Abstract
The notion of accountability was introduced by Harold Garfinkel in the opening pages of Studies in Ethnomethodology (1967) as part of his ‘central recommendation’ for sociological inquiry. Though the term itself first appears in the Studies, it will be argued that elements of the idea were already discernible in earlier writings. The current article traces the development of the notion from its early emergence in the proto-ethnomethodological period, through its elaboration in the Studies, and, finally, to its refinement in certain later works produced toward the end of the author’s career. In so doing, it reveals the centrality of the notion to ethnomethodologically-informed study and shows its enduring contribution to social theory.
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Notes
Though the data presented does indeed come from his dissertation research (see Koschmann 2012), it is misleadingly described in the ‘trust’ chapter as coming from an experiment conducted at UCLA.
The Garfinkel and Sacks (1970) chapter focuses exclusively on indexical expressions in natural language, but it must be borne in mind that when Garfinkel first raises the topic in the Studies it was meant to apply as well to “other practical actions” (Garfinkel 1967: 11). It is also worth noting that though Garfinkel and Sacks were only dealing with issues related to natural language here, the chapter carried the title, “On Formal Structures of Practical Actions”.
The asterisk following ‘details’ in this quote reflects a notational convention adopted by Garfinkel in EM’s Program (2002). By flagging certain terms in this way he meant for them to be read in an ethnomethodologically-inflected way, rather than in their everyday sense. This convention is, in fact, just another ‘glossing procedure’.
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Koschmann, T. Tracing the Seminal Notion of Accountability Across the Garfinkelian Œuvre. Hum Stud 42, 239–252 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10746-019-09513-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10746-019-09513-7