In his book Art Worlds (1982) the American sociologist Howard S. Becker defines the concept: 'Art worlds consist of all the people whose activities are necessary to the production of the characteristic works which that world, and perhaps others as well, define as art. Members of the art world co-ordinate the activities by which work is produced by referring to a body of conventional understandings embodied in common practice and in frequently used artefacts'.

Art Worlds became the 'blueprint' for the teaching and research programme of Art and Culture Studies: an interdisciplinary approach including sociological and economical aspects.

Howard S. Becker (1928), sociologist, jazz musician and photographer, is em.professor of Arts and Sciences in the Department of Sociology at Northwestern University, Chicago and author of many books, including Outsiders (1963), Art Worlds (1982), Writing for Social Scientists (1985), and Doing Things Together (1986).

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