Ethnomethodology Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
Ethnomethodology (literally, 'the study of people's methods') is a sociological discipline which focuses on the way people make sense of the world and display their understandings of it. As human society is entirely dependent on these methods of achieving and displaying understanding, ethnomethodology (henceforth EM) holds out the promise of a comprehensive and coherent alternative to mainstream sociology. The approach was developed by Harold Garfinkel, incorporating theoretical work by Alfred Schütz.A key feature of the approach is an acceptance of the irredeemable indexicality of all linguistic terms, i.e. words are reliant for their meaning on the context in which they are used. Thus, no description can have an objective status outside the context of its creation. Thus, EM recognises that descriptions (along with other forms of communication) are reflexive to the context in which they are produced. That is to say, not only do descriptions draw meaning from the context, but they are in fact part of the context that is being described.
These recognitions can be both deeply problematic for social theorists and deeply puzzling to those who have not studied social theory. However, ethonomethodologists combine an awareness of social theory with an agnosticism towards it. The EM research strategy is radically empirical, rejecting theoretical speculation in favour of a precise description of social reality.
This is an Article on Ethnomethodology. Page Contains Information, Facts Details or Explanation Guide About Ethnomethodology References
See also