The Global Sociology Blog

Reviewing an article from Sociological Theory, titled “Celebrity Status,” Tina Guenther of Sozlog, explores that concept in light of Max Weber’s classical development on status in general. The abstract of the source article states:

“Max Weber’s fragmentary writings on social status suggest that differentiation on this basis should disappear as capitalism develops. However, many of Weber’s examples of status refer to the United States, which Weber held to be the epitome of capitalist development. Weber hints at a second form of status, one generated by capitalism, which might reconcile this contradiction, and later theorists emphasize the continuing importance of status hierarchies. This article argues that such theories have missed one of the most important forms of contemporary status: celebrity. Celebrity is an omnipresent feature of contemporary society, blazing lasting impressions in the memories of all who cross its path. In keeping with Weber’s conception of status, celebrity has come to dominate status “honor,” generate enormous economic benefits, and lay claim to certain legal privileges. Compared with other types of status, however, celebrity is status on speed. It confers honor in days, not generations; it decays over time, rather than accumulating; and it demands a constant supply of new recruits, rather than erecting barriers to entry.”Kurzman, Charles, Chelie Anderson, Clinton Key, Youn Ok Lee, Maired Moloney, Alexis Silver and Maria W. Van Ryn. 2007. Celebrity Status. In: Sociological Theory 25:4, p. 347-367.

With Nicolas Sarkozy, we have officially our first celebrity president! There are certainly multiple dimensions of celebrity in his case, I think:

• Celebrity as exercise in power, as in “I can do what I want out in the open and the heck with the rest of you.”

• Celebrity as political distraction, as in “don’t look at the actual policies I am enacting, look at the beautiful woman at my arm.”

• Celebrity as tool for institutional change: the French 5th republic is a parliamentary regime even though it leaves tremendous power to the president as opposed to the Prime Minister (the Constitution was written by DeGaulle for DeGaulle after all)… but the Prime Minister is virtually non-existent and the President seems to be exercising all his prerogatives, in a deliberately very visible fashion.

I agree with your conclusion that celebrity status is a form of capital in the Bourdieusian sense. In France, that status was traditionally not compatible with public office, especially for the President and the Prime Minister. Sarkozy is changing that but whether he’ll be successful is an open question.

Update: Chris in Paris, at AmericaBlog, discusses the distraction / inertia as well.