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Interactionism in the Twenty‐First Century: A Letter on Being‐in‐a‐Meaningful‐World
Author(s) -
Fine Gary Alan,
Tavory Iddo
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
symbolic interaction
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.874
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1533-8665
pISSN - 0195-6086
DOI - 10.1002/symb.430
Subject(s) - interactionism , sociology , symbolic interactionism , epistemology , scholarship , privilege (computing) , social science , embeddedness , law , philosophy , political science
Half a century after its crystallization, interactionism faces new challenges. While elements of this theoretical tradition have percolated into the broader field of sociology, some of its most radical promises have been ignored. This essay provides a blueprint for how to approach interactionism today: not as a historical remnant, but as a living tradition with much to offer contemporary scholarship. Yet to do so, we argue, interactionism must develop some of its core tenets, offering more explicit links both to the sociology of culture, and to other areas in sociology. Focusing on our own experiences and writings, we point to ways in which the careful study of interaction can provide a font of ideas for the broader sociological discipline. We address the significance of affordances , situational webs , group commitment , embeddedness , and disruption , and show how such reorientation can help us better analyze oppression and privilege.