Knowledge, Meaning, and Social Inequality in Kenneth Burke

In spite of his influence on American letters, Kenneth Burke has little influence on sociology. Those few sociologists making use of his work rely on his theories of dramatism and symbolism. This paper presents an alternative, complementary analysis of Burke. First, it shows he does not distinguish knowledge and meaning as some who use his work do. Next, it shows that although Burke emphasizes interpretations as a cause of action, he sees, interpretative frames as social, external, and constraining, derived from the dominant mode of production. They help legitimate and reproduce the social order. However, because of man's material aspect, reproduction is imperfect.