Dramaturgy Sociology
An important aspect of dramaturgy is that it is commonly used to explain micro-sociological accounts of daily social interactions.
Goffman first applied the term to sociology from the theatre in his 1956 book, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, which developed most of the associated terminology and ideas.
It was Burke who first presented his notions of dramatism in 1945, which in turn derived from Shakespeare, which Goffman later acknowledged as a source.
Burke’s idea of life as theatre is fundamentally different from Goffman’s in that Burke believes life is a theatrical performance, while Goffman sees theatre as a metaphor.
Goffman called dramaturgical analysis, the study of social interaction in terms of performance in the theatre, what we do if we see ourselves as directors observing what goes on in everyday life as theatre.