It proposes that successful rituals create symbols of group membership and pump up. The randall collins theory of ritual marginal revolution. Collins basic model of ritual interaction has the following elements. Moving beyond a focus on fan violence and hooliganism, i extend and apply ir theory to illustrate the emotionbased ritual experiences of fans of a. Randall collins is professor of sociology at the university of pennsylvania. Interaction ritual chains by randall collins collins, r. Collins 2004 considers conflict situations to be a highdensity interaction ritual p.
The second half discusses how such activities as sex, smoking, and social stratification are shaped by interaction ritual chains. Interaction ritual chains is a major statement by a major scholar at the top of his game. The result of microtranslating all social structure into such interaction ritual chains should be to make microsociology an important tool in ex plaining both the inertia and the dynamics of macro structure. On the microfoundations of macrosociology randall collins.
The conversation starts with a discussion of interaction rituals irs. Chapter 1 the program of interaction ritual theory a theory of interaction ritual is the key to microsociology, and microsociology is the key to much that is larger. Explaining interaction ritual chains baylor institute for studies of. Search for library items search for lists search for contacts search for a library. It proposes that successful rituals create symbols of group. Interaction rituals connected in chains, feeding back on each other emotional energy accumulates positively or negatively over time. A theory of interaction ritual ir chains every interaction is a ritual. Here, collins argues that the ritual dynamics of classbased interaction provide the foundation for the emergence and maintenance of.
Interaction ritual theory helps to enrich our knowledge about a core process of social life. Interaction ritual chains and collective effervescence. The intellectual heritage of weber and durkheim is noteworthy throughout the interview. Collins admits himself as one of the worst of sinners, finding ritual everywhere. Read interaction ritual chains randall collins, the british journal of sociology on deepdyve, the largest online rental service for scholarly research with thousands of academic publications available at your fingertips. A successful ritual generates and amplifies motivating emotions, while an unsuccessful ritual does the. This introduction to a special issue outlines the significance of randall collinss contribution to sociology. View enhanced pdf access article on wiley online library.
A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. It asks whether or not negative emotions produce emotional. Interaction ritual chains princeton university press. Corcoran,3 and kate stocklymeyerdirk4 megachurches have been criticized as super. The first half ofinteraction ritual chainsis based on the classic analyses of durkheim, mead, and goffman and draws on microsociological research on conversation, bodily rhythms, emotions, and intellectual creativity. Every aspect of peoples mental and cultural possessions become charged with significance as a. The title is in part a reference to erving goffmans interaction ritual. If you have access to this journal as a benefit of membership in the sponsoring organization, log in through the member link in the right column. Interaction ritual chains and religious participation1. And yet, argues sociologist randall collins, they and much else in our social. Interaction ritual chains and religious participation. Interaction ritual chains is a book offering rich insights into this core process. One theory that focuses on ritual and emotion is randall collins theory of interaction ritual chains ir theory.
Four sociological traditions randall collins chapters 1 to 4. Interactive ritual chain theory irc is a perspective focusing on the interactions and the emotional input and feedback of individuals within those interactions. A theory of interaction ritual is the key to microsociology, and the microsociology is the key to much that is larger. It is not fair to suggest that collins does not mention the grouphe doesbut he. Its key purpose is to help thinkers clarify, augment and amend their ideas or dispel misapprehensions about them. Interaction ritual chains isbn 9780691123899 pdf epub. In doing this, he creates a highly general theory, but at the cost of specifying ritual as a meaningful concept. Interaction ritual chains request pdf researchgate. Four sociological traditions randall collins chapters 1 to 4 30,481 views.
Building on durkheim and goffman, collinss ir theory was first outlined in the sociology of philosophies. Randall collins theory of interaction ritual chains is widely cited, but has been subject to little theoretical elaboration. This paper examines emotional energy, related particularly to the dynamics of negative experiences. Interaction ritual chains is a major work of sociological theory that attempts to develop a radical microsociology. Sex, smoking, and social stratification are three very different social phenomena. Religion dictionary teaching tools the learning center. We could excise ritual chains, leaving a theory of interaction, and get it about right.
In interaction ritual chains collins 2004, i set out the processual ingredients which make interaction rituals irs succeed or fail, in different degrees, thereby producing different strengths of relationships. Interaction ritual chains randall collins verknupft in seiner soziologie eine konflikttheorie sozialer prozesse, eine. Interaction ritual chains edition 1 by randall collins. Interaction ritual chains randall collins request pdf. Much of it concerns the origins and application of violence, but this blog post on randall collins and his theory of ritual, by xavier marquez, is interesting throughout. Collins argues sex, smoking, and social stratification and much else in our social lives are driven by a common force. Collinss 2010 theory of interaction rituals may be especially relevant for the study of religion as religious interaction rituals typically entail all four ritual ingre. Interaction ritual ir is a causal mechanism by which variations in mutual focus of attention and rhythmic entrainment transmute shared mood into collective effervescence. Randall collins, interaction ritual chains emotional energy ee is the allpurpose term collins uses to talk about the emotions and moods that motivate anger, righteousness, joy, pride, etc. The question i am most frequently asked about interaction ritual ir theory is whether new electronic media are changing t.
Successful irs generate emotional energy eehigh levels of confidence, enthusiasm, and initiative. In this animated video, we use the concepts line, face, and expressive order to illustrate how erving goffman explains social interaction in everyday life. It proposes that successful rituals create symbols. Interaction ritual chains randall collins published by princeton university press collins, randall. I have presented evidence elsewhere collins 2004 that ordinary non. Collins identifies several organisational and technological developments that have facilitated this process. Explaining interaction ritual chains in american megachurches1 james k. His interaction ritual chains is a major work of sociological theory that attempts to develop a radical microsociology. For example, many armed organisations tend to draft new recruits as groups of friends and family members rather than solitary individuals in order to benefit from their already existing interaction ritual chains. And yet, argues sociologist randall collins, they and much else in our social lives are driven by a common force. A global theory of intellectual change, four sociological traditions, and the credential society.
I extend collins theory of interaction ritual chains to show that rituals and emotionsmore than identity or coercive advertisingexplain how ethical consumers are mobilized. European journal of social theory sociologizing with. Collins, interaction rituals, ir theory, microsociology, sociology of violence. The smallscale, the hereandnow of facetoface interaction, is the scene of action and the site of social actors.
The first half of interaction ritual chains is based on the classic analyses of durkheim, mead, and goffman and draws on microsociological research on conversation, bodily rhythms, emotions, and intellectual creativity. Developed by randall collins 2004, irc asserts that interactions produce or deplete the emotional energy of participants depending on key factors. One reason for the modest expansion of the theory is the underdevelopment of the concept of emotional energy. The theory of interaction ritual chains collins theory of interaction ritual s finds its initial expression in his ea rly work on conflict theory 20. Pdf randall collins theory of interaction ritual chains is widely cited, but has been subject to little theoretical elaboration. He is the author of eleven books, including the sociology of philosophies. Starting with a parsimonious set of insights gleaned from the best current work in microsociology, the author builds a compelling theory of how these insights can inform models of the behavior of families, communities, organizations, and nationstates. Weberian sociological theory and interaction ritual chains. Taken in its strongest terms, collins theory seems to suggest that ideology is generally unimportant.
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