A collection of original essays advancing the study of culture from a sociological perspective. Exploring and extending recent studies of culture with both qualitative and quantitative analysis, this book focuses on the ways in which contemporary cultural products function as vocabularies of public life. The contributors cover a wide range of topics; these include the symbolic structure of religion, science and the arts. The book is unified with a common concern – the concrete manifestations of culture and the importance of understanding its internal structure. This book should be of interest to students and lecturers in the sociology of culture, religion and the arts.