Erving Goffman

"Choose your self-presentations carefully, for what starts out as a mask may become your face."

Erving Goffman (11 June 1922 – 19 November 1982) was a Canadian-born 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, behind Michel Foucault, Pierre Bourdieu, and Anthony Giddens, and ahead of Jürgen Habermas.

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.

What fields or genres did Erving Goffman write in?

Goffman was a sociologist and social psychologist. His work falls within sociology, social psychology, and symbolic interactionism, focusing on everyday social interaction and the social construction of self.

What are Erving Goffman's major or most influential books?

Key works include The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life (1956), Asylums (1961), Stigma (1963), Interaction Ritual (1967), Frame Analysis (1974), and Forms of Talk (1981).

Where is a good place to start reading Goffman?

A common entry point is The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, which introduces his dramaturgical approach to social interaction. From there readers often move to Asylums and Stigma to explore institutions and identity.

What central concepts or themes run through Goffman's work?

Major themes include self-presentation and performance in everyday life, symbolic interaction, stigma and spoiled identity, the social organization of experience or framing, interaction rituals, and the study of total institutions.

Has Goffman received notable recognition for his work?

Goffman is widely regarded as highly influential in twentieth century sociology. He served as president of the American Sociological Association and has been ranked among the most cited authors in the humanities and social sciences.