G. Smith

A host of concepts linked to Goffman's name such as 'presentation of self', 'total institutions', 'stigma', 'impression management' and 'passing' are now staples in academic discourses. This book traces the emergence of Goffman as a sociological virtuoso, and offers a guide to his sociology and to the criticisms and debates it has stimulated.

Ever since George W. Bush began running for public office in the 1990s, questions have been raised in the public eye about his service in the Air National Guard during the late 1960s and early 1970s -- when countless American soldiers (John Kerry among them) were serving heroically in Vietnam. By the time of the presidential race in 2000, it was...

Scratch beneath the surface of today's culture and you'll find we're not so different from ancient Israel. True, our sophistication, mobility, and technology eclipse anything the Israelites could have imagined. Our worship is far different, to say nothing of our language and customs. Yet if the prophets Hosea, Amos, and Micah were to visit us to...