Cracking open cultural experiences: what else may sociology tell us about art?

<p>One of the most interesting recent developments on The #culturalvalue Initiative blog is the burgeoning debate on what sociology can contribute to the study of the arts, aesthetic experiences and – via this route – cultural value. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Pierre Bourdieu has found himself at the centre of this lively discussion, the latest instalment of which takes the shape of a mini-essay by Simone Varriale. Simone offers a different and distinctive sociological perspective to the exploration of cultural value by bringing us back in time to 1970s Italy and discussing how music criticism reacted to the spread of rock and jazz music of US origin. So the debate goes on!</p>