Status is everywhere. But what is status and what role does it play in politics? As dynamics of populism, ethno-nationalism, and authoritarianism spread across the world, questions regarding status continue to become more important. Materialist or economic, as well as cultural and identity explanations, for these patterns and durable challenges in the politics of inequality often do not suffice - and status is arguably a key missing piece of these explanations. Defined as a collectively determined rank of social value, status is a powerful motivator for both individual and social action and uses symbols as its currency and source of rank and meaning. In this seminar, students will examine questions like: what are the links between social status, politics, and inequality? What is the relationship between symbolic politics and status? How does status relate to and how is it different from, for example, prejudice, resentment, culture, identity, social norms, and economic class? Why and in what ways do people contest status and how can the political allocation of status change? Through this seminar, students can expect to develop a deep understanding of these integral - and yet undertheorized - concepts in politics and leave the seminar with an ability to critically reason and analyze, e.g., different cases of cultural, moral, and identity conflict through the lens of status. We will apply an interdisciplinary approach, with readings drawn from political theory, sociology, psychology, political science, economics, and the arts.
3 units · Letter or Credit/No Credit
Status is everywhere. But what is status and what role does it play in politics? As dynamics of populism, ethno-nationalism, and authoritarianism spread across the world, questions regarding status continue to become more important. Materialist or economic, as well as cultural and identity explanations, for these patterns and durable challenges in the politics of inequality often do not suffice - and status is arguably a key missing piece of these explanations. Defined as a collectively determined rank of social value, status is a powerful motivator for both individual and social action and uses symbols as its currency and source of rank and meaning. In this seminar, students will examine questions like: what are the links between social status, politics, and inequality? What is the relationship between symbolic politics and status? How does status relate to and how is it different from, for example, prejudice, resentment, culture, identity, social norms, and economic class? Why and in what ways do people contest status and how can the political allocation of status change? Through this seminar, students can expect to develop a deep understanding of these integral - and yet undertheorized - concepts in politics and leave the seminar with an ability to critically reason and analyze, e.g., different cases of cultural, moral, and identity conflict through the lens of status. We will apply an interdisciplinary approach, with readings drawn from political theory, sociology, psychology, political science, economics, and the arts.
Offered in Winter 2027 at Stanford University.