2022/02/08 by Ellis P. Monk · 5 citations
Social Sciences · #Gender Diversity and Inequality #Gender Politics and Representation #Social and Cultural Dynamics
paper · pdf · doi:10.1177/07352751221076863
openalex publication_date 2022/02/08 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
The study of social inequality and stratification (e.g., ethnoracial and gender) has long been at the core of sociology and the social sciences. In this article, I argue that certain tendencies have become entrenched in our dominant paradigm that leave many researchers pursuing coarse-grained analyses of how difference relates to inequality. Centrally, despite the importance of categories and categorization for how researchers study social inequality, contemporary (as opposed to classical) theories of categories are poorly integrated into conventional research. I contend that the widespread and often unquestioned use of state categories as categories of analysis reinforces these tendencies. Using research on colorism as an inspiration, I highlight several components of what I call the infracategorical model of inequalit y, which urges researchers to disaggregate difference by shifting our focus from membership in (nominal) categories to the cues of categories, membership in subcategories, and perceived typicality.