Goffman in Dixon. Ethnographer or Performer?

Authors

  • Vincenzo Romania University of Padova, Italy

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13136/isr.v9i2.278

Keywords:

Erving Goffman, ethnography, Emile Durkheim

Abstract

In this article I analyse a little-known part of Erving Goffman’s production: his doctoral dissertation Communication Conduct in an Island Community (1953). I will consider in particular the methodological aspects of the research and the characteristics of the community studied.

The article aims at demonstrating how the methodological discussion of this early work is so accurate, extensive and consistent with the ethnographical canon of the time to allow deconstructing of two typical criticism moved to Goffman: a) the lack of transparency in the specification of the methods of data collection; and b) the loose relationship between data collection and theoretical argumentations (for a review see Lemert, 1997).

Author Biography

Vincenzo Romania, University of Padova, Italy

Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Education and Applied Psychology 

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Published

02.05.2019

How to Cite

Romania, V. (2019). Goffman in Dixon. Ethnographer or Performer?. Italian Sociological Review, 9(2), 235–249. https://doi.org/10.13136/isr.v9i2.278

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Section

Articles