The “situation” in the sociology of justifications and engagements: An interactionist rejoinder
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This article focuses on a key concept in the sociologies of justification and engagement: “the situation.” We argue that despite the centrality of “the disposition of the situation” in such theorizations, the situation remains under-defined and that sociologists working along these lines would benefit from grappling more with interactional-pragmatist theoretical traditions that focused on the structuring of the situation. Using empirical examples, we outline the intellectual payoff of working through two such interactionist theories—Goffman's interaction ritual theory and the Chicago School tradition of studying forms in motion—and show how such analysis can productively push forward both the empirical study of participation and situational theory more generally.
DOI: 10.1162/ecps_a_00013
Authors: Iddo Tavory, Anders Vassenden
Institutions: New York University, University of Stavanger
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4414091805