Building a strong programme in sociological aesthetics: Helmut Staubmann’s Sociology in a New Key

Abstract

Helmut Staubmann’s Sociology in a New Key develops a compelling approach to the sociologies of art and the emotions, based primarily on Talcott Parsons’ Action Theory and Georg Simmel’s formal sociology. This article appraises the key theoretical strategies of Staubmann’s contribution, and the insights they afford, with particular reference to recent work in the ‘New Sociology of Art’ and the ‘Strong Programme’ of Jeffery Alexander and the Yale school.