This study aims to investigate the complex dialectic between art and society through a critical comparison of the perspectives of Theodor Adorno and Pierre Bourdieu, two thinkers who, from distinct intellectual traditions, have each addressed the social origins of art and its relations to power. Methodologically, the research employs a documentary and comparative‑critical approach, drawing on Adorno’s theoretical critique and Bourdieu’s empirical analyses to explore the social and cultural forces shaping artistic production and perception. Within the framework of the Frankfurt School, Adorno conceives of art as a domain of resistance to the logic of the market and ideological domination, emphasizing its relative autonomy as a liberating force. In contrast, Bourdieu, through the concepts of field, cultural capital, and habitus, demonstrates that aesthetic taste and artistic production are reproduced within class structures and unequal power relations. The findings indicate that contemporary art possesses a dual and paradoxical nature: it can both reproduce mechanisms of domination and embody capacities for critique and resistance. The study concludes that a comprehensive understanding of the sociology of contemporary art requires the integration of Adorno’s critical approach with Bourdieu’s field‑based analysis.
najimi,N and mokhtari,M . (2026). Art and Society in Two Theoretical Approaches: A Comparative Analysis of Bourdieu's and Adorno's Views on Sociology of Art. (e4137). Interdisciplinary Studies of Literature, Arts and Humanities, (), e4137 doi: 10.22077/islah.2026.10360.1784
MLA
najimi,N , and mokhtari,M . "Art and Society in Two Theoretical Approaches: A Comparative Analysis of Bourdieu's and Adorno's Views on Sociology of Art" .e4137 , Interdisciplinary Studies of Literature, Arts and Humanities, , , 2026, e4137. doi: 10.22077/islah.2026.10360.1784
HARVARD
najimi N, mokhtari M. (2026). 'Art and Society in Two Theoretical Approaches: A Comparative Analysis of Bourdieu's and Adorno's Views on Sociology of Art', Interdisciplinary Studies of Literature, Arts and Humanities, (), e4137. doi: 10.22077/islah.2026.10360.1784
CHICAGO
N najimi and M mokhtari, "Art and Society in Two Theoretical Approaches: A Comparative Analysis of Bourdieu's and Adorno's Views on Sociology of Art," Interdisciplinary Studies of Literature, Arts and Humanities, (2026): e4137, doi: 10.22077/islah.2026.10360.1784
VANCOUVER
najimi N, mokhtari M. Art and Society in Two Theoretical Approaches: A Comparative Analysis of Bourdieu's and Adorno's Views on Sociology of Art. Interdisciplinary Studies of Literature, Arts and Humanities. 2026;():e4137 (In Persian). doi: 10.22077/islah.2026.10360.1784
