Left of Ethnomethodology: The Rise and Decline of Radical Reflexivity

Abstract

The growing recognition of ethnomethodology has come at the expense of one of its most original and promising initiatives radical reflexivity. Although prominent in early ethnomethodological work, the recognition that all renderings of reality including those of the social scientist-are contingent accomplishments has diminished in contemporary studies. I describe the emergence andfall of radical reflexivity within ethnomethodology, the processes contributing to its diminishing role, and the implications of the decline. Because radical reflexivity breaches the taken-for-granted practices of disciplines purporting to describe reality, it is a vital resource for ethnomethodology and sociology generally.