Notes on contributors; Preface; The new American cultural sociology: an introduction Philip Smith; Part I. Culture as Text and Code: Introduction; 1. Textuality and the postmodern turn in sociological theory Richard Harvey Brown; 2. The computer as sacred and profane Jeffrey C. Alexander; 3. AIDS and the discursive construction of homosexuality Steven Seidman; 4. Fundamentalism and liberalism in public religious discourse Robert Wuthnow; 5. Analytic and concrete forms of the autonomy of culture Anne Kane; Part II. The Production and Reception of Culture: Introduction: 6. The reception of Derrida's work in France and America Michèle Lamont; 7. Censorship, audiences and the Victorian nude Nicola Beisel; 8. The devil, social change and Jacobean theatre Wendy Griswold; 9. Victorian women writers and the prestige of the novel Gaye Tuchman and Nina Fortin; 10. The ambiguous and contested meanings of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Robin Wagner-Pacifici and Barry Schwartz; Part III. Culture in Action: Introduction: 11. Culture and social action Ann Swidler; 12. Culture, structure, agency and transformation William H. Sewell Jr; 13. Discourse, nuclear power and collective action William A. Gamson; 14. Moral boundaries, leisure activities and justifying fun Gary Alan Fine; 15. Honour and conflict management in corporate life Calvin Morrill; 16. The role of cultural capital in school success Paul DiMaggio; Index.

"The rise of cultural sociology has been one of the most important developments in recent American social science. Philip Smith's anthology does an admirable job of introducing the major lines of inquiry which have made cultural sociology flourish. His collection demonstrates both the analytic achievements and the breadth of the field." Craig Calhoun, New York University