Description
Recent scholarship in IR has shown how important status and related sociological concepts are for an understanding of world politics. Aimed at advancing that research program, this panel will explore questions related to status, social closure, and stratification in international society, including: What are the principal modes of stratification in contemporary world politics? When do status politics lead to international cooperation? How do powerful states entrench their privileged position in international governance, using institutions like the Council of the League of Nations or the nonproliferation regime? Why do certain state attributes matter more than others for status recognition? How and why can status symbols be understood as performative practices? To that end, the panel will bring together scholars using diverse theoretical and methodological approaches, including neo-Weberian theories of social closure and social stratification, social identity theory, and practice and performance theories; as well as historical case studies and network analysis. Participants will discuss their contributions and reflect on how to bring the study of status, social closure and stratification to the forefront of IR.
