Garfinkeling

Garfinkeling is a research method named after sociologist Harold Garfinkel and is a component of his research approach of ethnomethodology. Garfinkeling is when a researcher knowingly violates a social norm while interacting with other people to reveal how commonly accepted social knowledge is left unquestioned in everyday life. By violating accepted social norms using Garfinkeling, a researcher can better understand both the taken-for-granted, common sense knowledge guiding the interaction as well as the accounts, or reports on behavior, people use to make sense of their everyday interactions. The act of Garfinkeling is also commonly referred to as a breaching experiment because it breaches or breaks one or more expected social norms. Garfinkeling is a qualitative research method often used in real-life social environments or field experiments. In this way, Garfinkeling is distinct from types of communication research that take place in controlled settings and use a social scientific approach.

Garfinkeling originated within the branch of sociological research known as ethnomethodology. The term ethnomethodology was coined by Garfinkel to describe an area of sociological theory and research that attempts to explain how individuals socially construct meaning in everyday activities through interaction. The social construction of reality means that people create a conception of reality based on their cultural or background experiences. There are many common examples of Garfinkeling including the “elevator experiment” in which the researcher might sit down in the elevator rather than standing with other elevator users. This act creates a breach or break in social etiquette and thereby reveals taken-for-granted, common sense social knowledge. Because Garfinkeling centers on human interaction, it is a valuable qualitative communication research method, especially in the study of the social construction of reality, the phenomenological tradition, and conversation analysis.

This entry provides context for the emergence of Garfinkeling as a method within ethnomethodology. It also offers an overview of the process of Garfinkeling, including some key terms related to the method. Finally, this entry provides examples of two field experiments that exemplify Garfinkeling and the types of social knowledge they are meant to reveal.