Taking interaction seriously: Asymmetrical roles and the behavioral foundations of status

Abstract

Status has once again become a prominent topic in international relations. However, vague, incomplete, and incompatible definitions continue to stifle the development of a cohesive research program. Even the most sophisticated conceptualizations proposed fail to comprehend the full range of status conflicts and ambitions. Current research centers on collective beliefs about the traits that are valued in individual actors, so it especially fails to properly account for status differentiations that emerge through bilateral interactions and for defiant acts that upend local status hierarchies. It also neglects the most intense status infringements: acts and relationships that are humiliating. To remedy this conceptual weakness, this article will first review conceptual work in International Relations and beyond. It will then present an integrated model of two distinct status hierarchies — prestige and role status — and their causal linkages. In so doing, the article will attempt to clarify how “status” relates to similar concepts, such as “authority,” “prestige,” “honor,” and “glory.” The explanatory value of this consolidated status framework will be demonstrated through a more nuanced and consistent discussion of Russia’s seemingly erratic status disputes with “the West.”

Perceptions of China in Central Asia: Findings from an elite university in Bishkek

“…In recent decades, the topic of identity has received increased attention in international politics, as numerous scholars (Allan et al, 2018;Ashizawa, 2008;Hopf, 2012Hopf, , 2016Larson, 2015;Wolf, 2019) have argued that the ways in which people view both themselves and others is of consequential importance regarding cooperation or conflict in international politics. Social identity theory (SIT) posits that there is a stark distinction between 'us' and 'them,' the 'in' group and the 'out' group, the Self and Other.…”

“…Today there are four Confucius Institutes in Kyrgyzstan (Chinese government-sponsored learning centres), which promote Mandarin language and Chinese culture. Since 2019, these Confucius Institutes have sent their language teachers to schools in even the most remote regions of the country, and according to one source close to the Chinese embassy in Bishkek, ‘there is a plan to station one Chinese language teacher in every primary school in Kyrgyzstan’ (Yau, 2021). Every year, hundreds of Kyrgyz also travel to China for university studies, some on Chinese government-sponsored scholarships.…”

Towards a paradigmatic enhancement of sociology

“…Such exceptions notwithstanding, our intention is to use the interaction concept as a paradigmatic core within sociological studies as well as the general orienting factor for the practical application of outcomes from relevant studies. There might be repercussions across other social sciences in which discussions about the key theoretical position of the interaction concept are also on the agenda (Wolf, 2019).…”

A country on the fence: United Kingdom’s perceptions of the status and international agenda of Brazil

“…Qualitative studies of perceptions of status are also important because the asymmetries of prestige can be fuzzy, due to incomplete agreements on the relative importance of nations' attributes (Wolf 2019). By focusing on the intersubjective character of status, this paper analyses the perception of foreign stakeholders in order to advance this qualitative approach to understand status, and fills this gap in the scholarship.…”