Theories Of Dramaturgy

Dramaturgy and its origins

Social interactions in our day-to-day lives are what give society, and the people within it, meaning; this meaning helps us establish the manner in which we interact with others. These meanings are therefore contextual and situational and rely on the individual we interact with, and therefore vary in exact meaning, but are usually already objectified, and socially constructed pre-interaction. We undergo a correspondence between our different meanings until reaching some sort of consensus. These interactions tell us how to respond to our current situation, and more importantly, how to behave in future interactions with a specific individual, or any individual that has similar characteristics; this however becomes
If I stayed with a family in Senegal without knowing anything about the country’s culture, I would have to be constantly symbolically interacting to get a grip on their values in order to fit in as much as possible, and as a result, co-exist respectfully. The natives present themselves and their unspoken social rules to guide me by example. Say I’m having my first meal with this family and it gets to the point where I’m somewhat full; I stop eating even with some food still left on my plate and proceed to wait for them to finish. This is because I grew up in a society where food has some value, but you stop eating when you feel ready to. I then observe that they, however, make sure that their plates are completely clear of food, and then begin waiting for me. It’s at this point that I learn that their value that they give to food is much higher than that which I give to food. So I adapt and finish the rest of my meal and every other one that I have in my time in my time there, whether pleasurable or not. After spending a few months there and gaining their respect, I become very sick. The family insists on taking me to a shaman-healer, and in my sick state I rudely refuse and demand a ‘real’ doctor. This is because in my society, the reality is that shamanism is seen as a cult that uses fictional “chaos magic”. Therefore the social role of a shaman-healer is given very little value in my reality. But through the bewilderment that the family presents me with, I come to learn that it is a highly respected position in their society. So I adapt and give it a chance; the result of which is irrelevant. Whilst shaman-healers are social objects, the idea of shamanism and belief in it is and abstract object. The family and the people within their socially constructed reality defend their belief in shamanism because it’s an idea that has been engraved in their lives. I observe and learn this through