I am fortunate to have as my respondents two scholars who have made, and continue
to make, important contributions to what Professor Alexander terms the “strong
program” for a sociology of the aesthetic. They have responded in very different
ways. Professor Atkinson has used the occasion to present a personal commentary
on the sociological neglect of the aesthetic dimension and has explored the
implications of recent thinking and ethnographic research that responds to that
neglect by bearing upon issues that are linked to those I raise. Because Professor
Atkinson’s paper does not directly address the arguments in my paper, I have been
invited by the editors to reply specifically to the critical comments made by Professor
Alexander in his response to my work. The space allocated to me for my reply will
only permit me to focus on his central argument to the exclusion of other points he
make
