Erving Goffman

Contents: Who Was Goffman? - Goffman's Ideas - Goffman in Communication Goffman's Method - Observing the Interaction Order Through Goffman's Eyes.

Yves Winkin is University Professor of Communication at the Ecole normale supérieure of Lyon (ENSL), France, and Extraordinary Professor of Anthropology at the University of Liège, Belgium. His major books include Anthropologie de la communication (1996, translated into Spanish and Portuguese); Erving Goffman: les moments et leurs hommes (1988, translated into Spanish, Portuguese and Japanese); and La Nouvelle Communication (1981, translated into Greek, Spanish and Portuguese). His latest book is Vers une marche plaisir en ville: boîte à outils pour augmenter le bonheur de marcher (2012, with Sonia Lavadinho). His MA is from the Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Pennsylvania; his PhD is from the University of Liège.
Wendy Leeds-Hurwitz is Director of the Center for Intercultural Dialogue and Professor Emerita at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. Among her books are: Learning Matters: The Transformation of US Higher Education (2012, with Peter Hoff), The Social History of Language and Social Interaction Research (2010), Socially Constructing Communication (2009, with Gloria Galanes), Wedding as Text (2002), Social Approaches to Communication (1995), Semiotics and Communication (1993), and Communication in Everyday Life (1989). Leeds-Hurwitz earned her MA and PhD degrees from the University of Pennsylvania.

Winkin and Leeds-Hurwitz have written a superb short introduction to Erving Goffman, especially useful for a wide range of readers in communication and media studies. A brief biography of Goffman illuminates the origins of his unique style and approach. A concise, authoritative overview of his works and main ideas is followed by an insightful reconstruction of his methodological approach and several models and suggestions for extending his approach in communication research. A highly recommended book. (Robert T. Craig, University of Colorado Boulder) Oriented towards communication studies, this book offers a fresh understanding of Erving Goffman's contribution. It stands out for its biographical tracking of the development of Goffman's ideas, for its shrewd appreciation of his methods, and for its attention to the detail and the spirit of his writings. Yves Winkin and Wendy Leeds-Hurwitz aptly capture the temper of the man and the work, reminding us of Goffman's intellectual stature and the continuing capacity of his thinking to provoke thought and animate inquiry. (Greg Smith, University of Salford, UK)

«Winkin and Leeds-Hurwitz have succeeded in presenting a succinct, eminently readable introduction to the work of Erving Goffman [...]. [...] it provides an excellent, accessible, and rich overview of his prodigious output, making Erving Goffman a useful resource for students and researchers alike. [...] This slender volume punches well above its weight and should find a place on most folklorists' shelves.»
(Timothy Tangherllini, Folklore Vol.127 No.3 2016)

«Goffman is an intriguing figure, worthy of study as much as his theories. This text manages to separate the man from his theories, yet it illustrates the powerful relationship between the two and how, together, they constitute a continuing influential presence.»
(Daniel P. Compora, Journal of Folklore Research Reviews April 2015)