“Status! Yes!”: Tom Wolfe as a sociological thinker

The journalist Tom Wolfe draws heavily upon sociology in his works, yet sociologists have largely ignored his writings. This article argues that Wolfe’s journalism presents a coherent vision of contemporary society which emphasizes the importance of what has become a neglected sociological concept—status. Wolfe argues that economic expansion after World War II fostered the emergence of new “statusspheres,” and encouraged status competition. Wolfe treats issues of religion, character, and politics within the framework of status. His work should remind sociologists of the importance of status and the role of irony as a stance for sociological analysis. The author thanks Anne Bowler, Kathleen Lowney, and Lawrence T. Nichols for their helpful comments on an earlier draft of this paper.