ethnomethodology - Garfinkel

• like Parsons

  interested in how social order was achieved
• unlike Parsons

  Garfinkel didn't believe external social structure was responsible for this

  > social order created bottom up

  > tries to uncover & describe how it happens
• indexicality - placing meanings in context


  -everything depends on the context > meanings not always clear

  -treat to social order as miscommunication can happen
• why is indexicality a threat to social order?

  miscommunication can gaooen
• key study : breaching experiments

  -attempts to expose the rules people impose

  -Garfinkel wanted to show that social order is easily disrupted

  -subjects asked to act like they were in a hotel when at home

  -demonstrated how social order wasn't inevitable, but an accomplishment
• who's theory is this?

  Garfinkel