Abstract
This article explores the interaction of two forms of authority: organisational authority and citizen’s authority. The concept of citizen’s authority derives from Pettit, and organisational authority has theoretical roots in Weber. Citizen’s authority entails the right to be author of your own life decisions, while organisational authority is the right of an actor to speak on behalf of an organisation. We take a performative (Austin) ethnographic approach to the analysis of 23 video-recorded consultations with clients (23), their family members (3) and service providers (43) in three Danish shelters. While those with organisational authority can prevail over those with only citizen’s authority, they typically refrain from doing so in an overt manner. We demonstrate that social actors are skilled in performing different kinds of authority simultaneously; interweaving front-stage and back-stage, deploying emotion, laughter and silence.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication date | 2019 |
| Number of pages | 32 |
| Publication status | Published - 2019 |
| Event | American Sociological Association Annual Meeting. ASA 2019: Engaging Social Justice for a Better World - Sheraton New York Times Square & New York Hilton Midtown, New York, United States Duration: 10 Aug 2019 → 13 Aug 2019 Conference number: 114 http://www.asanet.org/annual-meeting-2019 |
Conference
| Conference | American Sociological Association Annual Meeting. ASA 2019 |
|---|---|
| Number | 114 |
| Location | Sheraton New York Times Square & New York Hilton Midtown |
| Country/Territory | United States |
| City | New York |
| Period | 10/08/2019 → 13/08/2019 |
| Internet address |
Keywords
- Organisational authority
- Citizen’s authority
- Public encounters
- (in)felicitous actions
- Ethnography
- Video data