Institutions, Interaction and Social Theory

From hospitals and prisons to schools and corporations: no matter how large or seemingly abstract, all institutions are ultimately the result of the actions and interactions of people. In this original and innovative text, Gibson and Vom Lehn show the different ways in which studying people's own meaning-making practices can help us understand the role of institutions in contemporary society. Institutions, Interaction and Social Theory takes the reader through the core conceptual foundations of Symbolic Interactionism, Ethnomethodology and Conversation Analysis. Engaging with a rich tradition in sociological thought, it suggests that interactionist perspectives have remained largely absent in the study of institutions, and how they contrast with and contribute to the broader field of research in institutional contexts. With chapters on healthcare, education, markets, and art and culture, this text will be of interest to those studying institutions, organisations and work in sociology and in business schools. It will also be valuable for students of social theory interested in interactionism, and in the challenges and opportunities of connecting complex theoretical discussions to real world examples. "From hospitals and prisons to schools and corporations: no matter how large or seemingly abstract, all institutions are ultimately the result of the actions and interactions of people. In this original and innovative text, Gibson and vom Lehn show the different ways in which studying people's own meaning-making practices can help us understand the role of institutions in contemporary society. Institutions, Interactions and Social Theory takes the reader through the core conceptual foundations of Symbolic Interactionism, Ethnomethodology and Conversation Analysis. It suggests that these rich traditions of interactionism have remained largely absent from the study of institutions, shows how they contrast with dominant approaches in this field of research, and demonstrates the advances that could be achieved through greater attention to their insights and methods. With chapters on healthcare, education, markets, and art and culture, this text will be of interest to those studying institutions, organisations and work in sociology and in business schools. It will also be valuable for students of social theory interested in interactionism, and in the challenges and opportunities of connecting complex theoretical discussions to real world examples"--Publisher's description Contents Series Foreword 1 Introduction 2 Symbolic Interactionism 3 Ethnomethodology and Conversation Analysis 4 Healthcare 5 Education 6 Markets 7 Art and Culture 8 Conclusion Endnotes References Index