“The different currents of the sociology of art have experienced an uneven development so far, depending on whether they concern the plastic arts, literature, music, performing arts, cinema, or applied arts. For reasons of space and readability, in this book we will focus on the first three and most studied categories, with a particular inclination towards the plastic arts, which have so far sparked the most and at the same time the richest new perspectives in studies.

In the first part, we will turn our attention to the history of the sociology of art distinguishing three generations, both chronological and intellectual: the generation of sociological aesthetics, the generation of social art history, and the generation of research sociology.

In the second part, we will focus on the last of these generations to present its key findings in relation to its main themes: reception, mediation, production, and works.

In the conclusions, finally, we will attempt to highlight the stakes raised by this specific field of knowledge, in order to clarify why it also constitutes a real challenge for sociology as a whole. Because, if the mission of the sociology of art is to better understand the nature of artistic phenomena and artistic experience, one of its consequences is to make sociology reflect on its own definition and boundaries.” (Excerpt from the Introduction)