Ethnomethodology

Ethnomethodology is definitely a new addition to my vocabulary dictionary.. This seems to be a common thing in SOC 250! After exploring Garfinkel's reading, this new concept became somewhat more familiar and I now realise that such a ridiculous word really isn't that scary. 

I stumbled across a reading by Dalvir Samra-Fredericks, who outlines aspects of ethnomethodology's contribution to the study of "face" and the doing of face-work in terms of an interactional accomplishment. This reading was of interest to me because it incorporates elements of Goffman and Garfinkel.

Garfinkel is well-known for his "breaching experiments" and the moral accountability of interaction. Garfinkel's famous words were we all "hold each other to account in terms of a practical reasonableness and appropriateness". Garfinkel talks about the reprimands when "background expectancies are breached and the natural attitude of everyday life is disrupted", and how this can create anger and righteous indignation.  

An example of a breach of the acceptable and localized norms or protocols of interaction is “walking in unison” to a stranger on the street. I found this YouTube which is an experimental video in which a group of people decided to break the unspoken rule by walking next to a stranger on the street at the same pace they are walking.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeGk-NPXu7c

“Strangers on the street do not walk together. Even if travelling at the same speed, people will walk in a staggered formation unless the pathway is too crowded to avoid it. In the event that one person wishes to pass another, the passer will accelerate and overtake the person being passed, who might choose to slow down a bit until the pass is complete. Then both people resume their normal walking speeds.”

Here is the reading by Samra-Fredericks which I'm sure will provide you with insight!

http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.uow.edu.au/science/article/pii/S037821660900335X

References

Samra-Fredericks, D. 2010. Ethnomethodology and the moral accountability of interaction: Navigating the conceptual terrain of 'face' and face-work. Journal of Pragmatics 42, pp.2147-2157.