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Social interaction distance and stratification.
Wendy Bottero1, Kenneth Prandy
1Department of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Southampton.
The British Journal of Sociology
|August 30, 2003
Summary
This study revives class analysis by examining social stratification through social distance. It maps social interactions to define hierarchy, offering new perspectives on inequality.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Social Stratification Studies
Background:
- Recent calls advocate for renewed class analysis integrating social, cultural, and economic factors.
- Traditional stratification studies often define groups first, then analyze interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore relational or social distance approaches to mapping social hierarchy and inequality.
- To theorize stratification as a social space identified by social interactions.
Main Methods:
- Mapping social interaction networks, including friendship, partnership, and cultural similarity.
- Utilizing differential association to define proximity within social space based on interaction patterns.
Main Results:
- Social distance approaches reverse traditional methods by using interaction patterns to define structure.
- This method reveals social closeness and distance, impacting hierarchy and inequality.
Conclusions:
- Social distance approaches offer a distinct framework for understanding stratification.
- This perspective leads to different theoretical conclusions on the nature of social inequality.