Dances with footings: a Goffmanian perspective on the Soto case

Abstract

This paper attempts to explain the trajectory and unusual outcome of this courtroom encounter by applying Erving Goffman's approach to interaction. It employs his notions of frame and footing, plus those of face, ritual deference and demeanour when they are useful. This perspective shows that, as well as the socially constituted power asymmetry, the participants create an interactive asymmetry in which the accused, Penelope Soto, although a canonically ratified participant, is sometimes effectively 'de-ratified'. However, as the encounter progresses, Soto and the judge shift their footings back and forth such that into the court-hearing frame, another frame, that of the social encounter, is insinuated. This clash of frames is shown to be a major cause of the trajectory taken by the encounter. The Goffmanian perspective also points up the effect of the use of a video link for this encounter. This application of Goffman's framework functions as a test of some of his concepts and the paper concludes with some comments and suggested elaborations.

Footing in Presidential Debate of Indonesian Election

“…Before the presidential debates, it is hard to extrapolate what will happen in post-debate conversations since, during the debates, the candidates' responses and convincement will influence the voters' preferences which result in reinforcement effects [8]. It can also be possible that presidential debates have nothing useful owing to fixed loyalties decision already of the voters [9]. Right after the first presidential debate in 1960, as a new stage in a presidential run at that time, surprisingly there were many conversations among people on the discussion of the debates [4].…”