Cultural sociologists have devised numerous theoretical tools for analyzing meaning making among individuals and groups. Yet, the cognitive processes which underpin these theories of meaning making are often bracketed out. Drawing on three different qualitative research projects, respectively on activists, religious communities, and gamers, this article synthesizes work in sociology, psychology, and philosophy, to develop a sociology of imagination. Current work highlights that (1) imagination is a higher order mental function, (2) powerful in its effects, which (3) facilitates intersubjectivity, and (4) is socially constructive. However, sociology can additionally contribute to scholarly understandings of imagination, which have often focused on individualistic mental imaging, by highlighting the degree to which (a) imagination allows individuals and groups to coordinate identities, actions, and futures, (b) imagination relies on widely shared cultural elements, and (c) imagination is often undertaken collectively, in groups. The article concludes with suggestions for future sociological work on imagination.

中文翻译：

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迈向想象社会学

文化社会学家设计了许多理论工具来分析个人和群体之间的意义形成。然而，支撑这些意义创造理论的认知过程经常被排除在外。本文利用三个不同的定性研究项目，分别针对活动家、宗教社区和游戏玩家，综合了社会学、心理学和哲学方面的工作，以发展想象的社会学。当前的工作强调：（1）想象力是一种更高阶的心理功能，（2）其影响强大，（3）促进主体间性，以及（4）具有社会建设性。然而，社会学还有助于学术上对想象力的理解，这通常侧重于个人主义的心理想象，通过强调 (a) 想象力允许个人和群体协调身份、行动和未来的程度，(b) 想象力依赖于广泛共享的文化元素，以及 (c) 想象力通常是集体进行的，在群体中。文章最后对未来关于想象力的社会学工作提出了建议。