Drawing on What You Have Learned About City Road from the Making Social Lives Dvd and Learning Companion 1, Describe How Material Things Help Create Winnerscompare and Contrast the Views of Goffman and Foucault on How Social Order Is Produced.

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Compare and contrast the views of Goffman and Foucault on how social order is produced. Social order is described as ‘a stable social situation in which connections are maintained without change, or else change occurs in a predictable way’ (Taylor, 2009, p.173). Social order is often taken for granted as a part of everyday life and only becomes apparent when it is disrupted in some way, for example, a road traffic accident. Goffman and Foucault are both concerned with the question, “How is society made and remade?” In particular, both are interested in how social order is produced and reproduced. The two theorists examine the question in their own ways and put forward two very different theories. An example in which the views of Goffman, (a Canadian born socialist), and Foucault, ( a French philosopher and social theorist) can be seen, is by relating them to the regulation of traffic, and the improvement of social life through design of space, as presented in the views of the Buchanan Report and Monderman’s Thesis (Silva, 2009, p.326-336). Goffman theorises that social order is produced through the everyday actions and interactions of people. He chose to study people and their performances and interactions; involving himself as a participant observer in different social situations. Goffman suggests that all actions are social performances which aim to create the desired impression of the self to others; the audience. He uses the front stage in a theatre as an example, stating people act out specific roles in everyday life. Whilst working in restaurants or hotels, personal interactions with others showed Goffman how social order is made. He noticed people acted in different ways whilst ‘front stage’ by being courteous to others and performing in a respectful way to deliver a service. Once ‘back stage’, people appeared more relaxed, rid themselves of their

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