Categories in Social Interaction

Kevin A. Whitehead is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, USA, and Visiting Associate Professor in the School of Human and Community Development at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. His research uses ethnomethodological and conversation analytic approaches to study recorded talk-in-interaction, focusing in particular on practices through which social categories are used, reproduced and resisted, and on and their intersections with social problems including racism and violence. Elizabeth Stokoe is Professor in the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science at The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), UK. Her research uses conversation analysis and membership categorization to understand social interaction in diverse settings. She is also passionate about science communication and translating research findings for and with public, commercial, and third sector partners. Geoffrey Raymond is Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, USA. His research interests include conversation analysis, the role of talk-in interaction in the organization of institutions, and qualitative research methods.

Chapter 0: Prologue: Why Categories Matter Chapter 1: An Introduction to Categories in Social Interaction Chapter 2: Approaching Membership Categorization Chapter 3: Methodological Principles, Practices, and Challenges Chapter 4: Forming and Making Sense of Actions Chapter 5: Referring to and Addressing People Chapter 6: Taking Turns at Talking and Selecting Next Speakers Chapter 7: Organizing Sequences of Action Chapter 8: Managing Troubles in Speaking, Hearing, and Understanding Chapter 9: Managing Knowledge, Experience, and Entitlement Chapter 10: What Now and What Next? Domain-Specific Applications of Categorization Practices