| ID | 113867 |
| Title Proper | Against culture versus structure |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Gans, Herbert J |
| Publication | 2012. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Contemporary sociology is saddled with a culture-structure binary but the fault for its existence lies mostly with cultural sociology. This article is devoted to four related assertions: (1) There has never been any agreement on the definition of culture, making cultural sociology a field unable to define its central concept. (2) The binary ignores the fact that the proper explanation of social behaviour requires both structure and culture; culture cannot be its own cause. (3) Cultural sociology is soft and sentimental, avoiding conflict as well as politics. (4) It neglects policy and policy-relevant research even more than the rest of sociology. Structural sociology has some shortcomings as well, however, and the culture-structure binary should be abandoned. |
| `In' analytical Note | Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power Vol. 19, No.2; Mar 2012: p.125-134 |
| Journal Source | Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power Vol. 19, No.2; Mar 2012: p.125-134 |
| Key Words | Culture ; Structure ; Social Structure ; Cultural Sociology ; Cultural Turn ; Structural Sociology |