Backstage With Erving Goffman: The Context of the Interview

Abstract

Publishing an interview with Erving Goffman gives one the feeling of taking a look backstage, because it is well-known that he did not like to be interviewed. The act of turning backstage into frontstage is not without consequences for our feelings, which was true for me as the interviewer: It was with a ce:rtain pudency that the decision was taken to open the file of a conversation that took place many years ago. Because it was such a difficult decision, I thought that it would be good to (a) give the reasons for this interview, (b) indicate the context of the interview, and (c) explain tlne topics that were covered in the interview.status: publishe