Session Information
Contribution
Erving Goffman can be considered as sociologist of the second generation who has established the topic “interaction” as a research subject. In contrast to the concepts of group sociology and group psychology, Goffman’s interest is focused on encounters between people instead of groups. Encounters are fluid constellation that exist only while members of the encounter are co-present to each other whereas groups still exist between the meetings, without direct interactions. The “Goff-Man” within such interaction tries to present himself/herself as a competent actor.
The interplay of structure and individual course of action is addressed in Goffmans work. Social structures and their rules are given and will bound the individual twofolded: a) as an obligation and b) as an expectation (Lenz 1991,37).
Erving Goffmans frame analysis is characterized through a certain duality with regard to its terminology. The frame analysis is on the one hand a set of formal metaphers that descripe the communication process (e. g. different forms of channels used within the interaction). On the other hand a frame is the interpretation of a social situation through the participants. This frame sets expectations about an appropriate behaviour within this specific situation. In this sense a breakdown of the frame appears when a person does not behave in accordance to the current frame; e. g. when he / she acts informally in a social encounter that is defined as formal.
The presented paper takes a closer look at one of this social encounters, namely 8 intercultural encounters within virtual classrooms between German and Malaysian PhD candidats. Different interpretations are possible and can become visible within the interaction e. g. about the binding character of the event or what topics can be addressed in those classroom sessions. Goffman focuses on these “paramount realities” (Raab 2008) of a situation.
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Goffman, E. (1980): Rahmen-Analyse. Ein Versuch über die Organisation von Alltagserfahrungen. Frankfurt a. M. Lenz, K. (1991): Erving Goffman. Werk und Rezeption. In: R. Hettlage / K. Lenz (Hrsg.): Erving Goffman - ein soziologischer Klassiker der zweiten Generation. Bernu. Stuttgart S. 25-93. Raab, J. (2008): Erving Goffman. Konstanz
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