Anthropology of Communication: Chicago and Palo Alto Schools

Extract

[...] We distinguish two modes of communication, verbal and non-verbal communication. Explicit expressions come from verbal communication and implicit expressions come from non-verbal communication. We notice that non-verbal communication is more subject to interpretations precisely because we do not put words on it. But verbal communication should not contradict non-verbal communication. Verbal communication can be controlled, but non-verbal communication is hardly controllable. It is said that the syntax of social relations is universal, even if it crosses different spaces. There are several types of interaction. [...]

[...] In fact, Goffman distinguishes the actor (incarnation of the role) and the character (the role). There is an objective existence of social role. They exist beyond individuals. He analyzes the relationship between the two and determines if the actor plays his role well. In fact, the way individuals present themselves for the first time determines the impression we will have of them. When one is in a social game, one can be put at a disadvantage if one does not conform to the imposed criteria in the face of the role one must play. [...]

[...] From then on, we started talking about racism. 2. the Palo Alto school Goffman wrote many books, such as the staging of everyday life or even the rites of interaction. According to him, society is like a theater. Individuals act like actors on a stage and life in society requires staging. So there is a descriptive function like the theater spectator is an interpretive function. In this case, we play a role and in all social situations, we put ourselves on stage. [...]

[...] And we speak of diffuse interaction which is the management of co-presence. That is to say that individuals are not centered on the same thing. The main issue with all this is the need to establish rules of behavior and social norms that guide and constrain communication. Thus, actors adopt different types of behavior such as detachment or condescension in order to save face. All lines of conduct assume a knowledge that we have integrated through education and culture. Individuals obey rules by moral obligation, to behave in a certain way and by social expectations, of what others expect from us. [...]

[...] Anthropology of Communication - The Chicago School and the Palo Alto School The Chicago School was born in 1892 and persisted until the Second World War. It is a school of thought marked by the works of G. Tarde, which have characteristics of its militants. TARDE and R. PARK question themselves on: how the media contribute to favoring a socially already disorganized organization? For this, Goffman and Becker will conduct studies on deviance. Thomas, on the other hand, thinks that there is a process of adaptation, he questions how social groups will integrate a territory (immigrant). [...]