STIGMA AND THE PUBLIC SELF

In addition to suggesting several ways in which Goffman's work on stigma has been adapted to current problems in the sociology of difference, this article suggests some particular intersections of the sociology of stigma with the sociology of public places. The article is based on several sets of interviews with individuals who come under Goffman's definition of stigmatized, namely, African Americans, people with disabilities, and gay and lesbian citizens. Through interviews centered on public places in general, four areas in particular are singled out and argued to be of importance, as much for what they have to say about the taken-for-granted character of our rights and privileges in public as for what they have to say about how members of stigmatized groups may be treated. These areas are access, membership, debuts, and communication.