This book offers an unprecedented, integrative account of the shape of
social order on the microsocial level. Dealing with the basic dimensions
of interaction, the authors examine the major factors which influence
structure in social interaction by applying various theoretical
concepts. Although the concept of microsociology is usually associated
with symbolic interactionism, social psychology, the works of George
Herbert Mead and Erving Goffman and with qualitative methodologies, this
book reaches beyond interactionist theories, claiming that no single
school of thought covers the different dimensions necessary for
understanding the basics of microsociology. As such, the book provides
something of a microsociologist's tool kit, analyzing an array of
theoretical approaches which offer the best conceptual solutions, and
interpreting them in a way that is independent of their specific
theoretical language. Such theoretical traditions include systems
theory, conversation analysis, structuralism, the theory of knowledge
and the philosophy of language.
Providing a distinct, systematic and incremental approach to the
subject, this book fills an important gap in sociological literature.
Written in an accessible style, and offering new insights into the area
of microsociology, it will appeal to students and scholars of the social
sciences and to those with interests in sociology, microsociology,
interactionism and sociological theory.
