Art Production in Sociological Perspective:Core Debates and Theoretical Lineages

Art production is an important area of study within the field of sociology of the arts.Research concerning art production and producers often takes the artistic production process and artists as its object of study,aiming to validate or construct social theories at a general level,and to engage in dialogue with the broader academic community.This article delineates the core debates involved in contemporary sociological studies that examine art production,identifying their main viewpoints,the overarching or mid-range social theories from which they originate,and typical cutting-edge research from the last decade.It aims to present the core ideas of various scholars and schools,as well as the context of theoretical production,to grasp the underlying logic of researchers' theorization and research paths.The paper points out that control versus freedom,structure versus culture,cooperation versus conflict,and universality versus individuality are four sets of core competing concepts in this field.This paper systematically reviews and examines the theoretical lineages of the debates involved in these four sets of concepts,and on this basis,discusses the challenges and opportunities faced by art production research in China within the context of globalization.