Goffman Goes to Church: Face-Saving and the Maintenance of Collective Order in Religious Services

Abstract

This article explores behavioural norms and consequences of their transgression during Mainline Protestant and Catholic church services in the Northeastern United States. We utilize Erving Goffman's essay “On Face-Work” as our primary theoretical orientation. Based on fieldwork conducted at twelve different churches in two Northeastern states, we found multiple types of social disruptions, sanctions, and attempted repairs occurring in services. Our findings highlight the normative complexity of religious services and have implications for a variety of collective endeavours.

Keywords

Religion Goffman Face-Saving Social Psychology Ritual

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