Ethnomethodology

What is ethnomethodology?

a micro level interpretivist approach developed by Garfinkel, influenced by phenomenology, which studies how people create and sustain social order in everyday life

What does ethnomethodology reject?

ethnomethodology rejects the idea that society is a fixed objective structure that exists independently of individuals (Garfinkel)

How is social order created according to Garfinkel?

through everyday interactions and the shared common sense knowledge of individuals, rather than being imposed from above

How does Parsons explain social order?

through a shared value system that is internalised through socialisation, meaning order is created from the top down

How does Garfinkel challenge Parsons's view of social order?

Garfinkel argues social order is created from the bottom up through everyday interactions and shared understandings

What does ethnomethodology study?

the methods people use to make sense of the world and produce a sense of order in everyday situations

What is indexicality?

the idea that meanings are context dependent and can change depending on the situation (Garfinkel)

Why can indexicality threaten social order?

unclear or shifting meanings can make communication and cooperation difficult (Garfinkel)

What is reflexivity?

the use of common sense knowledge to make meanings appear obvious and maintain social order (Garfinkel)

How does reflexivity help social interaction?

it reduces confusion by helping people interpret meanings in a shared and predictable way

How does ethnomethodology differ from interactionism?

interactionism studies the effects of meanings, while ethnomethodology studies how meanings are produced in the first place

What are breaching experiments?

experiments where social norms are deliberately broken to observe how people respond and restore order (Garfinkel)

What did Garfinkel’s breaching experiments show?

that social order is actively constructed and repaired by individuals rather than automatically existing

What does participant produced order mean?

the idea that social order is created by members of society through their interactions (Garfinkel)

What is a strength of ethnomethodology?

it challenges deterministic views by showing that people actively create social reality rather than simply being controlled by it

Why do critics say ethnomethodology is limited?

it often focuses on trivial everyday details and ignores larger social structures

How do structuralists criticise ethnomethodology?

they argue it ignores how power and inequality shape everyday meanings and social interaction

How do Marxists criticise ethnomethodology?

they argue that common sense knowledge may reflect ruling class ideology that maintains capitalism