This paper examines the various ways in which status has been defined in sociology and identifies some of the limitations of classical concepts for understanding inequality in contemporary societies. It argues that neo-Durkheimian concepts of status rest on untenable assumptions concerning the integrative role of status in the current context of multiple, segmented, and indirect social relations. Neo-Weberian concepts are useful for understanding how evaluations of superiority are used by groups to legitimate social exclusion but are less useful for understanding how collective evaluations of superiority and inferiority lead to inequality among formally equal individuals in competitive environments.
Status theories; Social stratification; Prestige; Contemporaries societies
