Morality and strategy in Erving Goffman’s social theory

Abstract

In the development of a theory of social order, it is often understood that the moral and strategic dimensions of social action are opposite forces. Thus, Erving Goffman’s interaction theory, which simultaneously approaches both dimensions, has been described as ambiguous, contradictory and even omplementary. In this article it is argued that these interpretations are inadequate, as they do not account for the way in which Goffman redefines the link between morality and social order. Starting from a reconstruction of this conceptualization, this paper purports to explain the relationships between normative facts and strategic action.