SOC101Y1 Lecture 4: Lecture 4 Jan 30th 2012 SOC358H1 Professor Lee
Document Summary
Barrier to social intercourse with outside world -> total institutions create ways of being enclosed. Free departure is prohibited -> can t leave, very different from things like church, where you can leave whenever you want. Agency, the freedom to do what you choose is restrained in total institutions: goffman uses many synonyms in his work, very stream-of-consciousness. Legacy of the chicago school, uncovering nuance in everyday life. Breakdown of barriers typically separating sleep, play, and work -> segregated spheres of life, but they are collapsed into one place and overseen and controlled. Each phase occurs in the company of large groups of others who are in the same social situation or conditions. Daily life is tightly scheduled and regulated. All activities are supposedly advancing official aims of the institutions. Reasons for entering these institution varies across the board. Goffman is trying to explore the relationship between these two roles, not just talking about prisons.
