Witkin III

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 makes