Social order through a prism: Color as collective representation

Although color has rarely been examined as a sociological topic, the meanin g of color is linked to numerous social domains and serves as a collective representation. Color contributes to social meanings in institutional order s, stratification systems, and identity. While color has some meaning separ ate from its linkage to particular objects, in most cases colors are situat ed. We perceive not color, but colored objects. Any given color has multipl e meanings that are understood in context. Through our examination of a ran ge of domains in which color has social significance, we suggest that the e xamination of this field has considerable promise. We conclude by linking t he analysis of color to the model of cultural formation suggested by Schuds on (1989), focusing on retrievability, rhetorical force, resonance, institu tional retention, and resolution.