The Standing Greeting Ritual in the Perspective of Cultural in the Perspective of Cultural Mechanisms of Power

Abstract

In this article the concept of cultural mechanisms of power is applied to the analysis of standing greeting ritual. As a widespread and common practice, the standing greeting ritual is included in the processes of reproduction of status which is determined by the criteria of age, gender, official subordination, etc. The concept of cultural mechanisms of power allows to study culture-power relations and to recognise how power «works» for the reproduction of inequality. It is argued that the standing greeting ritual is a way of legitimating social status and status hierarchy.