Interprofessional demarcation is one of the key themes in the study of the professions. This study aims to understand the symbolic resources activated when an elite profession faces challenges to its task jurisdiction from a new, emerging profession. I attempt to answer the following question: ‘How are status symbols used to maintain jurisdictional boundaries between professions?’ I analyzed ethnographic material concerning one of the most elite and ancient professions: Scottish advocates—known as barristers outside Scotland. I found that when faced with competition from other professions, advocates engaged in differentiation through the use of status symbols such as professional dress in and out of court, ceremonies, and everyday rituals. I observed two concurrent processes of differentiation: the maintenance of stability of status symbols and the maintenance of mobility of status symbols, that is, the ongoing cycle of imitation and avoidance, which happens on the boundary of two competing professions. Building on the Simmel effect (1890), I argue that imitation and distinctiveness preserve professional differentiation, and that managing the stability of some symbols and the mobility of others allow elite professionals to maintain their superior status.

中文翻译：

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符号分界：地位符号在保持跨专业界限方面的作用

专业间的划分是专业研究的关键主题之一。本研究旨在了解当精英职业面临来自新兴职业的任务管辖挑战时激活的符号资源。我试图回答以下问题：“如何使用身份符号来维持职业之间的管辖界限？” 我分析了关于最精英和最古老的职业之一的人种学材料：苏格兰倡导者——在苏格兰以外被称为大律师。我发现，当面临来自其他职业的竞争时，倡导者通过使用身份象征来进行差异化，例如法庭内外的职业着装、仪式和日常仪式。我观察到两个并发的分化过程：维持地位象征的稳定性和维持地位象征的流动性，即模仿和回避的持续循环，发生在两个相互竞争的职业的边界上。基于齐美尔效应（Simmel Effect，1890），我认为模仿和独特性保持了专业差异化，并且管理一些符号的稳定性和其他符号的流动性可以让精英专业人士保持他们的优越地位。