Erving Goffman
Sociologist known for dramaturgical analysis of everyday life.
Erving Goffman (11 June 1922 – 19 November 1982) was a Canadian-born American sociologist, social psychologist, and writer, considered by some 'the most influential American sociologist of the twentieth century'. He is best known for his study of symbolic interaction through dramaturgical analysis, beginning with his 1956 book The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. His work focused on the sociology of everyday life, social interaction, the social construction of self, and the organization of experience, including concepts such as total institutions and stigmas.
- born
- 11 June 1922, Mannville, Alberta, Canada
- died
- 19 November 1982, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- field
- Sociology, social psychology
- nationality
- Canadian-born American
- known_for
- Dramaturgical analysis, symbolic interaction, study of total institutions and stigmas
Lore & Background
Goffman was born in Mannville, Alberta, to Ukrainian Jewish immigrants. He studied chemistry at the University of Manitoba, then worked for the National Film Board of Canada after earning a BA in sociology and anthropology at the University of Toronto. He received his MA and PhD in sociology from the University of Chicago, completing his doctoral dissertation based on ethnographic fieldwork on the island of Unst in the Shetland Islands. His first major work, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life (1956), was inspired by that research.
After a position at the National Institute for Mental Health, Goffman joined the University of California, Berkeley, becoming a full professor in 1962. In 1968, he moved to the University of Pennsylvania as the Benjamin Franklin Chair in Sociology and Anthropology. He served as the 73rd president of the American Sociological Association in 1981–1982. Goffman married Angelica Schuyler Choate in 1952; she died by suicide in 1964. In 1981, he married sociolinguist Gillian Sankoff; their daughter Alice became a sociologist. Goffman died of stomach cancer in 1982.
Reader's Guide
Goffman's significance lies in his development of a comparative, qualitative sociology that aimed to produce generalizations about human behavior, particularly through the concept of the 'interaction order'. He elaborated the dramaturgical approach, viewing social life as a performance where individuals manage impressions. His work on total institutions, as in Asylums (1961), and on stigma (1963) provided foundational frameworks for understanding social control and identity. Goffman introduced concepts such as nonperson treatment and impression management, and his analysis of framing (Frame Analysis, 1974) influenced sociology, communication studies, and linguistics. Though often associated with symbolic interaction, he did not see himself as a representative of that school. His ideas have been discussed by theorists such as Anthony Giddens, Jürgen Habermas, and Pierre Bourdieu, and his influence extends beyond sociology into communication and social psychology.
Did You Know?
- In 2007, The Times Higher Education Guide listed Goffman as the sixth most-cited author of books in the humanities and social sciences.
- Goffman was a cofounder of the American Association for the Abolition of Involuntary Mental Hospitalization in 1971.
- He conducted fieldwork at a Las Vegas casino as part of his ethnographic studies, but did not work as a pit boss.
- Goffman was unable to deliver his presidential address to the American Sociological Association due to progressing illness.
More in Social Scientists And Sociologists 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record