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Preface<br /><br />Introduction<br /><br /><br /><b>Chapter 1: The “strong program” of cultural sociology</b><br /><br />Alexander’s “post-positivist” approach to sociology<br /><br />From Parsons to neofunctionalism<br /><br />From Neofunctionalism to Cultural Sociology<br /><br />A new analysis of the relative autonomy of culture based on reflexivity<br /><br /><br /><b>Chapter 2: A rereading of Durkheim: social ritual and cultural significance</b><br /><br />The presence of the religious in cultural life<br /><br />A sociology of religion in social life: politics and technology<br /><br />Symbolic forms of meaning in contemporary society<br /><br /><br /><b>Chapter 3: A critique of Marx, Cultural Studies, and Bourdieu</b><br /><br />The rejection of Marxian critique<br /><br />Critique of Cultural Studies<br /><br />Critique of Bourdieusian determinism<br /><br />Critical theory and reflexivity: the power of representation<br /><br /><br /><b>Chapter 4: Culture, Politics and Civil Religion: Weber and beyond</b><br /><br />With Weber and beyond: a sociology of religion in modernity<br /><br />Weberian analysis reassessed by pragmatics and hermeneutics<br /><br />The civil sphere and political debates: reconstruction of civil religion<br /><br /><br /><b>Chapter 5: The Civil Sphere and the “Societal Community:” beyond Parsons</b><br /><br />From Parsons to Touraine and beyond: analysis of performative social movements<br /><br />Cultural pragmatics and the challenges of symbolic codification<br /><br />Social and cultural trauma theory: social claims of identity<br /><br /><br /><b>Chapter 6: The power of representation and the representation of power</b><br /><br />Empirical analysis of political life: the representation of power<br /><br />Power of representation: performance and dramatic action in the civil sphere<br /><br />The power of the symbolic and the iconic<br /><br />A generalized social theatricality: the dramatic aesthetics of social action<br /><br /><br />Conclusion

“Jeffrey Alexander’s ‘strong program’ for cultural sociology is a major effort to revitalize the classical sociological tradition – and challenge both materialist and instrumental perspectives. It has evolved over many years, shifting among theoretical syntheses, programmatic statements, and analyses of practical issues in democratic culture. Fully understanding it calls for a guide, and Jean-Francois Côté performs this role with clarity and insight. Whether you wish to follow Alexander or challenge him, you will find Côté’s analysis invaluable.”<br /><b>Craig Calhoun, Arizona State University and LSE</b><br /><br />“An essential overview of Jeffrey Alexander’s cultural sociology, Côté’s important critical synthesis connects its many contributions to illuminate one of the most ambitious, sustained, and useful projects in contemporary sociology.”<br /><b>Lyn Spillman, University of Notre Dame</b>

<b>Jean-François Côté</b> is Professor of Sociology at the University of Quebec at Montreal.

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