Interaction ritual: essays in face-to-face behavior

"Not then, men and their moments. Rather, moments and their men," writes [the author] in the introduction to his [book], a study of face-to-face interaction in natural settings, that class of events that occurs during co-presence and by virtue of co-presence. The ultimate behavioral materials are the glances, gestures, positioning, and verbal statements that people continuously feed into situations, whether intended or not. A sociology of occasions is here advocated. Social organizations is the central theme, but what is organized is the commingling of persons and the temporary interactional enterprises that can arise therefrom. A normatively stabilized structure is at issue, a "social gathering," but this is a shifting entity, necessarily evanescent, created by arrivals and killed by departures. The major section of the book is the essay "Where the Actions Is," drawing on [the author's] last major ethnographic project, his observation of Nevada casinos.-Back cover.;On face-work -- The nature of deference and demeanor -- Embarrassment and social organization -- Alienation from interaction -- Mental symptoms and public order -- Where the action is.