Anneke van Baalen, HIDDEN MASCULINITY, Max Weber's historical sociology of bureaucracy.
Amsterdam 1994. Chapter 4 Relations between men: from routinization of charisma to patriarchal
domination over men.
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succeeded in monopolizing first charismatic education and finally membership of charismatic
groups; as a result of this process the 'style of life' made possible by property 'ennobles'.
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Weber employs the concept 'style of life' to construct his concept of 'status group' which is
one of his central concepts. In his definition a 'status group' includes women, who enter it by
way of marriage; it is therefore defined as patriarchal. By opposing 'status group' to 'class',
he conceptualizes an opposition of social and economic differentiations, of static and
dynamic ones. A status group is defined as based on a shared claim to social honor:
'"Status" ("ständische Lage") shall mean an effective claim to social esteem in terms of positive of negative
privileges; it is typically founded on
a) style of life, hence
b) formal education, which may be
a) empirical training or
ß) rational instruction, and the corresponding forms of *conduct
c) hereditary or occupational prestige
In practice, status expresses itself through
a) connubium
ß) commensality
G) monopolistic appropriation of privileged modes of acquisition or the abhorrence of certain kinds of
acquisition,
d) status conventions (traditions) of other kinds.'
66
In Weber's view property can bring social esteem, but monopolization of esteem can also
lead to the formation of groups which are able to monopolize economic power.
67
The conceptual history of status, honor and prestige lies in the concept charisma, which
Weber so often has turned into its opposite that its original opposition to economic routine is
lost and only lifestyle based on wealth is left as a factor which differentiates the two.
Conceptually, though, Weber separates status groups from classes: the former are groups,
which share 'a specific, positive or negative, social estimation of honor', thus social
formations; the latter are 'interest situations' which can only be conceptualized in economic
terms.
This status honor 'is normally expressed by the fact that above all else a specific s t y l e o f l i f e is
expected from all who wish to belong of the circle. Linked with this expectation are restrictions on social
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'The result was a monopolization of charismatic education by the well-to-do, who purposely reinforced this
trend. As the original magic or military functions lost importance, economic aspects came to predominate ever
more.' 'At the end of this development, a person can simply buy his position in the various levels of political
"clubs" as in Indonesia; under primitive conditions it may suffice to organize a rich feast.''It is then not necessarily
property itself that ennobles a person, but rather the style of life that is possible only on the basis of property', ES
p. 1146, WG p. 679.
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'Status groups may come into being:
a) in the first instance, by virtue of their own style of life, particularly the type of vocation: "self-styled" or
occupational status groups,
b) in the second instance, through hereditary charisma, by virtue of successful claims to higher-ranking
descent: hereditary status groups, or
c) through monopolistic appropriation of political of hierocratic powers: political or hierocratic status
groups', ES p. 306, WG p. 180.
67
ES p. 926 ff., WG p. 531 ff.
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