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

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Description

"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. Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Viking (September 6, 2022)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 368 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0593296702


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 07


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.25 pounds


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.14 x 1.18 x 9.25 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #225,829 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #585 in Popular Social Psychology & Interactions #693 in Popular Culture in Social Sciences #1,683 in Sociology Reference


#585 in Popular Social Psychology & Interactions:


#693 in Popular Culture in Social Sciences:


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If you place your order now, the estimated arrival date for this product is: Wednesday, Aug 27

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Top Amazon Reviews


  • 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.
Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2022 by fackchekur

  • Culture consciousness
An interesting read with some succinct summarizations but the writing style is difficult to digest. Just like the previous sentence.
Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2023 by FB

  • Fun insightful read
A fun dissection on how status plays a part in our culture and formation of trends. Definitely recommend this book.
Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2022 by Coral

  • "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. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2022 by Brian

  • Top notch
Provides new insights - not the same old recycled biz book-
Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2022 by Miriam

  • mostly boring?
I hoped for exciting revelations about our culture, a lot of "wow, I didn't realize that!" but didn't get it. Instead, I realized a lot of these things I had learned in an intro to sociology class many years ago. The author is knowledgeable about the topics but doesn't really bring things to life as he discusses them. I've stopped on page 224 and am bookmarking it to come back to later, for now I've had enough and have several more promising reads waiting on my bookshelf ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2024 by Brian L Mitchell

  • Thorough and unoriginal--a recipe for tedium
My headline summarizes my reaction.
Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2022 by Always Reading

  • ZZZZZ
Fascinating subject but read like a term paper.
Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2024 by Ladida

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