This major work, by one of the key figures in cultural studies, critically examines the theory, history and practice of culture. It is a comprehensive review of the main debates in cultural studies that is grounded in an historical account of the modern relations between culture and government.

The book illuminates the relationship between culture and the social, as well as offering an important assessment of the role of intellectuals in relation to the organization of contemporary cultural life. Culture: A Reformer's Science is a major reappraisal of cultural studies; an engagement with the relations of culture and policy; and a critical examination of the conditions for intellectual work.