Social Performance: Introduction: symbolic action in theory and practice: the cultural pragmatics of symbolic action

摘要: The question of theory and practice permeates not only politics but culture, where the analogue for is social-symbolic text, bundle everyday codes, narratives, rhetorical configurings that are objects hermeneutic reconstruction. Emphasizing action over its theory, praxis theorists have blinded themselves to deeply embedded textuality every social (Bourdieu 1984; Swidler 1986; Turner 2002). But a no less distorting myopia has affected vision from other side. pure hermeneut (e.g., Dilthey 1976; Ricoeur 1976) tends ignore material problem instantiating ideals in real world. truth, as Marx (1972: 145) wrote his tenth thesis on Feuerbach, that, while different, they always necessarily intertwined. Theory interwoven life, science. In following chapters, we will see powerful actors understand conceptual issues presented this introduction an intuitive, ethnographic, practical way. intense fateful efforts impeach defend President Clinton (Mast, ch. 3), instance, individuals, organizations, parties moved “instinctively” hook their actions into background culture lively compelling manner, working create impression sincerity authenticity rather than one calculation artificiality, achieve verisimilitude. Social movements’ public demonstrations (Eyerman, 6) display similar performative logic. Movement organizers, intensely aware ofmedia organizations’ control themeans symbolic distribution, direct participants perform ways communicate worthy, committed, determined acceptance inclusion larger political community. And during South Africa’s transition apartheid democracy (Goodman, 5), perpetrators’ confessions victims’ agonistic retellings disappeared relatives, displacement, torture