Ethnic groups struggle for status: The role of religion

• Format: Article
• Language: Russian
• Published: Russian Academy of Sciences, Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology 2012-09-01
• Series: Социологический журнал
• Online Access: http://jour.fnisc.ru/upload/journals/1/articles/8/submission/proof/8-61-14-1-10-20141022.pdf

This article is devoted to theoretical analysis of the mechanisms and factors of ethnic groups struggle for status and particularly instrumental role of religion as a cultural phenomenon. The ideological foundation of ethnic status issues is considered in the perspectives of theories of social stratification by P. Sorokin, M. Weber. The methodological basis for the analysis is F. Parkin’s theory that analyzes two main mechanisms of status change — exclusion and usurpation, and E. Gellner's and D. Horowitz's theories of nationalism. The author comes to the conclusion that the main condition for maintaining (or changing) a special status of ethnic groups by religion are monopolizing resources, legitimating of special rights, and creation of unique cultural traits.