shows how both the extreme positions are untenable, and argues convincingly that we must accept that the conceptions and criteria of aesthetic value are socially constructed and inevitably ideological, while stopping short of the reductionist alternative which fails to recognise the irreducible questions of pleasure and of aesthetic discourse. This book provides an invaluably clear guide both to old debates and to otherwise obscure modern controversies, which will be welcomed both by students and scholars in the sociology of art, in aesthetics, in art history, and in literary criticism.

Sociology of Art

Sociology of Art PDF Author: Jeremy Tanner
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134393296
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 296

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Book Description
Introducing the fundamental theories and debates in the sociology of art, this broad ranging book, the only edited reader of the sociology of art available, uses extracts from the core foundational and most influential contemporary writers in the field. As such it is essential reading both for students of the sociology of art, and of art history. Divided into five sections, it explores the following key themes: * classical sociological theory and the sociology of art * the social production of art * the sociology of the artist * museums and the social construction of high culture * sociology aesthetic form and the specificity of art. With the addition of an introductory essay that contextualizes the readings within the traditions of sociology and art history, and draws fascinating parallels between the origins and development of these two disciplines, this book opens up a productive interdisciplinary dialogue between sociology and art history as well as providing a fascinating introduction to the subject.

Art and Social Theory

Art and Social Theory PDF Author: Austin Harrington
Publisher: Polity
ISBN: 9780745630397
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 248

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Book Description
Art and Social Theory provides a comprehensive introduction to sociological studies of the arts. It examines the central debates of social theorists and sociologists about the place of the arts in society and the social significance of aesthetics. provides a comprehensive introduction to sociological study of art; examines the central debates of social theorists and sociologists about the place of the arts in society and the social significance of aesthetics; discusses the meaning of the arts in relation to changing cultural institutions and socio-economic structures; explores questions of aesthetic value and cultural politics, taste and social class, money and patronage, ideology and utopia, myth and popular culture, and the meaning of modernism and postmodernism; presents lucid accounts of leading social theorists of the arts from Weber, Simmel, Benjamin, Kracauer and the Frankfurt School to Foucault, Bourdieu, Habermas, Baudrillard, Lyotard, Luhmann and Jameson.

Georg Simmel

Georg Simmel PDF Author: Georg Simmel
Publisher:
ISBN: 022662109X
Category : Aesthetics
Languages : en
Pages : 395

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Book Description
"This book is a first of its kind: an edited collection bringing the finest of Georg Simmel's writing on art and aesthetics together, and bringing many of these essays into English for the first time. Simmel is considered one of the founding fathers of modern sociology but he, like his contemporary Walter Benjamin, wrote about many aspects of life and culture. Simmel's intellectual contributions have long been recognized and he is a keystone in cultural theory of the early 20th century. The essays in this collection are gathered topically and show the wide range of Simmel's thinking even within the arts: aesthetics, landscape, theater, sculpture, literature, and more. Austin Harrington is the brilliant guide behind this substantial volume. He served as editor and translator and also wrote an introduction. Richly informative and thoroughly familiar with Simmel's life and work, Harrington's introduction will itself be an important contribution to the scholarship on Simmel"--

Routledge International Handbook of the Sociology of Art and Culture

Routledge International Handbook of the Sociology of Art and Culture PDF Author: Laurie Hanquinet
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135008892
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 500

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Book Description
The Routledge Handbook of the Sociology of Arts and Culture offers a comprehensive overview of sociology of art and culture, focusing especially – though not exclusively – on the visual arts, literature, music, and digital culture. Extending, and critiquing, Bourdieu’s influential analysis of cultural capital, the distinguished international contributors explore the extent to which cultural omnivorousness has eclipsed highbrow culture, the role of age, gender and class on cultural practices, the character of aesthetic preferences, the contemporary significance of screen culture, and the restructuring of popular culture. The Handbook critiques modes of sociological determinism in which cultural engagement is seen as the simple product of the educated middle classes. The contributions explore the critique of Eurocentrism and the global and cosmopolitan dimensions of cultural life. The book focuses particularly on bringing cutting edge ‘relational’ research methodologies, both qualitative and quantitative, to bear on these debates. This handbook not only describes the field, but also proposes an agenda for its development which will command major international interest.

How to Study Art Worlds

How to Study Art Worlds PDF Author: Hans van Maanen
Publisher: Amsterdam University Press
ISBN: 9089641521
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 314

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Book Description
Hans van Maanen is professor of art and society at the Department of Arts, Culture & Media Studies of the University of Groningen, the Netherlands.

The Social Production of Art

The Social Production of Art PDF Author: Janet Wolff
Publisher: Palgrave
ISBN: 9780333271476
Category : Arts and society
Languages : en
Pages : 196

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Book Description


Sociology of the Arts

Sociology of the Arts PDF Author: Victoria D. Alexander
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1118323467
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description
Explains the key concepts, theories, and studies in the sociology of the arts—the fully updated new edition of the classic textbook Sociology of the Arts is a comprehensive yet accessible review of sociological approaches to studying the fine, popular, and folk arts. Integrating scholarly literature, theoretical models, and empirical studies, this authoritative textbook provides balanced coverage of a broad range of essential topics—enabling a deeper understanding of the field as a whole. Throughout the text, numerous real-world case studies reinforce key concepts, stimulate classroom discussion, and encourage students to contemplate abstract theoretical issues central to the relationship between art and society. Now in its second edition, this bestselling volume features fully revised content that reflects the most recent literature and research in the field. New discussion on the production and the consumption of culture are complemented by fresh perspectives on changes in the social world such as the rise of the internet and digital media. Updated chapters offer insights into social boundaries and embodiment in the arts, emplacement, materiality, the social construction of art and aesthetics, and more. Exploring how art is created, distributed, received, and consumed, this textbook: Explores both classic work and new approaches in the sociology of the arts Features case studies and discussion questions on art forms including popular music, film, romance novels, visual arts, and classical music Discusses the meaning of artistic objects and why interpretations of art vary Examines the ways art intersects with race, gender, sexuality, and class Includes photographs, tables and figures, and a comprehensive reference list Written by a leading scholar in the field, Sociology of the Arts: Exploring Fine and Popular Forms, Second Edition is an ideal textbook for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses on sociology of art and culture, media studies, anthropology of art, arts management, and the social history of art, and is a useful reference for established scholars studying any aspect of sociology of the arts.

The Sociology of Art

The Sociology of Art PDF Author: Jeremy Tanner
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 9780415308847
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 296

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Book Description
This broad-ranging reader uses extracts form the core foundational and most influential contemporary writers in the field to present a productive interdisciplinary dialogue between sociology and art history as well as a fascinating introduction to the subject.

Vision and Society

Vision and Society PDF Author: John Clammer
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317935985
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 252

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Book Description
The sociology of art is now an established sub-discipline of sociology. But little work has been done to explore the implications not of society on art, but of art on the nature and principles of sociology itself. Vision and Society explores the ways in which art (here mainly understood as visual art) structures in fundamental ways the constitution of society, the relations between societies and the ways in which society and culture should be theorized. Building initially on an unfulfilled project by the French sociologist of art Nathalie Heinich to derive a sociology from art, this book pushes this idea in unconventional directions. Rethinking the relationships between the study of art and the study of sociology and anthropology, this book explores how this rethinking might impact sociological theory in general, and certain aspects of it in particular – especially the study of social movements, social change, the urban, the constitution of space and the ways in which human social relationships are mediated and expressed.