Erving Goffman is hailed by many as ‘one of the twentieth century’s most remarkable practitioners of social science’ (Smith‚ 2006:1). Smith goes on to further remark that Goffman‘s work is ‘enough to signify not only a subject matter but also a highly distinctive attitude and analytic stance toward the social world’ (Smith‚ 2006:1). This claim is perhaps justified when noting the alternative direction Goffman headed in his development of sociological theory in comparison to the founding fathers
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The History of Sexuality Will of Knowledge‚ Vol. 1 Michel Foucault‚ 1976 About Foucault Michel Foucault (1926-1984) is one of the prominent sociologists in the contemporary world. He held a chair at the prestigious Collège de France with the title "History of Systems of Thought‚" and also taught at the University at Buffalo and the University of California‚ Berkeley. Some of Foucault’s major contributions have been in the area of power and knowledge. He wrote frequently for French newspapers
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In his book‚ Foucault identifies the roots of sexuality back to the 1600s‚ where Christian ideology resulted in an augmented interest in sexuality within families. As sexuality began to intensify throughout society‚ ruling classes began to regulate it by seeking guidance from mentors‚ doctors and pastors that resulted in a massive dissemination of discourse on sexuality. Over time‚ sexuality has become rather significant to individuals‚ something that defines them spiritually‚ physically and socially
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In his seminal work Stigma‚ Goffman (1963) analyzes the identity of individuals‚ or rather‚ the behaviour thereof‚ in order to distinguish between what he calls the “virtual” and “actual” social identity. Virtual social identity refers to the version of selfhood that individuals are expected to present in public‚ one legitimized by its social acceptance. The latter on the other hand‚ refers to the self identity individuals imagine themselves to posses in private. To illustrate the difference between
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Power: the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events. While this is the dictionary definition‚ power can be viewed in several different manners. Michel Foucault took a different approach on this concept by developing his own theory on the phenomenon of power through his observations on subjects ranging from school discipline to administration systems. A writer named Jonathan Gaventa described Foucault’s work stating it “marks a radical departure from
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and pervasive’ (Jones & Porter‚ 1994). In the riots CCTV did act as a Panopticon in regards to it allowing for identification after the riots had ended‚ although Foucault stated ‘the major effect of the Panopticon: to induce in the inmate a state of conscious and permanent visibility that assures the automatic functioning of power’ (Foucault‚ 1977). This was not necessarily the case in 2011 as it did not deter people away from partaking in the looting and rioting even though they knew CCTV was
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Michel Foucault’s initial intent was not to analyze the phenomena of power and discourse‚ “nor to elaborate the foundations of such an analysis” (Foucault). His objective was to examine the main aspects of how human beings are made subjects. He came to the conclusion-that in order to understand how individuals become subjects‚ you must acknowledge the power relations within a society. Michel Foucault’s theory of power and discourse was first created/published in his book “Discipline and Punish: The
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(In)balance of power‚ exploitation‚ crime‚ murder‚ probation and prison are only some of the issues Alice Goffman writes about in her book‚ On the Run. Her 6-year research examines the lives of young black men; Mike‚ Chuck‚ Reggie‚ Alex and Tim‚ amongst others‚ growing up in West Philadelphia on what she refers to as 6th Street and their daily interactions and coping mechanisms when confronted with these issues. She describes the trials and tribulations the main characters of her book are faced
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On the Run an ethnographic study by Alice Goffman offers an authentic and appalling view on the lives of black individuals who lives within the streets of Philadelphia‚ specifically young men. These young men struggles to hold on to their dignity and sanity by constantly being on the run from law enforcements due to their illegal acts in order to acquire a livelihood. Goffman spent six years with the 6th street boys gaining her own personal insights‚ experiences‚ and challenges of this issues. The
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Goffman: The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life Goffman dissects the meaning and practice of direct interaction‚ using “dramaturgical” tools and claims that “The entire world is a stage‚ and we but merely players". Introduction Goffman lays out the basic elements of the argument. In micro-interactions‚ every person sends two signals: those they "give" and those they "give off" "The expressiveness of the individual appears to involve two radically different kinds of sign activity: the
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