Erving Goffman (1922-1982) was a Canadian-American sociologist regarded as one of the most influential sociologists of the twentieth century, known for his dramaturgical analysis of everyday social interaction. His 1961 book Asylums, based on fieldwork in a psychiatric hospital, popularized the concept of the total institution, an enclosed setting such as a prison, asylum or military barracks that cuts residents off from wider society and reshapes their identity through a formal admission process and constant surveillance. His related work on stigma, exploring how people manage social identity when they are seen to deviate from social norms, became a foundational influence on labeling theory in criminology, the view that formal and informal societal reactions to rule-breaking, rather than the behavior alone, help produce and sustain a criminal identity.
Facts
BirthplaceMannville, Alberta, Canada 1 Defining ContributionDeveloped dramaturgical analysis of social interaction, later foundational to labeling theory in criminology 1 Notable Work Erving Goffman
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Informed
Erving Goffman coined "total institution" in Asylums (1961), the concept's originating and defining work.
Sources
1. Erving Goffman - Wikipedia
Lead paragraph, first sentence (birth date)
Erving Goffman (11 June 1922 - 19 November 1982) was a Canadian-born American sociologist, social psychologist, and writer, considered by some 'the most influential American sociologist of the twentieth century.'
Lead paragraph, first sentence (death date)
Erving Goffman (11 June 1922 - 19 November 1982) was a Canadian-born American sociologist, social psychologist, and writer, considered by some 'the most influential American sociologist of the twentieth century.'
Lead paragraph, first sentence (nationality)
Erving Goffman (11 June 1922 - 19 November 1982) was a Canadian-born American sociologist, social psychologist, and writer, considered by some 'the most influential American sociologist of the twentieth century.'
Infobox, Born field
Mannville, Alberta, Canada
Lead paragraph, contributions summary
His best-known contribution to social theory is his study of symbolic interaction. This took the form of dramaturgical analysis
Works section, notable works list
Goffman's other major works include Asylums (1961), Stigma (1963), Interaction Ritual (1967), Frame Analysis (1974), and Forms of Talk (1981).
View the Source2. Wikidata: Erving Goffman
Wikidata Q314471, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source Reader Challenges (0)
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