The Sociology of School: Studies Social Interaction in Education

This book examines schools as dynamic social arenas, exploring how students and teachers perform and negotiate roles within the classroom while navigating broader institutional structures. This book examines schools as dynamic social arenas where everyday interactions are shaped by broader institutional conditions.Drawing on sociological theory - particularly Erving Goffman’s interactionism and dramaturgical perspective - Ingrid Bosseldal and Anders Persson analyze how teachers and students perform and negotiate roles within the classroom while also considering the school as a politically governed institution with overlapping dimensions of organization, institution, and seminar. By connecting micro-level interactions with wider structural frameworks, the authors offer analytical tools for understanding schools not only as sites of learning but also as arenas where social order is enacted, contested, and reshaped. This book will be of value to sociologists, educators, and policymakers seeking deeper insight into the complex social processes that underlie everyday school life.