Where the action is: Three essays

by Erving Goffman

Genres: Sociology

Hardcover

Published January 1, 1969

About the author

Erving Goffman was a Canadian-born American sociologist, social psychologist, and writer, considered by some "the most influential American sociologist of the twentieth century".
In 2007, The Times Higher Education Guide listed him as the sixth most-cited author of books in the humanities and social sciences.
Goffman was the 73rd president of the American Sociological Association. His best-known contribution to social theory is his study of symbolic interaction. This took the form of dramaturgical analysis, beginning with his 1956 book The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. Goffman's other major works include Asylums (1961), Stigma (1963), Interaction Ritual (1967), Frame Analysis (1974), and Forms of Talk (1981). His major areas of study included the sociology of everyday life, social interaction, the social construction of self, social organization (framing) of experience, and particular elements of social life such as total institutions and stigmas.

Reviews

[Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

So this rating is probably a little harsh but I was on the line between 2 and 3 stars and then the author dropped the whole N slur even though he's white. And then there was quite a bit of misogyny, especially the quite shocking "But, of course, females are involved in one kind of action in a special way; they are the fields of play for sexual and courtship action.". However, it was written and published in 1969, so for the rest of the review I'll put this shit to one side.

Mostly, the first essay was far too long, and the writing was convoluted. I felt as if the author was over explaining a really basic concept. The middle essay, On Role Distance, was actually pretty good and didn't even have that much offensive writing. Where the Action is, the final essay, was also probably a bit on the long side due to the many examples and very long footnotes that sometimes took a whole page themselves. I think I understand more about gambling than I do about Where the Action is because of reading this.

I read this because it was recommended to me by my supervisor as I'm doing research on group work. I think I would recommend reading only On Role Distance, as it was actually intriguing. I wouldn't spend money on it though.