A note from the new editor

Abstract

There have been seven editors of Symbolic Interaction: Howard Becker, Peter Hall, Harvey Farberman, John Johnson, Gary Fine, David Maines, and Andrea Fontana. Their work has been inspirational, and I am honored to be in their company. Moreover, with great effort, high standards, and a visionary sense of mission, they have established Symbolic Interaction as one of the premier journals for the study of human conduct and experience. This is a remarkable achievement in light of the journal’s youth and substantive mandate. During my tenure as editor, I will be dedicated to the further advancement of the symbolic interactionist paradigm. I do not favor doctrinaire positions, and my editorship will not be deduced from a preconceived agenda. Like theory construction, good editing is an inductive process. There will be an emphasis on empirically grounded research, but essays that focus on conceptual developments or surveys of the literature will also be welcome. I am comfortable with qualitative or quantitative methods, but empirical work should have theoretical implications, and theoretical work should have empirical implications. I expect the content of the journal to grow increasingly eclectic as it reflects the interdisciplinary and international reach of the symbolic interactionist paradigm. However, I am an integrationist, not a separatist; I want other sociologists (indeed, other social scientists) to recognize and respect the work that appears in our journal. The selection of associate editors is one of the most important ways to signal a transition in editorial policy. My associate editors will be Jack Katz, Virginia Olesen, and Clint Sanders. I have the utmost admiration for their contributions to the field, and I am very grateful for the opportunity to work with them. In addition, I want to thank Andy Fontana for all of his help with making this transition go smoothly. Finally, the value of any journal depends on the quality of its submissions, so let me close by urging you to send us your best work.