Goffman - Performances

Goffman’s Dramaturgical framework laid the foundations for the study of micro-sociology, gave terms for different parts of everyday interaction and has provided an interesting metaphor with which to look at social interaction. The idea of front stage, backstage and off stage performance made a lot of sense when looking at the role of say a waiter. How he or she might behave when with a customer in the dining room is very likely to be different to how he or she will behave in the kitchen. It seems Goffman’s dramaturgical framework works very well when looking at very dramatic and enacted parts of everyday interaction.

I’m not so sure however, that other parts of everyday interaction are quite so rigid, in fact I would argue that sometimes parts people play in everyday life are sometimes quite fluid. For example, when a friend might interact with another friend, the first friend might enact motherly tendencies that don’t fit the social front or script that we might say shouldn't govern the situation. 

Even so Goffman’s contributions to sociology are unquestionable, his metaphor and/or framework have skipped over the effects institutions of power on everyday interaction. Maybe in an effort to sustain his dramaturgical metaphor or try and break down social theory at a purely micro level, Goffman decided that macro level institutions of power like democracy weren’t too important. Denzin (2002), suggests we need a free discourse that speaks to the forms of life and everyday interaction under neoliberal forms of democracy and capitalism in order to grow the study of social theories.

Denzin, N 2002,  ‘Much Ado about Goffman, American Sociologist, Vol. 33 Issue 2, p105-117, 13p.