Culture in Networks

Paul McLean is Associate Professor of Sociology at Rutgers University

• Acknowledgements vi1. Culture and Social Networks: A Conceptual Framework 1PART I: Fundamental Concepts 2. The Nuts and Bolts of Networks, through a Cultural Lens 153. Basic Culture Concepts, with a Networks Inflection 34PART II: Linkages of Networks with Culture 4. Culture through Networks: Diffusion, Contagion, Virality, Memes 655. Culture from Networks: The Network Genesis of Culture 896. Networks from Culture: How Norms and Tastes Shape Networks 111 7. Networks of Culture: Culture as Relational Structures 1348. Networks as Culture, or Networks and Culture Fused 155Notes 181References 198Index 228

"It doesn't get better than this: an accessible treatment of an exciting but often abstruse topic by a leading figure in the field. Further, it organizes a wide range of materials to make a strong and compelling case. A wonderful contribution."—John Levi Martin, University of Chicago"This is a path-breaking book that brilliantly describes one of the most exciting intellectual developments in the contemporary human sciences – the melding of network science with the study of culture. McLean tackles this complex topic with clarity and precision, providing both a comprehensive review of the field and a coherent theoretical synthesis."—John Mohr, University of California, Santa Barbara"[T]his book, which beautifully blends the complex topics of cultural sociology and social network analysis... is written as both an informative exploration of the intersection between social networks and the study of culture, and a hopeful plea for the empirically rich exploration of 'network culture(s)' using both qualitative and quantitative methods.... Scholars and students looking for a book that will challenge them to engage with alternative approaches to the study of networks and culture will benefit from the combination of detailed inquiry and open-ended questions."—Information, Communication and Society