Harold Garfinkel: Catalog of a Life Cover Image

Гарольд Гарфинкель: каталог одной жизни
Harold Garfinkel: Catalog of a Life

Author(s): Nona Shahnazarian , Andrei Korbut
Subject(s): Cultural Essay, Political Essay, Societal Essay
Published by: Центр независимых социологических исследований (ЦНСИ)

Summary/Abstract: This tribute to Harold Garfinkel (1917–2011) attempts to situate the U.S. sociologist’s work, and in particular the ethnomethodological approach he developed, in the present state of the social sciences. Ethomethodology is neither a sociological theory nor a tradition in the customary sense of the term. This makes it more difficult to appreciate Garfinkel’s legacy as a unified project. In order to overcome this difficulty, the paper uses the metaphor of a catalog or, more precisely, a series of differently organized catalogs. First and most important among these is an inventory of Gafinkel’s research, beginning with his doctoral dissertation. The second is a catalog of ethnomethodological studies carried out by his colleagues and students. The third includes the sources, authors, and books that Garfinkel continuously returned to in his intellectual endeavor. Far from being exhaustive or final, this list aims, rather, to convey the spirit of ethnomethodology, whose effectiveness was proven in every one of Garfinkel’s studies. This brief memoir recounts one day the author spent with Harold Garfinkel (1917–2011) and his wife at their house in Los Angeles—the day Garfinkel was invited to join the advisory board of Laboratorium. Intending to interview the sociologist, the author found herself instead having to respond to his questions and received career-building recommendations. The article stresses Garfinkel’s profound passion for his profession as well as the consideration, tact, and respect he showed his students.

  • Issue Year: 3/2011
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 210-217
  • Page Count: 8
  • Language: Russian