La etnometodología

Main ideas and concepts

• Topic introduced: Ethnomethodology—presented as a way to study how people understand and create everyday social life.

Definition of ethnomethodology

Ethnomethodology is the empirical investigation of the methods people use to make sense of and produce everyday social activity.

It examines how individuals organize knowledge about:

• resources
• “normal” actions
• habitual affairs
• customary settings

Key historical / author references

• Harold Garfinkel is presented as a major promoter of the phenomenological tradition in American sociology and as the person who published the foundational discussion of the term in 1968.
• Mauro Wolf (1994) is cited for an explanation of ethnomethodology’s focus.
• The term is said to have been used by Harold Harringer (spelled as in the subtitle; likely confusion with Garfinkel/Harrington) in 1950, connected to interest in everyday “reasoning procedures” or “methods” used in making decisions and carrying out verdicts.

Origin / meaning of “methods” in everyday life

These “methods” are described as based on everyday common sense, not on specialized scientific knowledge or purely formal logical/legal reasoning.

Research aim

To understand the customs of a particular region or society, showing that people do not need scientific knowledge to carry out everyday procedures.

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Core assumptions of ethnomethodology (as stated)

1. Social facts do not determine behavior externally. Instead, social facts are produced through continuous social interaction occurring in daily practical activity.

2. Humans are active agents, not culturally inert. People actively articulate their own procedures to define:

   • circumstances,
   • meanings,
   • and the social situations they are involved in.

3. Dynamic nature. Ethnomethodology is not static; it updates as cultures and customs change.

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What ethnomethodology studies (topics / areas)

• Social action
• Intersubjectivity
• Linguistic communication in social practices

Specific topic list (from the subtitles)

1. Common sense vs. scientific definition

   • Common sense: what “any community” uses.
   • Scientific definition: what an expert community uses regarding events/acts considered crimes.

2. Micro-processes (examples given)

   • Queuing
   • Asking for a discount
   • Asking to speak

3. Language-related studies

   • Development of language
   • How meaning is assigned to symbols in spoken or written language
   • Methods by which meaning is given to specific situations

Overall idea: language ties culture-specific naming/meaning of symbols to daily-life situations and actions.

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Methodological approach (how the research “works”) — detailed instructions

Purpose: explain

Ethnomethodology aims to explain:

• social order
• coordination
• cohesiveness

Primary analytical focus

• Everyday interactions, characterized by the participants’ emotional commitment to:
  • their interpretive procedures, and
  • their expectations

Why it can be used for “any” social topic

It helps the researcher understand:

• imbalances
• communication difficulties
• diagnoses of difficulties
• success/failure outcomes for people in their environment
• how the environment influences behavior
• how language is used within each community

Researcher toolset and role

The researcher uses whatever means are useful, such as:

• observation
• conversation

The researcher reflects reality as it is actually lived:

• how participants act, speak, and behave
• in their daily reality and community

Researcher preparation (role before addressing a problem)

• Keep in mind concepts attributed to “Culón (2005)”.
• A table of five main concepts is said to be shown to help researchers understand:
  • they will be entering the community’s daily life, and
  • they will be participating in / encountering its customs.

Example application described (study / “article”)

• Title given: “The Oxu and the Guayu Healing Rituals: A Symbolic-Cognitive Interpretation.”

How ethnomethodology is “evident” in the study:

• it investigates the community’s customs and how they satisfy daily needs
• it shows the influence of ancestral beliefs on healing in the Guayu community

Contrast to broader society (as stated):

• society generally cures illness by visiting a hospital / health center
• the Guayu community uses healing rituals, shaped by its own beliefs/customs

Overall takeaway: communities develop differently based on:

• their environment
• and the daily needs coexisting within it.

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Speakers / sources featured (as named in the subtitles)

Speakers

• Jesús Hernández (presenter)
• Fabián Hernández (colleague, presenter)
• Sergio Durán (colleague, presenter)

Referenced sources / authors

• Mauro Wolf (1994)
• Harold Garfinkel (foundational work discussed; year 1968 mentioned)
• Harold Harringer (1950 mentioned, as named in subtitles)
• Culón (2005) (five main concepts referenced; subtitle says a table is shown)
• “The Oxu and the Guayu Healing Rituals: A Symbolic-Cognitive Interpretation” (named study/article used as an example)