Scan barcode
kcvmoundshroud's review
3.0
So, I’m sure this collection of academic essays was groundbreaking when it was originally published. And, it would be fascinating if one were researching the history/evolution of mental hospitals over time. However, to the casual sociology buff, this was a very dense, extremely dated analysis of mid-twentieth century mental hospitals. It certainly had its moments and the author presented his research with candor and objectivity. It just took me forever to plod through, ultimately grateful for how far we’ve come in the treatment of mental illness in the past fifty years.
goldandsalt's review against another edition
3.0
Nicely written. An easy read for theory. I like the micro-level focus and his use of ethnography, but overall not particularly useful for my work.
debabevoir's review against another edition
5.0
Very readable, very interesting. One of the few uni books I'd recommend reading outside having too
kerryrmb's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.5
jaimeled's review against another edition
5.0
It's amazing how what he's written about continues to be relevant to this very day.
lorriemore's review against another edition
definitely reads like a collection of academic articles but also that's what it is! i think goffman is more interested in his audience than many academic writers so despite not having really read anything like this in over 2 years (or 5 if we're talking sociology specifically) it felt quite approachable (but still dry in the way virtually all academic writing seems to be).
content-wise it's a really fascinating read. the essays can be almost painfully detailed but the level of detail and the order of the essays really helps build the overall theory and argument - the broader view of total institutions in the opening essay sets up the frame of reference of the ones that follow it in a really concrete way, especially.
by the end of the last essay you've been given a detailed overview of how psychiatric patients recreate society on a smaller, constrained scale in often extreme circumstances, laying the groundwork for an argument for viewing psychiatric internment as a reflection of a failure of society to adequately handle those who behave outside the expected social norms to the degree that they're deemed insane. i really enjoy how (unsurprisingly) focused goffman is on the social nature of these institutions - at no point does he ever really explore the idea of sanity as anything other than social terms. just really good and interesting stuff even 60 years on
content-wise it's a really fascinating read. the essays can be almost painfully detailed but the level of detail and the order of the essays really helps build the overall theory and argument - the broader view of total institutions in the opening essay sets up the frame of reference of the ones that follow it in a really concrete way, especially.
by the end of the last essay you've been given a detailed overview of how psychiatric patients recreate society on a smaller, constrained scale in often extreme circumstances, laying the groundwork for an argument for viewing psychiatric internment as a reflection of a failure of society to adequately handle those who behave outside the expected social norms to the degree that they're deemed insane. i really enjoy how (unsurprisingly) focused goffman is on the social nature of these institutions - at no point does he ever really explore the idea of sanity as anything other than social terms. just really good and interesting stuff even 60 years on