The article does two things. On the one hand, it provides a theoretical and conceptual framework for understanding global injustice symbols: i.e. events, situations and individuals infused with collective injustice meanings in a global public sphere. On the other hand, it offers a critical discussion seeking to identify aspects of power and politics in their formation and employment. The goal is to demonstrate the relevance of Durkheim’s late work in The Elementary Forms of Religious Life for global analysis as well as to point to some limitations in the way it has been employed by contemporary cultural sociologists. A core limitation is a tendency to balance theorization away from issues of power and politics. Three themes of power and politics of/in global injustice symbols are treated: (1) the way symbolic processes involve amnesia and idolization; (2) how they revolve around meaning adaptation and self-celebration on the part of symbolizing agents; and (3) their implication in de-symbolizing and re-symbolizing activities. Studying globality through the lens of global injustice symbols allows research to combine an emphasis on culture and ideas with a focus on power and politics.
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