Status and Culture

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

Status and Culture
W David Marx
RRP:
NZ$ 70.00
Our Price:
NZ$ 56.00
Hardback
h229 x 152mm - 368pg
30 Aug 2022 US
International import eta 7-19 days
9780593296707
Out Of Stock
Currently no stock in-store, stock is sourced to your order
An examination of how individuals strive for social status and how this creates our culture as a wholeContrary to belief, status signaling isn' t just the province of the immature or insecure but a fundamental human need to secure social standing. It drives our behavior, forms our tastes, determines what we buy, and ultimately shapes who we are. It' s what' s behind "cool" and what drives fashion, music, food, sports, slang, travel, hairstyles, and dog breeds-and even the outsize influence of unpopular things with the "right" audience. In Status and Culture, W. David Marx weaves together history, psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics, philosophy, linguistics, semiotics, cultural theory, literary theory, art history, media studies, and neuroscience to reveal for the first time the inner workings of status. While there have been some explorations in the past of how status needs affect our individual behavior, Status and Culture seeks to go one step deeper and link the behavior of individuals to the formation of our broader culture. 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? Answering these long-standing mysteries then provides us with new perspectives for understanding the ephemeral and often baffling nature of internet culture. Status and Culture is a book that will appeal to business people, students, aspiring artists, and anyone who has ever wondered why things become popular or why they often feel pressured to go against their personal tastes. The reader will gain an understanding of the general rules that can be applied to everyday life and feel empowered by better appreciating the effect of social influence on their choices.
Praise for W. David Marx' s Ametora: "Wholly intriguing. . . an important contribution to readers' understanding of cultural authenticity, the use of branding in media to sell consumer goods, and how representations of masculinity and rebellion evolve in the consumer marketplace. " -Publisher' s Weekly (starred review) "A fascinating cultural history. " -People "Japan' s exalted status in the fashion department seems like a given now-even non-sartorially inclined folks likely know Japanese brands like Comme des Garcons and Uniqlo or could recognize the trendy look of the Harajuku neighborhood. But perhaps less well-known is the fascinating decades-long dialogue between American and Japanese men' s fashion that Marx skillfully explores here. . . It' s riveting to follow as men swap their austere student uniforms from Japan' s imperialist days for chicer garb, no longer ashamed to care about style. " -Entertainment Weekly "Mr. Marx writes with the understanding of how rich his material is. The scenes and the style trends in his book are not only interesting but often absurd. " -Wall Street Journal "In a step-by-step account, Mr. Marx traces the history of this cross-cultural sartorial phenomenon, from the Brooks Brothers-influenced ' Ivy League' look introduced by the fashion magnate Kensuke Ishizu in 1959 all the way up to Tokyo' s neo-traditionalist designers of recent years. " -The New York Times, Men' s Style section "Uniqlo. Visvim. Comme des Garcons. Ever wonder why some of Japan' s preeminent fashion houses produce blue jeans, penny loafers, and cashmere sweaters? Historian W. David Marx looks into the phenomenon in his new book that explores the cross-pollination between American style and Japanese taste. " -Vogue. com "A fascinating, finely-observed, highly readable history of the wonderfully unlikely rescue of iconic 20th Century American menswear by the Japanese who loved it when we no longer did. I had of course been aware that this had happened, but had never expected to see it reconstructed by a cultural historian of W. David Marx' s very evident skill. " -William Gibson, author of Neuromancer and The Peripheral
W. David Marx is a long time writer on culture based in Tokyo and the author of Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, Lapham' s Quarterly, The New Republic, Vox, and Popeye. Marx holds a BA in East Asian Studies from Harvard University and an MA in marketing and consumer behavior from Keio University.
Status: Indent title, imported to order
ISBN-13: 9780593296707
Published: 30 Aug 2022
Published In: United States
Imprint: Viking
Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
Format: Hardback
Height: 229mm
Width: 152mm
Spine: 23mm
Weight: 595g
Pages: 368

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