Culture of Solidarity: A Micro-Sociological Analysis of Culture in Interaction

• In Event: 161 - Regular Session. Sociology of Culture 2: The Micro-Dynamics of Creating and Using Meanings

Abstract

I outline the cultural processes that generate solidarity in face-to-face encounters. Drawing on 3000 hours of observations and 45 interviews with firefighters, CrossFit patrons and medical professionals, I perform a micro-sociological analysis of encounters. I find that embodied culture, material culture, common objectives, insider knowledge and collective idiosyncrasies are forms of shared culture that elicit solidarity in encounters. Contributing to our understanding of how belonging processes transpire in face-to-face interactions and in organizations, this research complements macro-perspectives on belonging. Theoretically, I follow Erving Goffman’s prescription for a sociology of “moments and their men;” I call for sociologists to turn our attention to encounters. A renewed focus on face-to-face interaction can help us explicate the foundations of solidarity, enduring community and inequality.

Author

• Roscoe C. Scarborough, University of Virginia