One of the most prominent social thinkers in post-war sociology, Goffman’s work continues to influence scholars in various fields and has also attracted many readers outside conventional academia. He inspired the theory-building of later generations of sociologists and social theorists as well as numerous empirical studies in various social domains.

Goffman’s lifelong interest was the exploration of what he termed the interaction order, that is, the micro social order that regulates the co-mingling of people in each other’s immediate presence. He coined several new concepts (face-work, impression management, role distance, civil inattention, etc.) with which to grasp and understand the complexities and basic social restructuring of everyday life and many of these are now considered standard sociology vocabulary.

Like other volumes in the series, The Social Thought of Erving Goffman is ideal for use as a self-contained volume or in conjunction with other sociological theory textbooks.