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Status and Culture: How Our Desire for Social Rank Creates Taste, Identity, Art, Fashion, and Constant Change

“Subtly altered how I see the world.” —Michelle Goldberg, New York Times

“[Status and Culture] consistently posits theories I’d never previously considered that instantly feel obvious.” —Chuck Klosterman, author of The Nineties

“Why are you the way that you are? Status and Culture explains nearly everything about the things you choose to be—and how the society we live in takes shape in the process.” —B.J. Novak, writer and actor

Solving the long-standing mysteries of culture—from the origin of our tastes and identities, to the perpetual cycles of fashions and fads—through a careful exploration of the fundamental human desire for status

All humans share a need to secure their social standing, and this universal motivation structures our behavior, forms our tastes, determines how we live, and ultimately shapes who we are. We can use status, then, to explain why some things become “cool,” how stylistic innovations arise, and why there are constant changes in clothing, music, food, sports, slang, travel, hairstyles, and even dog breeds.

In Status and Culture, W. David Marx weaves together the wisdom from history, psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics, philosophy, linguistics, semiotics, cultural theory, literary theory, art history, media studies, and neuroscience to demonstrate exactly how individual status seeking creates our cultural ecosystem. Marx examines three fundamental questions: Why do individuals cluster around arbitrary behaviors and take deep meaning from them? How do distinct styles, conventions, and sensibilities emerge? Why do we change behaviors over time and why do some behaviors stick around? The answers then provide new perspectives for understanding the seeming “weightlessness” of internet culture.

Status and Culture is a book that will appeal to business people, students, creators, and anyone who has ever wondered why things become popular, why their own preferences change over time, and how identity plays out in contemporary society. Readers of this book will walk away with deep and lasting knowledge of the often secret rules of how culture really works.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Viking (September 6, 2022)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0593296702
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593296707
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.25 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.2 x 1.2 x 9.3 inches

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(as of Jul 25, 2024 09:07:30 UTC – Details)



“Subtly altered how I see the world.” —Michelle Goldberg, New York…

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Based on 8 reviews

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  1. fackchekur –

    Revelatory
    A whole lot of ideas here that I’ve always perceived on some level, but never thought my way through. Wish I could have read it when I was a 20 year old musician trying to make sense of the world.

    fackchekur –

  2. FB –

    Culture consciousness
    An interesting read with some succinct summarizations but the writing style is difficult to digest. Just like the previous sentence.

    FB –

  3. Coral –

    Fun insightful read
    A fun dissection on how status plays a part in our culture and formation of trends. Definitely recommend this book.

    Coral –

  4. Brian –

    “Status and Culture” is a Disappointing Read
    I loved David’s last book, “Ametora.” I can’t wait to read his latest work and see what he has in store for us this time.While the book provides a helpful overview of the different types of status systems, it feels dry and academic. Furthermore, the book relies heavily on quotations and examples from other writers, anthropologists, and so on. This makes the book feel like more of a research paper than an accessible work of cultural analysis.I think the book would have been better if David had chosen one persona per chapter and written a story about that person’s cultural interactions. For example, instead of providing lots of quotes and examples, he could have written a story about a 25-year-old guy in Berkeley in the 1960s and how hippie and American cultures influenced him. This would have made the book more enjoyable to read and easier to engage with.

    Brian –

  5. Miriam –

    Top notch
    Provides new insights – not the same old recycled biz book-

    Miriam –

  6. Always Reading –

    Thorough and unoriginal–a recipe for tedium
    My headline summarizes my reaction.

    Always Reading –

  7. Ladida –

    ZZZZZ
    Fascinating subject but read like a term paper.

    Ladida –

  8. Anne Mills –

    Treats Fascinating Topics Without Much Verve
    This book discusses subjects that have a whole lot to do with the way we life — status, culture, and class. It should be very interesting, and in some aspects it is. I got some new insights on how status works in our culture, on the diffusion and diffraction of the class system, and on why the outward manifestations of culture seem to have changed so little over the last 20 years. The author also writes clearly (if rather flatly) making sometimes complex arguments easy to follow. But the book isn’t nearly as interesting as it should be. The author relies on a wide range of other authors, which can make it hard to know what view in particular he favors. And the book gets dull: it could be a whole lot more fun if more of our current (and recent) cultural icons were noted and discussed. All in all, a worthy book, but a bit of a chore to read.

    Anne Mills –

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