Ethnomethodology

Ethnomethodology (meaning, very crudely, 'small group' methods) is an approach to sociological research that is associated with the work of Harold Garfinkel and Harvey Sacks. It was very influential in the 1970s and 80s for challenging the more abstract types of social theory. Against these, it offered a way of exploring the rules of practice (generally the hidden rules of practice) in small groups. This four-volume set includes selections that discuss and exemplify how conversations, experiments, and observations are used to gain insight into larger questions of social order and social change.