Bateson's Legacy to Language and Social Interaction Research: The Natural History Approach

• In Event: Perspectives on Social Interaction: Competitive Papers in Language and Social Interaction

Abstract

Bateson’s legacy includes many ideas, for he was a creative and original thinker. The one addressed in this paper is the natural history approach, which has had substantial influence over many social interaction scholars. Bateson brought his assumptions about how to study the natural world into his studies of the social world, and his assumptions still guide much research today. This paper describes the natural history approach and its connection to Bateson; shows the way in which this approach has moved through the communication literature; and discusses the ways in which this approach has influenced interaction scholars writing today.

Author

• Wendy Leeds-Hurwitz, Univ of Wisconsin, Parkside