ABSTRACT
Classical theorists in the sociology of knowledge such as Marx, Durkheim, Mannheim and Scheler sought to establish that the content and validity of ideas are ultimately tied to the social and economic interests in society (Mannheim, 1936; Durkheim, [1912] 1954; for reviews, see Coser, 1968; Kuklick, 1983; Eisenstadt, 1988). Subsequent research has focused on how socio-historical conditions influence the production, validation, and justification of different types of knowledge. Few scholars have examined an important corollary: how knowledge is selected, organized, and transmitted by social forces (see Wuthnow, 1987).
