New Interview with Jeffrey Alexander
We are happy to announce a new interview with Jeffrey C. Alexander in Cultural Sociology.
“First published in 2006, Jeffrey C. Alexander’s The Civil Sphere (TCS) quickly established itself as one of the classic works of post-classical sociology. In this interview, occasioned by the 20th anniversary of the publication of TCS, Christopher Thorpe, one of the current editors of Cultural Sociology, spoke with Jeffrey Alexander, author of TCS and driving force behind the Strong Program in cultural sociology. The ensuing discussion is wide-ranging, cleaving not only to the subject of TCS, its conception, reception, and influence, but to the relationship of Civil Sphere Theory to cultural sociology more broadly. Various misconceptions surrounding Alexander’s work are addressed, as is the relationship of his intellectual legacy to Critical Theory and the limited and limiting conception of culture associated with several of its most influential proponents. In the closing stages of the discussion, Alexander reflects on what he believes mark out the most insightful forms of cultural-sociological studies.”
Christopher M. Thorpe and Jeffrey C. Alexander
Cultural Sociology is the official journal of the British Sociological Association and serves as a leading international forum for the sociological study of culture. As a fully peer-reviewed journal, it publishes original research and review articles that examine cultural phenomena through diverse theoretical and methodological approaches. Positioned as a central meeting point within the field, the journal brings together scholars from different national contexts and analytical traditions, fostering dialogue across perspectives within cultural sociology and the broader sociology of culture.
The journal focuses on advancing sociological understandings of culture by publishing empirically grounded, theoretically informed, and methodologically rigorous work. Its scope spans a wide range of topics, including cultural production and consumption, media and performance, identity and inequality (such as class, gender, and ethnicity), as well as globalization, everyday culture, and emerging cultural trends. By encouraging both established and early-career researchers to contribute, and by promoting interdisciplinary exchange with fields such as cultural studies or human geography, Cultural Sociology aims not only to consolidate the field but also to shape its future directions and intellectual boundaries.
Thorpe, C. M., & Alexander, J. C. (2026). Civil Sphere Theory Meets Cultural Sociology: Close Encounters of the Symbolic Kind. Cultural Sociology, 0(0) https://doi.org/10.1177/1749975526142245.
