"Role" as an Interactional Device

Abstract

This paper reports on an aspect of the social organization of interaction, namely, the use by interactants of the concept “role.” In contrast with traditional social scientific uses of the concept as an explanatory resource in the analysis of social action, I propose that interactants use this concept to make sense of—as well as accomplish— actions and activities in the social world. Analysis of segments of conversation taken from videotapes of the Iran-Contra Congressional hearings demonstrate this as well as the more general point that description is a form of social action.

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