The Contemporary Goffman

Despite aversion to famedom, idolatry and cults of intellectual celebrity, Erving Goffman was one of the leading and most original sociologists of the 20th century. This book takes him into the 21st century.

The Contemporary Goffman offers a wide range of readings, interpretations and applications of the work of Erving Goffman by a host of international scholars. Some chapters grapple with the personal background and academic ascendency of Goffman, while others wrestle with his continued relevance to a variety of disciplines and sub-disciplines. Some of the chapters included deal with developments unforeseeable in Goffman's own lifetime such as the invention of the internet and mobile telephones, the rise of global tourism and everyday mobility as well as the emergence of a new cult of individualism, while other chapters locate his perspective within recent developments in social theory such as the recognition turn or communication studies. Some chapters focus on the distinct textuality of Goffman's work, while yet others locate his position within time-honoured paradigms. The book thus offers a contemporary cross-fixation of a one of the most continuously cited and stimulating sociologists of the past century.

The book is edited by Michael Hviid Jacobsen, Associate Professor and Director of Studies at Aalborg University, Denmark. Throughout the years he has written extensively on Goffman's sociology. Moreover, he has edited anthologies and published monographs on the work of Zygmunt Bauman and edited the recently published volume Encountering the Everyday on the sociologies of everyday life.