Abstract
Since the 1940s Harold Garfinkel developed ethnomethodology as a distinctive sociological attitude. This sociological attitude turns the focus of the analysis of interaction to the actor’s perspective. It suggests that interaction is ongoingly produced through actions that are organized in a retrospective and prospective fashion. The ethnomethodological analysis of interaction therefore investigates how actors produce their actions in light of their analysis of immediately prior actions and in anticipation of possible next actions. Ethnomethodologists describe the relationship of actions emerging from this analysis as “sequential”. This article discusses how Garfinkel’s description of practical action as “experiment in miniature” can be seen as a precursor to the concept of “sequentiality” that defines today’s ethnomethodological analysis of interaction. Having discussed the intellectual background to ethnomethodology the article briefly explores two fragments of interaction audio-/video-recorded in a museum and an optometric consultation to illustrate the key concerns of this kind of analysis. The article closes with a short reflection on current developments in ethnomethodology and their relationship to sociology.
Highlights
Since the 1940s, Harold Garfinkel developed a sociological attitude known as ethnomethodology that is suited to study interaction
Today the ethnomethodological analysis of interaction is largely associated with ethnomethodological ethnography (Dingwall 1981; Duck 2015), conversation analysis (Have 1998; Psathas 1995; Schegloff 2007) and video-based studies of interaction that explore the organization
This article has argued that over the course of his career Garfinkel has developed a distinctive sociological attitude that provides the starting-point for the emergence of ethnomethodological analyses of interaction
Summary
Since the 1940s, Harold Garfinkel developed a sociological attitude known as ethnomethodology that is suited to study interaction. His analysis is concerned with concepts of the relationship between actor and situation, with the nature and origin of action and with methodological questions This critical examination of the intellectual debates of his time provide Garfinkel with the basis for the later development of ethnomethodology. The studies examine interaction by exploiting the opportunities offered by videorecordings, including the possibility to repeatedly view fragments of interaction, the slow-motion function and the inspection of still frames (Heath et al 2010; Knoblauch et al 2015; vom Lehn 2018a, b) They are grounded in ethnomethodology and use the methodological tools developed by conversation analysts, in particular the use of transcripts as an aid to uncover the sequential organization of action. The score written in the record form enables optometrists to compare the client’s ability to see in the distance with a standard client defined in textbooks and by the creators of the vision chart
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
