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Social Order through a Prism: Color as Collective Representation
Author(s) -
Fine Gary Alan,
Montemurro Beth,
Semora Bonnie,
Stalp Marybeth C.,
Claussen Dane S.,
Sierra Zayda
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
sociological inquiry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.446
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1475-682X
pISSN - 0038-0245
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-682x.1998.tb00479.x
Subject(s) - sociology , rhetorical question , social order , meaning (existential) , epistemology , aesthetics , social psychology , linguistics , psychology , art , law , political science , philosophy , politics
Although color has rarely been examined as a sociological topic, the meaning of color is linked to numerous social domains and serves as a collective representation. Color contributes to social meanings in institutional orders, stratification systems, and identity. While color has some meaning separate from its linkage to particular objects, in most cases colors are situated. We perceive not color, but colored objects. Any given color has multiple meanings that are understood in context. Through our examination of a range of domains in which color has social significance, we suggest that the examination of this field has considerable promise. We conclude by linking the analysis of color to the model of cultural formation suggested by Schudson (1989), focusing on retrievability, rhetorical force, resonance, institutional retention, and resolution.