The Cultural of the Political: Toward a Cultural Sociology of State Formation

Building on an emerging scholarly momentum that seeks to close the gap between the study of culture and the study of the state, we propose a cultural sociology of state formation. We first review the theoretical threads in sociological lineages - ranging from the classical theorists to Foucault and Bourdieu - that can inspire this intellectual endeavor. Then we examine the state of affairs and the problematics in current literature on state and culture - mainly the ontology of culture, the relationship between culture and action, the relationship between culture and social structure - and distinguish three broad categories in current theories of the state: neo-Marxian, neo-Weberian, and neo-Smithian. Lastly, we tease out four subject areas in which a cultural sociology of state formation may bear fruits: (1) state ideas, (2) state boundaries, (3) state rituals, and (4) state classifications.