Structures of Social Action

by J. Maxwell Atkinson and John Heritage

Book Overview

Bringing together thirteen original papers by leading American and British researchers, this volume reflects fresh developments in the increasingly influential field of conversation analysis. It begins by outlining the theoretical and methodological foundations of the field and goes on to develop some of the main themes that have emerged from topical empirical research. These include the organisation of preference, topic, non-vocal activities, and...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0521318629
• ISBN13: 9780521318624
• Release Date: May 1985
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A classic collection of studies in Conversation Analysis

This edited volume brings together some of the central studies in the field of conversation analysis. Chapters in the various sections address such foundational topics as: Methodology; 'Preference organization'; Topic organization; non-vocal interaction; & 'aspects of responses to other's talk'. The chapters are written by scientists who are leaders in this field of research (e.g., Sacks, Schegloff, Jefferson, Pomertantz, Drew, Goodwin, Heritage, Atkinson, Button, etc.). This collection also includes two classic lectures by Harvey Sacks: one on 'methodology' of conversation analysis; the other a brilliant analysis on the ways in which one's viewing, experiencing, and subsequent reporting of events has 'built into it' the task of presenting one's self as a reliable, reasonable viewer of more or less typical events in the world. This book is an *essential* volume for anyone doing research on (or interested in) how human interaction is structured.