Status, Symbols, and Politics: A Theory of Symbolic Status Politics

Abstract

Studies of politics are increasingly attempting to account for status. However, status remains undertheorized in much of that research. This article sketches a theory of status in politics, distinguishing status from prejudice, identity, cultural difference, and concrete threats to interests. It shows how status accounts for some of the apparent effects of these variables or for patterns they cannot explain. I focus on the symbolic facets of status, connecting theories of symbolic politics with theories of status.

Keywords

• status
• symbols
• politics
• identity
• cultural difference