ABSTRACT

It is convenient to talk of sociologists as a single category of persons. Historically, the term comes to us from anthropology, where it has continued to have an almost all-embracing usage, synonymous with such common metaphors as ‘ways of life’ or ‘patterns of thinking and behaving’. Sociological theory has given due recognition to the importance of consensus for the integration of social systems. Firstly, it is clear that the study of culture, though central to the sociological perspective, is but part of the total picture: to comprehend fully any particular culture, whether of factory or nation-state, we must also be aware of the social distribution of power which lies behind it. Hence, the concept of culture is generally broader than that of ideology. To exaggerate the importance of theoretical thought in society and history is, as they point out, a natural failing of theorizers. No one would doubt today that culture is ultimately a biosocial phenomenon.