SOC 302 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Harold Garfinkel, Ethnomethodology, Conversation Analysis
Document Summary
Social interaction - process by which we act and react to those around us. Goffman believed that sociologists needed to concern themselves with seemingly trivial aspects of social behavior. Argued that the study of apparently insignificant forms of social interaction is of major importance in sociology and is one of the most absorbing of all areas of sociology investigation. First, our day to day routines give structure and form to what we do and we can learn a great deal from studying them. Second, study of everyday life reveals to us how humans can act creatively to shape reality. Individuals have agency, the ability to act, think and make choices independently. Third, studying social interaction in everyday life sheds light on larger social systems and institutions. Edward t. hall - personal space - physical space individuals maintain between themselves and others. There are cultural differences in the definition of personal space. Hall distinguished 4 zones of personal space.
