Erving Goffman devoted his career to the structured, intensive study of ‘what’s going on’

Years ago, I thought about writing a post at this website about Erving Goffman, but thought better of it. I thought, “Yes, I find Goffman’s work of much interest, but he wrote ages ago. Who would be interested in Goffman now, these many years later?”

I was wrong. Site visitors proved me wrong. A post that I eventually wrote about how Goffman launched his career with his studies at the University of Chicago turned out to be among the most widely read posts at this website.

When Erving Goffman was a boy

Volume 37, Issue 1 (February 2014) of Social Interaction is a special issue devoted to Erving Goffman.

Among the articles I have read so far is one entitled: When Erving Goffman Was a Boy: The Formative Years of a Sociological Giant. The article, by Sherri Cavan, was first published on Nov. 6, 2013.

The other articles in the above-noted special issue about Goffman are also of interest.

That said, the best way to get acquainted with Erving Goffman is to actually read his books, articles, and his 1982 presentation on the ‘interaction order,’ which he delivered in his role as president of the American Sociological Association.

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