Semiotic Asymmetry: A Sociological Perspective

• In Event: 543 - Regular Session. Symbolic Interaction

Abstract

A part of a larger sociological study of taken-for-grantedness, this paper applies the notion of “semiotic weight” to examine the semiotic asymmetry between the marked and unmarked regions of the social world. Exploring the relations between the ordinary and the special, the typical and the exceptional, and the basic and the derivative, the paper offers a sociological perspective on tacit assumptions and cognitive defaults.

Author

• Eviatar Zerubavel, Rutgers University