Draft:Erving Goffman and the Cold War
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 | A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject. (May 2025) |
| Author | Gary D. Jaworski |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Lexington Books |
Publication date | 2023 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Pages | 262 |
| ISBN | 978-1-66693-680-3 |
Erving Goffman and the Cold War is a 2023 scholarly monograph by sociologist Gary D. Jaworski. The book explores the political and intellectual context surrounding the sociologist Erving Goffman’s work, particularly during the Cold War era. It argues that Goffman’s theories of self, interaction, and performance were shaped by the ideological and institutional pressures of postwar America, including his engagements with military-sponsored research and Cold War social science.
Content
[edit]Jaworski situates Goffman within broader Cold War intellectual currents, paying close attention to the 1964 “Strategic Interaction and Conflict” conference at UC Berkeley, Goffman’s ties to RAND-affiliated scholars, and his less-overt political and ethical engagements. Drawing on archival material, conference proceedings, and a close reading of Goffman’s published and unpublished works, the book proposes a reevaluation of Goffman as a theorist shaped by and responding to the ideological climate of the Cold War.
Reception
[edit]Erving Goffman and the Cold War received positive reviews across sociology, intellectual history, and economics.
Christian Dayé, writing in the Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences, called it “a captivating book” that “deserves to be widely read.”[1]
David Lipset, in the European Journal of Social Theory, highlighted the “prodigious research” behind the book that “sheds new light” on Goffman’s life and work.[2]
Stefan Bargheer, in the Journal of the History of Economic Thought, noted the book’s contribution to Cold War intellectual contextualization.[3]
In 2025, the journal Symbolic Interaction published a symposium on the book, featuring essays from multiple scholars responding to its thesis and methodology.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ Dayé, Christian (2024). "Review of Erving Goffman and the Cold War". Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences. 60 (2): 1–3.
- ^ Lipset, David (2024). "Review of Erving Goffman and the Cold War". European Journal of Social Theory: 1–3.
- ^ Bargheer, Stefan (2025). "Review of Erving Goffman and the Cold War". Journal of the History of Economic Thought. 47 (1): 1–2. doi:10.1017/S1053837224000531.
- ^ "Symposium: Erving Goffman and the Cold War". Symbolic Interaction. 48 (2): 1–20. 2025.
Category:2024 non-fiction books Category:Sociology books Category:Books about the Cold War Category:Books by Gary D. Jaworski
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