This collection of original, state–of–the–art essays by prominent international scholars covers the most important issues comprising the sociology of culture. * Provides an invaluable reference resource to all interested in the cultural structures and processes that animate contemporary life * Contains 27 essays on the most important issues comprising the sociology of culture, including art, science, religions, race, class, gender, collective memory, institutions, and citizenship * Reflects and analyzes the cultural turn that has transformed scholarship in the social sciences and humanities.