Die Hausarbeit setzt sich mit der bekannten Methode der 'Ethnomethodologie' von Harold Garfinkel auseinander.
Zu Beginn werden allgemeine Definitionen aufgezeigt, inklusive der Begriffserklärung sowie einige wichtige Angaben zum Autor.
Im Hauptteil werden genauer auf die sogenannten 'Krisenexperimente' eingegangen und Rückschlüsse auf den Hintergrund der Entwicklung dieser Methode gezogen.
Abschließend folgt ein kritischer Blick auf diese Methode sowie ein Fazit mit eigener Meinung im Schlussteil.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
Harold Garfinkel
Ethnomethodology
Phenomenology & Ethnomethodology
Main part
Fundamental Assumption
Intention
Basic objective
Breaching Experiments
Rationality
Reflexivity
Critical View
Conclusion
Objectives & Research Themes
This essay explores the foundations of Ethnomethodology as established by Harold Garfinkel, focusing on how individuals construct social reality through everyday practices and common sense knowledge, moving away from traditional structural functionalism.
- Theoretical origins and development of Ethnomethodology
- The role of phenomenology in Garfinkel's work
- Empirical analysis of social interaction via Breaching Experiments
- The concept of rationality in scientific and everyday activities
- Conversation analysis and the reflexivity of social actions
Excerpt from the book
Breaching Experiments
The term ‘breaching experiments’ used in sociology describes an established approach in the symbolic interactionism and ethnomethodological studies. Hereby implicit social norms are visualized either by exaggerated inherence or by obvious defiance. It is a method to study renormalization, humans acting on disorders in their expectable normal everyday life. Those breaching experiments show off the normalizing practice of interpretive procedures and also the necessity of guaranteed commonplace. I would like to comment on this by taking a closer look at two of the cases depicted in the book.
Case 2 (p.42).
(S) Hi, Ray. How is your girlfriend feeling?
(E) What do you mean, “How is she feeling?” Do you mean physically or mental?
(S) I mean how is she feeling? What’s the matter with you?
(He looked peeved)
Summary of Chapters
Preface: The author outlines the motivation for studying Harold Garfinkel’s work, emphasizing the desire to understand the formal structures of practical action rather than psychologizing intentions.
Introduction: This section provides biographical context on Harold Garfinkel and introduces the core definitions of Ethnomethodology and its relationship with phenomenology.
Main part: The central analysis covers fundamental sociological assumptions, the investigation of intentions, the objectives of the field, and empirical demonstrations through breaching experiments and rationality studies.
Conclusion: The author summarizes how Ethnomethodology refines our understanding of everyday life sciences and discusses how individuals maintain social reality through specific interpretive methods.
Keywords
Ethnomethodology, Harold Garfinkel, Sociology, Social Reality, Breaching Experiments, Rationality, Reflexivity, Everyday Life, Social Interaction, Phenomenology, Common Sense, Alfred Schütz, Conversation Analysis, Social Norms, Practical Action
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this work?
The work examines Harold Garfinkel's Ethnomethodology, a field of sociology that analyzes how individuals use methods to create and maintain their social reality in everyday life.
What are the primary thematic areas?
Key areas include the theoretical roots of Ethnomethodology, the role of phenomenology, the use of breaching experiments, and the various properties of rationality in human decision-making.
What is the main research objective?
The goal is to provide an impression of Garfinkel's theory and to investigate how ordinary social activities consist of methods that make practical actions reportable and accountable.
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The author employs a theoretical review of literature combined with an analysis of empirical studies, specifically focusing on Garfinkel's famous 'breaching experiments' and conceptual frameworks.
What topics are covered in the main section?
The main section covers fundamental assumptions of social science, human intentions, rational properties of common sense activities, and the reflexivity of social actors.
How would you describe the key terminology?
The work is characterized by terms such as 'accountability,' 'indexical expressions,' 'rationality,' 'reflexivity,' and 'common sense knowledge,' which define the ethnomethodological approach.
What do the 'breaching experiments' demonstrate?
They demonstrate how social norms are internalized and how social life relies on 'background information'—when these norms are broken, it reveals the fragility of social interaction and the confusion that arises without shared assumptions.
How does the work explain 'rationality'?
Garfinkel’s concept of rationality is not equated with mere logical success, but rather involves reason-based thinking, such as categorizing, comparing, creating strategies, and maintaining semantic clarity in daily life.
Why is the concept of 'reflexivity' important?
Reflexivity describes the process by which social actors contemplate and interpret their actions during or after a conversation, allowing them to formulate and sustain the meaning of their social content.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Louisa Jonuscheit (Autor:in), 2015, Harold Garfinkel's Ethnomethodology. The Theory and Empiricism of Analyzing Everyday Structures in Society, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/309576
