What is culture? What is the 'cultural turn' in the social sciences? If we want to understand how people in different parts of the globe think, feel, value, act and express themselves, we have to examine the cultures that they create and are in turn created by. This lively and accessible new book reconsiders the different views as to what 'culture' is, how it operates, and how it relates to other aspects of the human (and non-human) world. Key areas covered include: high culture versus popular culture modern and postmodern culture globalization and culture culture and nature. Students are introduced to some of the major thinkers on culture from Matthew Arnold to Bakhtin and Bourdieu. Theoretical arguments are illustrated with examples from film, architecture and daily life, making this an accessible and informative introduction, which will prove indispensable reading for students of cultural studies and sociology.