Metaphors at work: The symbolic infrastructures of sociological theory

Metaphors operate as symbolic infrastructures that shape how the social world is conceptualized and rendered intelligible. This article develops a cultural sociology of metaphor, arguing that metaphors encode epistemic, normative and aesthetic logics within the architecture of theoretical reasoning. Moving beyond cognitive and illustrative models, it introduces the concept of metaphorical infrastructure to describe how dominant metaphors condition what becomes visible, sayable and legitimate in sociological discourse. These infrastructures are not passive frameworks but performative forms that organize symbolic authority and guide theoretical interpretation within sociological fields. Drawing on cultural sociology, the sociology of knowledge and conceptual metaphor theory, the article proposes a typology of four metaphorical regimes – mechanistic, spatial, sacral and musical – each enacting a distinct vision of the social and its analytical and moral stakes. This framework is illustrated through two paradigmatic cases: Crenshaw’s intersection, which functions as a spatial infrastructure of critical reflexivity, and Berger’s sacred canopy, which encodes a sacral logic of moral order. Together, these metaphors demonstrate how performative infrastructures shape the scope, authority and symbolic form through which sociology envisions the social world. By theorizing metaphors as infrastructures rather than illustrations, the article advances a reflexive framework for uncovering the symbolic foundations of sociological theory. It invites further inquiry into how metaphors sustain theoretical authority, mediate disciplinary change and anchor the cultural power of sociological knowledge.