People Of Higher Status Research Articles

Status Seekers in India: A sociological study of the neo-Buddhist movement

In every stratified society there are groups of people, mainly from the lower strata, who aspire to rise in social status. In order to realize their aspirations they adopt various means: some change their occupation for one carrying more prestige; some give their children a good education and try to place them in positions superior to their own; some emulate the behaviour and style of life of those whose higher status they aspire to reach; some try to gain admittance to the social circles mostly frequented by high-status people; some change their residence and some surround themselves with status symbols hoping that they will influence the ‘raters’ appraising them. For this process which goes on among various low-caste groups in India, Srinivas, an Indian sociologist, coined a separate term, ‘sanskritization’. With the opening of the doors by many under-developed societies for the introduction of modern technology and industrialization, status seeking has become one of the preoccupations of millions of people.

The Status Factor in Residential Successions

Residential succession is a concept referring to the processes entailed in the displacement of one group and its replacement by another in a residential area. In a large city people seek visible symbols of status, among which are areas of residence. The inhabitants of an area determine its value as a status symbol; in turn, the area gives visible expression to the social status of the people living within it. This connection between personal status and area of residence reflects itself in many aspects of the residential succession cycle. This cycle starts with invasion. People of high status in a minority sometimes invade new areas to demonstrate their social position within the minority. In doing so they give each area they enter a new status among the minority and attract others to it. The established residents in an area may resist invasion by various means and, if the resistance fails, may move from the area in large numbers. Behind both these stages of the residential succession cycle is the anticipa...