Ethnomethodology by Harold Garfinkel

 

                        Ethnomethodology by Harold Garfinkel

 

 Harold Garfinkel was an American sociologist who was born on October 29, 1917, in Newark, New Jersey, and died on April 21, 2011, in Los Angeles, California. He was best known for his contribution to the field of sociology, particularly in the area of ethnomethodology.

Garfinkel received his bachelor's degree in mathematics and physics from the City College of New York in 1940, and his PhD in sociology from Harvard University in 1948. He taught at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) for over 40 years, where he established the Department of Sociology and became a leading figure in the field of sociology.

Garfinkel's primary contribution to the field of sociology was the development of ethnomethodology, which is a research approach that focuses on how people make sense of their everyday social world and the methods they use to do so. He believed that sociologists should examine the way in which people produce order in their social interactions, rather than taking for granted that social order exists naturally.

Garfinkel's work was influential in the development of other areas of sociology, including symbolic interactionism, ethnography, and critical sociology. He also had a significant impact on the fields of psychology, philosophy, and anthropology.

In recognition of his contributions to sociology, Garfinkel received numerous awards and honors throughout his career, including the Distinguished Contributions to Teaching Award from the American Sociological Association in 1980. He continued to teach and write until his death in 2011 at the age of 93.

Ethnomethodology by Harold Garfinkel

1. Ethnomethodology is a sociological perspective developed by Harold Garfinkel in the mid-20th century. It focuses on how people make sense of and navigate their social world.
2. According to ethnomethodology, people have an implicit understanding of the norms, rules, and expectations of their social environments, which they use to make sense of and act in their social world.
3. Ethnomethodologists study the everyday practices and routines of people in order to understand how they go about making sense of their social world. This includes observing and analyzing the ways people talk, interact, and make decisions.
4. Garfinkel was particularly interested in the taken-for-granted assumptions and expectations of social norms, and how people make sense of these norms in their everyday lives.
5. Ethnomethodologists use a variety of research methods, including ethnographic observation, interviews, and the analysis of conversations and interactions.
6. One of the key concepts in ethnomethodology is the idea of 'indexicality', or the way in which words and actions are given meaning through their context and the situation in which they are used.
7. Ethnomethodologists are interested in the ways in which people produce and reproduce the social order, and how they make sense of the world around them.
8. Overall, ethnomethodology provides a unique perspective on the ways in which people navigate and make sense of their social world, and how they reproduce the social order through their everyday practices and routines.

Ethnomethodology is a sociological perspective that studies the everyday methods and procedures that people use to make sense of and construct their social world. It is concerned with the ways in which individuals make sense of their experiences, navigate social norms, and produce order and meaning in social situations. This perspective was developed by American sociologist Harold Garfinkel in the 1960s and is often seen as a response to structural and functionalist approaches in sociology. Ethnomethodology seeks to understand how people produce and maintain the social order and how they make sense of their own experiences and those of others. It emphasizes the active role of individuals in constructing their social world and the importance of their understanding and interpretation of the world in shaping their experiences. It is concerned with the study of how people make sense of the social world and produce their everyday understanding of social order and organization.

Ethnomethodologists study how people engage in practical activities to produce and maintain social order and the common-sense understanding of social phenomena. This approach views people as active participants in the production of the social world, not passive recipients of social norms and values.

Garfinkel's work challenged traditional sociology by arguing that sociologists had neglected the practical reasoning and sense-making processes of everyday life. He believed that these processes were crucial to understanding how society operates and how people make sense of the world.

The central premise of ethnomethodology is that people use everyday methods and practices to produce and maintain order in the social world. These methods and practices are taken for granted and are not consciously analyzed. However, by studying them, we can gain a deeper understanding of how people create and sustain social order and meaning.

Overall, ethnomethodology offers a unique perspective on the social world and is an important contribution to the field of sociology. It continues to be an influential approach in the study of the sociology of everyday life, social interaction, and the production of social order.

Differences between 'Ethnomethodology' and 'phenomenology'

1. Origin: Ethnomethodology originated in sociology while phenomenology in philosophy.
2. Focus: Ethnomethodology focuses on how people make sense of the social world while phenomenology focuses on the subjective experience of the individual.
3. Method: Ethnomethodology relies on qualitative methods like observation and interview while phenomenology relies on introspection and subjective reflection.
4. Object of Study: Ethnomethodology studies the methods and practices that people use to make sense of the world around them, while phenomenology studies the essence of experience.
5. Understanding Society: Ethnomethodology views society as a constructed reality while phenomenology views it as a shared experience.
6. Approach: Ethnomethodology is a critical and skeptical approach to the study of society, while phenomenology is a more contemplative and introspective approach.
7. Goal: The goal of ethnomethodology is to understand the taken-for-granted aspects of society, while the goal of phenomenology is to understand the essence of experience.
8. Emphasis: Ethnomethodology places more emphasis on the analysis of social practices while phenomenology places more emphasis on the analysis of subjective experiences.
9. Theory: Ethnomethodology has developed into a specific theoretical framework while phenomenology is a more general philosophical concept.
10. Interpretation: Ethnomethodology often focuses on the interpretation of social practices while phenomenology focuses on the interpretation of subjective experiences.