Order and Potentiality in Interaction Ritual Theory

Interaction ritual theory is one of the most important contributions of micro-sociological theory, tying together the production of local order and actors’ ongoing projects. Although Goffman replaced the “social” order of classical anthropology with an endogenous “interaction” order, such theory conceives ritual as reflecting and enacting an existing structure. Drawing on recent interactionist work and developments in ritual theory, we complement this understanding of ritual with an account of potentiality. Interaction rituals undoubtedly sacralize the self that is presented in interaction and defend the interaction order within which such selves are enmeshed, yet they simultaneously open up potential avenues for transformation of selves and relationships. Ritual action is strewn with moments in which the world appears not as it is but as it could be: a subjunctive “what if” of social life. We show how focusing on the interplay between order and potentiality in interaction ritual provides a more precise way to understand interaction and new ways to approach forms of interactional inequality.