China Social Science Review

No.2, 2022

The Disciplinary Positioning and Developmental Path of the Sociology of Art in China

(Abstract)

Lu Wenchao

Its dual disciplinary orientation has brought about three developmental dilemmas: the disconnect between art and sociology, the general pattern of emphasizing discursive research over empirical research, and the basic situation of emphasizing foreign theories over local theories. To this end, the development of the sociology of art can be promoted in three ways: by integrating the knowledge, ideas and methods of art and sociology; by forming a pattern of both discursive and empirical research; and by refining generative theories from local art phenomena.