Ethnography’s Capacity to Contribute to the Cumulation of Theory: A Case Study of Strong’s Work on Goffman

• Published in: Journal of contemporary ethnography Vol. 39; no. 4; pp. 421 - 440
• Main Author: Hillyard, Sam
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.08.2010; Sage Publications; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Case studies; Empiricism; Ethnography; Ethnology; Field study; Fieldwork; Goffman, Erving; Goffman, Erving (1922-1982); Methodology; Productivity; Qualitative research; Research methods; Rites & ceremonies; Social theory; Sociological research; Sociological theory; Sources and methods; Theoretical and systematic contributions; Theory; Goffman; encounter; Strong; ethnography; theory; Case study; Fieldwork; Ethnography; Sociology; Theory; Empiricism; Ritual; Goffman (E.); Ceremony
• ISSN: 0891-2416; 1552-5414
• DOI: 10.1177/0891241610366710

This article discusses how ethnography can contribute toward the development of sociological theory. It uses a case study of one theoretical idea refined through ethnographic fieldwork—Phil Strong’s (1979; 1988) work on Erving Goffman’s theory of ceremony.The article argues that Strong effectively applied Goffman’s ideas to different settings and successfully extended Goffman’s ideas on ceremony. In doing so, Strong demonstrated how ethnography can be more productive in developing theoretical ideas, but this productivity relied on his personal enthusiasm for theory and fieldwork. Strong’s theoretical empiricism provides an exemplar of how theory and conceptual refinement can grow as a result of doing ethnography the right way.