Economic Recovery Was the Main Reason for the Survival of the Nazi State Essay Example for Free

Economic Recovery Was the Main Reason for the Survival of the Nazi State Essay Hitler’s appointment as Chancellor in 1933 brought about the beginning of the end to a brief democratic government in Germany. He worked hard to return to the old Totalitarian rule with himself as dictator, and also for ‘Machtergreifung’ – the seizure of power. Hitler had no intention of sharing power and his aim was to achieve complete control over Germany and to build a German Empire through the Nazi Party. His personality and manifesto were extremely convincing to people of all age groups and people believed Hitler had the power to restore Germany to past greatness. Promises such as the decrease in unemployment levels were also coming true and his totalitarian rule had suppressed all other opposition. Dr. Goebels also played a large part in covering up the horrific truth behind Hitler’s ideology. The propaganda convinced the German people that the violence used, such as the action of the SS, was beneficial to the maintenance of the state. The Nazi’s also began to victimize certain stereotypes so that they would gain more support and shift the blame for any problems onto groups such as the Jews. This also inevitably installed a fear in most Germans. Propaganda was a core method that Hitler used to gain control and support within Germany. The emotion, romanticism and passion behind his speeches and most importantly his rallies at Nuremburg were able to convince the German people about Hitler’s ideology, which some historians would argue is the most important factor when securing the political stability of the Nazi Party. Goebel’s gained the title of ‘Minister of Propaganda’ under Hitler’s government in 1933. As Reichsminister for Propaganda and National Enlightenment, Goebbels was given complete control over radio, press, cinema, and theatre; later he also regimented all German culture. Goebbels placed his undeniable intelligence and his brilliant insight into mass psychology entirely at the service of his party. His most potent propaganda was against the Jews (used as a scapegoat to absorb any problems Germany had). As a hypnotic orator he was second only to Hitler, and in his staging of mass meetings and parades he was unsurpassed. The power that Goebels propaganda had over the German showed just how significant a political figure he was. Persuasive leadership such as this is a large reason why the Nazis managed to stay in power for so long. However it was not only Goebels that had a huge influence over the German people. When taking in to account the strength of the Nazi leadership the personality of Hitler himself should not be forgotten. His charismatic and recognizable personality was the driving force behind the rise of the Nazi’s and even as the reality behind his proposals came out, the supporters were not only backed up by the fulfilment of the economic promises Hitler had made but by the influence of his character. Heinrich Himmler, commander of the SS installed fear into the people of Germany using violence. Hitler has constructed a perfect group of leaders, and their unquestionable authority was key in maintaining the Nazi state. The SS were Hitler’s soldiers in the sense that they swore complete loyalty. We vow to you and the superiors appointed by you obedience unto death. So help us God. † This was the oath taken by SS soldiers directed at Hitler. The SS state induced a fear into the people of Germany through incidents such as the ‘Night of the Long Knives’ in which the SS rounded up and shot around 400 victims, all of which were posing some sort of threat to Hitler. This made it especially clear to Germany the type of response someone Opposing the would get, therefore no one dared to start an uprising, leaving the Nazi’s to thrive on the power they had accumulated. Hitler’s absolute dictatorship gave him the power to introduce extremities of Anti Semitism. The Jews became a scapegoat for Germany’s problems: the defeat in WWI, the problems faced due to the Treaty of Versailles, the increasing communist support, the failure of the Weimar Government and the economic problems. Schoolchildren were being taught how to prejudice against Jews with changes to the curriculum, and racial purity was greatly encouraged. Hitler provided substance behind the anti Semitism making it popular amongst many Germans who were jealous of the Jew’s economic success. The humiliation of the Jews steadily increased and events such as Kristallnacht – in which Jewish homes, businesses and synagogues were looted reiterated all fear felt towards the Nazi’s. Providing a prejudice upon which the Germans could vent their anger took all of the problems away from the Nazi’s, leaving them to be seen as completely positive for the rebuilding of Germany. This was also greatly enhanced by the suppression of all opposition by the Nazi party. Hitler was slowly making Germany into a totalitarian state in hich he was the only person with power. Gleichschaltung was introduced to make Nazism a part of everyday life. It is the complete co-ordination of everything to do with the Nazi regime. Nazi groups were being set up for all works of life including youth groups, secretarial groups, doctor groups and in 1936 a Nazi approved church was founded. Hitler was making Nazism unavoidable and these groups all encouraged Nazi support and ideology. Children were even encouraged to tell on their parents if there was any suspicion that they opposed the policies of the party. Hindenburg’s death in 1934 gave Hitler complete chancellorship and he gave himself the title of Fuhrer. â€Å"Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Fuhrer† this motto was passed around Germany to indicate how Germany was being brought together under one absolute leader with no opposition. However Hitler had to work to gain such unquestioned authority. In 1933 the Burning of the Reichstag led Hitler to claim emergency powers from President Hindenburg giving him unopposed power to make enabling acts. These acts gave Hitler the ability to pass laws without consulting the Reichstag; the second step, after the Reichstag Fire Decree which gave Hitler plenary powers and helped him on the way to a dictatorship. The night of the long knives, as previously mentioned, also eliminated opposition. Ernst Rohm was leader of the SA, and after showing loyalty to Hitler by helping him attain chancellorship, he and his Stormtroopers wanted some sort of reward. Hitler showed how any resistance at all would be treated by killing Rohm and all other SA leaders. Hitler also abolished all trade unions so that there was no possibility of a workers revolution against him. The elimination of opposition had made the Nazis the sole party in Germany making it extremely difficult to get rid of such a prominent part of everyday life. Hitler also wanted to please the people and fulfil his promises so that he would still have popular support. The KDF organisation was introduced to please the working class. It gave them cheap or free holidays and evening classes. The Nazis also avoided heavy taxation and a reduction in consumer goods. This pleased the people and most were thought to be fairly happy with the Nazi’s performance in government. The Unemployment figures fell rapidly from 6% of the population out of work to 0. 04% in 1939. This was being done through labour camps, public works programme such as the innovative Auto-Bahn and the Nazi Party under the Gleichschaltung regime created many jobs. A main policy for Hitler was the self sufficiency of Germany called Autarky. This was a postitive thing for agricultural workers as the prices of goods were fixed. Germany’s GNP rose by 102% and it seemed as if everyone was pleased with the results that the Nazi party was producing, so there was no real reason to want to start a revolution. The economic recovery of Germany in the period whilst the Nazis were in power was very important to ensuring that the people were pleased and still supported the party. However with the removal of all opposition in reality the German people had little choice but to be governed by Hitler, and if they were opposing him; many were to scared to act. The leadership of Hitler himself and main political figures stabilised the Government and sorted out many of the problems resulting from WWI and the weak Weimar Government causing the people of Germany to trust Hitler. All of these factors contribute to show why the Nazi’s stayed in power, despite the horrific truths behind the policies. Many Germans just saw Hitler and the Nazi Party as an answer to the problems that Germany had long been searching to solve.

How Conan Doyle Perceives a Victorian Gentleman in Sherlock Holmes :: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes Essays

How Conan Doyle Perceives a Victorian Gentleman in Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes is a hero, he is also a typical Victorian gentleman. A very important fact about the books is that he was the first detective. This brought him much attention and many people loved this idea. He set the standard and has been copied by others many times. Detectives nowadays are still perceived to be just like Sherlock Holmes. They still have the same mannerisms: for example Sherlock Holmes Detectives nowadays * High Moral Yes. * Money - Rich Usually. * Women Not many of the detectives favour women. * Very clever Yes. * Loner Not many friends * Has a drug problem Many drink, and abuse alcohol etc. This table shows how many detectives nowadays are still very much like Holmes. Holmes was very popular too many people in the Victorian era. He was a brake from normal life, an escape from reality. Many of the men had to perfect and where find it too difficult so would take a break and read Conan Doyle's stories on Holmes. Victorian people needed a break from the hustle and bustle of the streets and daily life so turned to the stories of Sherlock Holmes. At this time in the Victorian era the police didn't have much control. There were many people on the streets and there was a lot of crime. Jack the Ripper was also on the loose and people didn't feel safe. They turned to Holmes to reassure them and comfort them. There was also a rise in middle class educated people. This meant more people were reading so would be more interested in finding good books. As more and more people enjoyed them the word spread, so many more people would by his stories, of Holmes. The first story that I am going to talk about is The Speckled Band. The Speckled Band This is a story about heartless widower, Dr Roylott. He returns with his twin step-daughters to Stoke Moran, to his family's old and country house, where wild animals and gypsies wander on its grounds. One of the girls, Helen, visits Holmes after the death of her sister. She comes to Holmes and tells him the story. She exclaims to Holmes that she came out of the room screaming "the band, the speckled band." Holmes notices livid spots and marks on Helen's wrists made by her stepfather, and agrees to go with Watson to Stoke Moran to investigate. They occupy the bedroom of her dead twin which is located next to Dr Roylott's. Late at night they hear a noise which proves to be a speckled snake going down the bell-pull from Roylott's bedroom.

Domestic Politics and International Relations Essay

I. International relations as venerable subject. A. People were studying international relations before there were nations. B. Kautilya, Sun Tzu, Thucydides, and Herodotus were the first philosophers and scientists to write about international relations more than 2,500 years ago. C. The key fundamental law of international relations states that politics is rooted in domestic affairs. D. The moral law causes people to remain subjected to their ruler and moral law restrains the use of force. II. Methods to investigate the history of international relations are combining logic and evidence, mathematical method and statistical analysis. A. The method of combining logic and evidence or case studies. 1. Knowledge of international relations will be improved. 2. The path to insight is to analyze individual events or, in other words, to develop a case study. 3. Case studies are effective in evaluating the verisimilitude between the theory and practice (action). B. Statistical analysis suggests aims at investigating general patterns among the cases and examines large numbers of events. 1. Predicted patterns should include the probability distribution across the outcomes, not across deterministic results. 2. The method uncovers ideas and key points about the general orderliness of the origin of international relations. 3. In contrast to case study approach, statistical method probes the generality of the hypothesis under investigation, as well as its extreme validity. C. Mathematical analysis ensures internal consistency in arguments about complex relations about variables. 1. Mathematics is claimed to be the best tool for pursuing logical analysis of the complex problems as the alternative contains greater ambiguity and imprecision in meaning. 2. Still many scientists denounce the importance of mathematical method in learning international relations as they argue that ‘the interesting problems of politics are too complex to be reduced to mathematical equations’, but mathematics is exact when dealing with complex problems. 3. Mathematical approach is necessary for linking case study and archival techniques. III. Fundamental insight in the nature of international affairs through effectiveness and combination of key methods. A. Case studies should be facilitated because of their nature unique and not indicative of general laws. B. Productive collaboration with colleagues should be encouraged by combing mathematical, statistical and formal methods. C. The benefits of case studies are well-known, whereas the benefits of logical and mathematical methods are still under debate. D. Nowadays, all three methodologies are used for evaluation how international relations are shaped to domestic politics.

Selling Used Textbooks Online

Textbooks are expensive. With most books costing $100 or more each, its not unheard of for students to spend well over $1,000 on textbooks during their academic career. And once youre done with a textbook, what do you do with it? Some schools offer a buyback program that will take your textbooks back and give you cash in return. Unfortunately, they rarely pay top dollar, which means you might take a considerable loss. A second option is to sell your used textbooks online. This latter option might just put a few more dollars back into your pocket. Get tips on how to sell used textbooks for cash. Where to Sell Used Textbooks There are a number of places to sell used textbooks online. Some of them allow you to sell directly to buyers, and others sell the books for you so that you can put a significant sum of money in your pocket without doing a lot of work.   Before selling any of your used textbooks, you should take the time to compare the different prices you will get from the various outlets that sell books. Of course, you dont want to get too carried away with the comparison if you dont have a lot of time on your hands. There are tons of sites that buy used textbooks; you could spend hours comparing prices on just one book. Youre better off making a list of options and checking those sites in particular.  Some of the best places to sell use textbooks include: BetterWorldBooks: You can sell or donate your books to this site. BetterWorld pays the shipping.BIGWORDS: Get up to 75 percent of your money back when you use BIGWORDs buyback comparison tool.Blue Rectangle: This site pays the shipping when you sell your used textbooks to them.Book Scouter: Use this site to find the website that will buy your used textbooks for the highest price.BooksIntoCash: This long-established site offers fast payment and free shipping to students who want to get rid of old textbooks.BooksValue.com: This site buys used textbooks from both students and faculty.Cash 4 Books: You can receive a payment within three business days when you sell used textbooks to this website.CKY Books: CKY will send you payment within 24 to 48 hours of receiving your used textbooks.CollegeSmarts: You can sell and trade your used textbooks on CollegeSmarts.Craigslist: Craigslist is a great place to sell anything--textbooks are no exception.eBay: On eBay, you can set a reserve and get t he price you need for your used textbooks.eTextShop.com: This site guarantees the most money for your used textbooks. Other perks include free shipping and fast payment.Half.com: This eBay site is a great place to sell used textbooks.Kijiji: This classifieds site is a good place to sell used textbooks and other school supplies.MoneyForBooks.com: Get free shipping labels, fast payment, and other perks from this site.SellBackBooks: This site offers instant quotes and fast payment with direct deposits.Textbook Buyer: You can sell used textbooks, manuals, and other study materials through Textbook Buyer.TextbookX.com: This site pays 200 percent more than bookstores that buy textbooks.Valore Books: Valore is known for having some of the highest buyback prices.

Parvovirus B19 A Case Report And Review Of The Literature

Parvovirus B19 in a renal allograft: A case report and review of the literature. Oramas DM., Patel T., Setty S., Yeldandi V., Cabrera Abstract: Parvovirus B19 infection in solid organ transplanted recipient is an underdiagnosed entity. It is usually responsible for unexplained acute and chronic red blood cell aplasia not responding to erythropoietin therapy. Cases of Parvovirus B19 infection associated with pancytopenia, solid organ dysfunction, and allograft rejection have been also described in the literature. Deterioration of the immune system as a result of the severe immunotherapy favors reactivation of an old infection or acquirement of a new one. We present a case of a 32-year-old woman with one-year history of renal allograft transplant and previous cytomegalovirus infection who presented with chest pain, polyarthritis, pancytopenia and renal dysfunction. Serology for Parvovirus showed a titer of 13.8 trillion IU/ml and CMV 800 IU/ml. Renal biopsy revealed nucleomegaly with focal viral inclusions, along with changes associated with immunotherapy toxicity. Electron microscopy showed capillary and tubular epithelial ce lls â€Å"viral factories† confirming the diagnosis. We conclude that screening for parvovirus B19 should be advised in high risk cases who present with refractory anemia to avoid complication of the chronic infection as fatal rejection of the transplanted organ. Key words: Parvovirus B19, renal allograft, transplant Parvovirus B19 is the predominantShow MoreRelatedPodiatry Rhuematoid Arthritis8124 Words   |  33 Pagesquote its cause as unknown (Adams et al.2008, Maggi 2012). Genetic (tabulated in Figure.1) and environmental factors (for example smoking and pathogenic bacterium) interact (Klareskog 2006, Too 2012). Genetic Involvement Author/s Critique of Literature Genes associated with expression Major Histocompatability Complex (MHC) Presence of the human leukocyte antigens or (HLA) ‘share-epitope’ alleles Newton et al 2004, Plenge et al 2007, Steer 2009, Too et al 2012 Strong evidence behind HLA involvement

Bride Price Modern Day Female Enslavement Essay examples

In the western world, it is common for a little girl to imagine herself walking down the aisle in a beautiful white gown and her father at her side ready to hand her over into the hands of the man of her dreams. However, in Sub-Saharan African societies like Ghana and Uganda, girls dream of the day when a man, along with his family, will come to her father’s house and propose a bride price to perform the traditional marriage rights. Bride price according to Gita Sen is problematic in that it is defined as a payment made by a prospective husband to the family of a woman he wishes to marry (Sen). From Sen’s definition, it is evident that bride price not only highlights the dominance of patriarchy in African societies but emphasizes the†¦show more content†¦From my experience as a Ghanaian, a woman, especially in the rural area, has little to no control on who she marries. This is because in these societies, depending on the number of men who offer a bride price i n exchange for the woman, the woman is married off to the highest ‘bidder’. This act indeed is one of objectification. Isabella Gyau Orhin’s article â€Å"High Bride Price Aiding Marital Violence†, calls to attention that with objectification comes possession and as such when a woman is objectified she is eventually viewed as a possession. Orhin quotes Commissioner Short of the Department of Human and Administrative Justice when he says â€Å"In the Ghanaian society where bride price is unsympathetically high, the man after painfully paying this price is likely to treat the wife more as a possession than a partner in marriage.†(Orhin). This statement clearly underlines the fact that after bride price has been paid to the bride’s family, she not only is objectified but also becomes a possession of her husband and his family. According to Miria Matemba in her note on â€Å"Relationship between Domestic Violence and Bride price† during the International Conference on Bride Price, she explained that after paying a high bride price for a woman, men think that they have p roperty rights over their wives since they made payments in exchange for them and in turn ‘bought’ them like they would any item form a shop (Matembe). From my perspective, when a woman isShow MoreRelatedSlavery : The Old Testament4666 Words   |  19 PagesSlavery in Exodus 21-The Old Testament deemed to be a common practice. Modern readers should gain understanding like other nation, slavery was rampant and flourished in the Israelites, but the biblical slavery is very different from the modern slavery. The old testament lacks slavery condemnation but it has a clear teaching on ethical treatment of slaves, which was part of the culture of the surrounding nations. Slavery in the bible in the time of the Jews was not an exploitation act but rather anRead MoreHuman Rights Before And After Islam4363 Words   |  18 Pagesthat the religious traditions of the Islamic culture has addressed the issue of human rights in totality, the same as Christianity and other religions. The Islamic model of human rights has a particularly striking rigor, relevance and vision to the modern society (Haneef, 2016). The distinguishing and outstanding feature of human rights and entitlement in the Islamic culture is that they have been a natural outcomes of a broader practice of their faith, social behaviour, and deeds; and the fact thatRead More The Marxist Formula in Emechetas The Joys of Motherhood Essay4895 Words   |  20 Pagesto the exploitative, capitalist system used by the British. However, Emecheta also criticizes her tribal cultures oppressive hierarchy, illustrating the Ibo treatment of slaves and of women. So although European colonialism is the catalyst of modern Africaà ­s exploitation, Emecheta points out that a significant level of class-oriented oppression existed in African culture long before the British, the French, the Portuguese, the Dutch, and the Germans ever arrived in Africa. Emecheta criticizes

Erving Goffman Focuses on Form of Social Interaction Free Essays

string(154) " all portrayed as performers enacting rehearsed lines and roles in places that are carefully constructed in order to maximise the potential of deception\." Examine the view that Erving Goffman’s work focuses on forms of social interaction but ignores social structure. Erving Goffman was born on the 11th June 1922 in Mannville, Canada. In 1939, Goffman enrolled at the University of Manitoba where he pursued an undergraduate degree in chemistry; however he then took an interest for sociology while working temporarily at the National Film Board in Ottawa. We will write a custom essay sample on Erving Goffman Focuses on Form of Social Interaction or any similar topic only for you Order Now This was the motivation that he then needed to go on and enrol at the University of Toronto where he studied anthropology and sociology, then after graduating with a degree he began a masters in sociology at the University of Chicago, which was one of the centres’ of sociological research in the United States. In the decade from 1959-1969 Goffman published seven significant books, this was a remarkable achievement, and so has been considered as the most influential sociologist of the twentieth century. The focus of his work was the organisation of observable, everyday behaviour, usually but not always among unacquainted in urban settings. He used a variety of qualitative methods; he then developed classifications of the different elements of social interaction. The assumption of this approach was that these classifications were heuristic, simplifying tools for sociological analysis that did not capture the complexity of lived experience. Goffman was heavily influenced by George Mead and Herbert Blumer in his theoretical framework, and went on to pioneer the study of face-to-face interaction, elaborate the â€Å"dramaturgical approach† to human interaction, and develop numerous concepts that would have massive influence. Goffman mainly concentrated on the detailed analysis of encounters and the norms governing these encounters, therefore the evaluation of face-to-face interactions, paying close attention to the small details of these interactions and discovering things that may seem insignificant yet actually are what structure behaviour and behaviour norms. In doing so, Goffman investigated gestures, such as shaking hands or placing a hand on someone else’s shoulder and facial expressions during interactions. These types of gestures came to be known as ‘grammatical structures’ of social interactions. Social interactions create the world to be a predictable place and saw interactions as rituals, in the sense that ‘interaction order’ as Goffman called it is a social order, when we disrupt interaction we disrupt society. Goffman argued that our interactions give us a sense of our social belonging and our sense of inviolability of people. When discussing social interaction Goffman uses notions from the theatre in his analyses. The concept of social role originated in a theatrical setting. Roles are socially defined expectations that a person in a given status, or social position, follows. Goffman sees social life as though played out by actors on a stage, as how people act depends on the roles that they are playing at that time. Goffman then suggests that social life is divided into regions and back regions. The front regions are social occasions or encounters in which individuals act out formal roles; they are essentially, ‘on stage performances’. An example of this would be within the family between a husband and wife who may take care to conceal their quarrels from their children, preserving a front harmony, only to fight bitterly once the children are safely tucked up in bed. The back regions may resemble the backstage of the theatre, where people can relax and open up about their feelings and styles of behaviour they keep in check when on stage. Back regions permit ‘profanities, open sexual remarks, elaborate griping, use of dialect or substandard speech’. (Goffman, 1959). Thus, a waitress may be the soul of quiet courtesy when serving a customer, but become loud and aggressive once behind the swing doors of the kitchen. Goffman (1959) argued that performance teams routinely use backstage regions for such purposes. This approach by Goffman is usually described as ‘dramaturgical’; that is, it is an approach based on an analogy with the theatre, with its front and backstage regions. However, Goffman is not suggesting that the social world really is a stage, but that, using the dramaturgical analogy, we can study certain aspects of it and learn more about why people behave in ways they do. (Giddens: 268: 2009). In The Presentation of Everyday Life (1959), Goffman outlined a conceptual framework in which any occasion of face-to-face interaction can be interpreted as a theatrical performance. Expanding the ideas of Kenneth Burke, who pioneered a ‘dramatist’ approach. Burke identifies five elements that have to be taken account of in any discussion or analysis of social interaction. The first being act, which refers to what is done. Typical acts such as telling jokes, drinking a cup of coffee and so on are all interpreted, all symbolic displays communicating to the audience of what’s going on. Then the scene, it is the situation, the context, the setting and the props and it is what the actors relate to. The agent relates to the ndividual that carries out the action, they act but with an identity, with an image of self that is presented to the audience. Burke argues image of self is going to relate to the acts that have been carried out and the context in which the act is being carried out. He states that self’s are not things which are not fixed, they are something presented to the audience. Purpose, why do people do things? One reason being bec ause they have motives, they are taken very seriously and are the reason for people’s behaviour. Purposes are not fixed; they depend on what is being carried out. Finally the last element which Burke discusses is agency which is the theoretical points, he claims that the whole lot is realised through language. From these elements Goffman then went on to develop his own ‘dramaturgical’ investigations based on six themes: the performance, the team, the region, discrepant roles, communication out of the character and impression management. Nothing of Goffman’s dramaturgical world is quite what it seems. Rather, people are all portrayed as performers enacting rehearsed lines and roles in places that are carefully constructed in order to maximise the potential of deception. You read "Erving Goffman Focuses on Form of Social Interaction" in category "Essay examples" He then goes on to suggest that as performers people both ‘give’ and ‘give off’ impressions. It has been suggested that Goffman’s dramaturgical world is thus one of misdirection in which general suspicion is necessary; he developed an interest in espionage practices mainly because he recognised these as extensions of everyday behaviour. Goffman then went on to identify five moves in social interaction which are the ‘unwitting’, the ‘naive’, the ‘covering’, the ‘uncovering’ and finally the ‘counter uncovering’ move (1959: 11-27). Each of these moves is designed either to achieve some advantage directly, or to reveal the strategies of other players. These moves are used in social worlds, or as Goffman called them, ‘situated activity systems’. Each is regulated by adopted norms known by system’s members. Rather than concentrating on the production of meanings, the definition of the situation and relevant symbols, as Bulmer advocated, Goffman proposed the study of ‘strategic interaction’ using the vocabulary outlined above. However, for reasons which are uncertain, neither Goffman nor anyone else developed this proposal, and the relationship between symbolic interactionism and strategic interaction has been largely ignored. For Goffman, the concern between the individual and society was through ritual. Goffman’s use of ritual was indebted to Durkheim; arguing that the ‘self’ in modern society becomes a sacred object in the same way that the collective symbols of more primitive societies, operated in Durkheim’s â€Å"The Elementary Forms of Religious Life†. The ‘self’ as â€Å"sacred object must be treated with proper ritual care and in turn must be presented in a proper light to others† (1967:87). The rituals of modern social life that individuals perform for each to maintain, â€Å"civility and good will on the performer’s part† and acknowledge the â€Å"small patrimony of sacredness† possessed by the recipient are ‘stand ins’ for the power of supernatural entities described by Durkheim (Goffman, 1961:62). As Goffman put it, â€Å"Many gods have been done away with, but the individual himself stubbornly remains as a deity of considerable importance† (1967:95). In Asylums (1961), Goffman analysed the extreme backstages of society, such as the schizophrenic wards of mental hospitals. He proposed the concept of â€Å"total instituations† for places where all aspects of life are subject to all encompssing authority that allows no private backstages for the individuals. Goffman argued that patients engage in resistance through bizarre behaviour which is beyond insitutional controls. Thus, the official social processing of persons as deviant tends to promote further deviance. Mental illness, in Goffman’s view, is not a characteristic of the individual so much as a social enactment, a spiral of violations of the ritual properties of everyday life. Therefore Goffman drew upon his fieldwork to make a point that one becomes labeled as mentally ill because one persistently violates minor standards of ritual proriety. He claims that these mentally ill patients are deprieved of backstage privacy, props for situational self-presentation, and most of the other resources by which people under ordinary conditions are allowed to show their well demeaned selves and their ability to take part in the reciprocity of giving ritual deference to others. This research is familiar to that of Durkheim’s research on suicide, not so much to show why people kill themselves but to reveal the normal conditions that keep up social solidarity and give meaning to life. George Simmel was another major influence for Goffman. Goffman looked at the details of everyday life not simply as illustrations or data for theoretical abstractions, but to provide an accurate description of the social world. Simmel’s concept of â€Å"pure sociation† established the study of interaction as basic to sociological analysis. Goffman continued this tradition in his insistence that face-to-face interaction comprised an independent area of sociological analysis. â€Å"My concern over the years has been to promote acceptance of this face to face domainas an analytically viable one† (1983b:1). These methods that Gofman has used of incorporating the Simmelian micro level of interaction and the macro level analysis of Durkheimian ritual behaviour have been described as empirically electric, for example, in his book â€Å"Behaviour in Public Place†, Goffman noted that the data which he used came from different studies which he had carried, they included ones of a mental hospital, a study of a Shetland Island community and even some from manuals of etiquette which he had kept in a file of quotations that he found interesting. 1963:4). His approach was basically identifying the ways in which individuals in a variety of social contexts accomplished interaction. Thus, he paid attention to speech as well as silence. Goffman expected Frame Analysis (1974) to be his crowning achievement. In this book he stated that he was concerned with â€Å"the structure of experience individuals has at any moment of their lives† and made â€Å"no claim whatsoever to be talking abou t the core matters of sociology-social organisation and social structure† (1974:13). However, this does not mean that Goffman or integrationists generally ignore society and social structures. Goffman’s position was that the nature of society and its structures or institutions is discovered in the behaviours of individuals. He suggested, â€Å"If persons have a universal human nature, they themselves are not to be looked to for an explanation of it. One must look rather to the fact societies everywhere, if they are to be societies, must mobilise their members as self-regulating participants in social encounters. Fundamentally what Goffman is saying is that society frames interaction, but interaction is not dependant on macrostructures. Furthermore, interaction can have a transformative impact on social structures. There is a key point in Goffman’s work, which is that he rejected the classical sociological opposition between the individual and social structure that still retains credibility in current sociological theory. For Goffman, â€Å"individual and social structure are not competing entities; they are joint products of an interaction order sui generis† (Rawls 1987:138). As people in their daily life spend in the presence of others, people are then socially situated and so this social situatedness gives rise to â€Å"indicators, expressions or symptoms of social structures such as relationships, informed groups, age grades, gender, ethnic minorities, social classes and the like†, these ‘effects’ should be treated as â€Å"data in their own terms† (1983b:2). Furthermore, social structures are â€Å"dependent upon, and vulnerable to, what occurs in face-to-face encounters† (1983:246). Although social structures don’t determine displays such as rituals and ceremonies, they do however â€Å"help select from the available repertoire of them† (1983b:251). Thus, there is a sense of â€Å"loose coupling† that lies between that of interaction and social structure. An example which can be used to explain this is that of a small number of males, â€Å"such as junior executives who have to wait and hang on others’ words† in a manner similar to that of women involved in informal cross-sexed interaction (1983:252). What this observation allows Goffman to do is create a role category of subordination that â€Å"women and junior executives share† (1983b:252). It can be said that Goffman does not intentionally ignore social structure; he just does not provide any definition of it, other than to point out their constructed and framing nature. Frames can be seen as basic assumptions enabling people to understand what is going on in any encounter or situation and the interaction enabling the individual to respond appropriately. Frame Analysis is an investigation of what occurs when individuals ask themselves and others, â€Å"what is going on here? † (1974:153). Meaning that Goffman is not dealing with the structure of social life but with the structure of experience that individuals have at any moment of their social lives, when they believe they understand â€Å"what is going on†, they will â€Å"fit their actions to this understanding and ordinarily find that the on-going world supports this fitting† (1974:158). Goffman believes that everyday activities carried out by individuals are â€Å"framed† in different ways, although they are performed sequentially. In conclusion it can be said that Goffman’s work cannot be easily â€Å"placed† in any on theoretical tradition. His work was and remains a constant source of renewal in many different directions for sociological theory, which have been discussed throughout the duration on this essay. Goffman described his work as the promotion of the â€Å"face-to-face domain as an analytically viable one-a domain which might be titled†¦the interaction order- a domain whose preferred method of study is microanalysis† (1983b:2). However, Anthony Giddens (1984) pointed out that Goffman’s sociological analysis still needs to bridge the divide between the micro and macro, between face-to-face interactions and social structures. As his contribution to social theory consists in the idea of an interaction order sui generis this derives its order from constraints imposed by the needs of a presentational self rather than social structure. There are errors in the interpretation of Goffman’s work which have contributed to the misunderstanding of this contribution. Firstly, while the notion of presentational self has presumably been understood, it has nevertheless been re-embedded in the traditional dichotomy between agency and social structure. Consequently Goffman has been interpreted as documenting the struggle between the two; secondly, because of the attention Goffman gave to strategic action, it is assumed that Goffman considered this to be the basic form of action. Thirdly, Goffman has been interpreted as focusing on the details of the interactional negotiation of social structure and fourthly, Goffman is thought to have ignored the important issues such as inequality and institutional constraint. Bibliography * Durkheim E. 1912. The Elementary Forms of Religious Life. * Goffman E. 1959. The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. * Goffman E. 1961. Asylums Harmondsworth: Penguin. * Goffman E. 1963. Behavior in Public Places: Notes on the Social Organization of Gatherings * Goffman E. 1971. Relations in Public: Microstudies of the Public Order Basic Books: New York. Goffman E. 1974. Frame Analysis: An Essay on the Organization of Experience, Harper and Row, New York. * Goffman E. 1983b. ‘The Interaction Order’ American Sociological Review Vol. 48. * Goffman, Erving. 1967. Interaction Ritual: Essays in Face-to-Face Behavior. Chicago: Aldine. * Giddens A. 1984. The Constitution of Society. Berkeley: University Of Californa Press. * Gi ddens A. 2009. Sociology 6th Addition. * Rawls Warfield A. 1987. The Interaction Order Sui Generis: Goffman’s Contribution to Social Theory. Sociological Theory, Volume 5, Issue (Autumn,1987). How to cite Erving Goffman Focuses on Form of Social Interaction, Essay examples