Anne Rawls

Teaching and research interests focus on social theory Ethnomethodology, communication, information and explore issues related to the organization of modern democratic publics and their relationship to situated practices of communication and work. These issues include the social character of information, the presentation of self, the development of a modern situated character, and studies of the situated character of reason, order and intelligibility. Courses explore the impetus toward justice in a modern division of labor context and the forms of character and interactional commitment that emerge. Courses also focus on race relations, inequality, and justice and why they are so problematic in modern democratic contexts. Research interests include focused studies of situated practice and exploration of the increasing importance of Interaction Orders of Race in modern society. A major research focus has been the delineation of an emergent interactional "social contract" and its resistance to inequalities that result from institutional arrangements and individual interests. Areas of interest include Ethics, Ethnomethodology, Epistemology, Philosophy of Language, Conversation Analysis and Social Theory. Author of Epistemology and Practice: Durkheim's Elementary Forms of the Religious life, Cambridge University Press, "Getting Information Systems to Interact", The Information Society, "Durkheim's Epistemology: the Neglected Argument," The American Journal of Sociology, "Interaction Orders of Race: W.E.B DuBois's Double Consciousness Thesis Revisited," Sociological Theory, “’Fractured Reflections’ of High Status Black Male Presentations of Self: Non-Recognition of Identity as a Tacit form of Institutional Racism”, (with Waverly Duck), Sociological Focus, "Emergent Sociality: Dialectic of Commitment and Order," Symbolic Interaction, "Harold Garfinkel," in Blackwell Companion to Major Social Theorists, Editor of Ethnomethodology's Program: Working Out Durkheim's Aphorism, Rowman and Littlefield (Author Harold Garfinkel) and Editor of Toward a Sociological Theory of Information (Author Harold Garfinkel).

Education

• Ph.D. Sociology Boston University
• M.A. Philosophy Boston University
• B.A. Sociology, Summa Cum Laude Boston University

Teaching Interests

Race, Gender & Interaction; Globalization & Modern Democratic Practice; Situated Practice & the Workplace; Sociology of Information; Epistemology and Practice; Social & Political Theory; Ethnomethodology & Conversation Analysis

Research Interests

Ethnomethodology; Workplace Studies; Race Relations; Social Theory & Political Philosophy; Language and Communication; Ethics and Social Practice

Consulting/Practice Interests

Workplace Studies; Information and Design Engineering; Ethnomethodology Race and Inequality; Computer Mediated Work; Conversation Analysis

Awards and Honors

• 2022, 2022 Oliver Cromwell Cox Book Award , ASA Section on Racial and Ethnic Minorities
• 2022, 2022 North Central Sociological Association, Book of the Year Award, North Central Sociological Association
• 2021, 2021 Mary Douglas Award for Best Book, Honorable Mention, ASA Section on Culture
• 2021, 2021 Charles Horton Cooley Award for Best Recent Book in Symbolic Interaction , Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction
• 2018, 2018, North Central Sociological Association, Article of the Year Award, North Central Sociological Association
• 2010, Marie de Paris Senior Research "Laureate", Ecole Haute Etude en Science Sociale
• 2010, Charles Horton Cooley Award, Michigan Sociological Association

Publications

Journal Articles

• Rawls, A. W., Lynch, M. (2023). "Ethnography in ethnomethodology and conversation analysis: Both, neither, or something else altogether?" . Qualitative Research.
• Duck, W. W., Rawls, A. W. (2023). Black and Jewish: Double Consciousness Inspired a Qualitative Interactional Approach that Centers Race, Marginality and Justice. Qualitative Sociology. Forthcoming.
• Rawls, A. W. (2023). “The Goffman-Garfinkel Correspondence: Planning “On Passing””, Etnografia e ricerca qualitativa . Etnografia e ricerca qualitativa, (March)
• Eisenmann, C. W., Mlynář, J., Turowetz, J., Rawls, A. W. (2023). “Machine Down”: Making sense of human-computer interaction – Garfinkel’s early research on ELIZA at MIT in 1967-1968 and its contemporary relevance" . AI and Society. Forthcoming.
• Rawls, A. W., Duck, W. (2022). Racisme tacite et fantasme de la blanchité, International Mauss Review. International Mauss Review. 59
• Rawls, A. W., Duck, W. (2022). Whites are nosey, blacks are rude. Mauss Review. 60
• Rawls, A. W., Duck, W. (2022). “Tacit Racism is Institutionalized in Interaction in the US: What about Elsewhere?” Zeitschrift für Kulturwissenschaften. Zeitschrift für Kulturwissenschaften.
• Rawls, A. W., Turowetz, J. (2022). “Garfinkel’s Politics: Establishing the Social Fact Status of Race, Gender and other Social Identities and the Implications for Social Justice.”. The American Sociologist . 131–158 .
• Rawls, A. W. (2022). "Situating Goffman’s “Interaction Orders” in Durkheim’s Social Fact Lineage: Grounding an Alternate Sociology of Modernity in Heightened Awareness of Interaction", Etnografia e Ricerca Qualitativa . Etnografia e Ricerca Qualitativa .
• Rawls, A. W. (2021). “The Structure of Social Facts: Self, Objects and Action as Products of Reciprocity and Cooperation in Constitutive Practices”, Mauss Review International – Anti-Utilitarian Interventions in the Social Sciences . Mauss Review International – Anti-Utilitarian Interventions in the Social Sciences. Number 1 pages 181-200.
• Turowetz, J., Rawls, A. W. (2021). “The Development of Garfinkel’s “Trust” Argument from 1947 to 1967: Demonstrating how Inequality Disrupts Sense and Self-Making.” . Journal of Classical Sociology. (21)1 3-37.
• Rawls, A. W. (2020). “La Theory of Justice d’Émile Durkheim selon Anne Rawls. Sur quelques bonnes raisons ne pas désespérer de la sociologie, » translated by Philippe Chanial. . Review de Mauss. 2020/2 269-288.
• Duck, W., Rawls, A. W. (2020). “Interactional expectations reconfigure in the time of Covid-19 Implications for the uncertainty of social «reality».” . Etnografia Ricerca Qualitativa.
• Rawls, A. W., David Gibson, D. (2020). “Presentation of Self in a Masked World” (Ethnomethodology and Conversation Analysis). . Footnotes. Volume 48(3) May/June
• Rawls, A. W., Turowetz, J. (2019). “Discovering Culture in Interaction: Solving Problems in Cultural Sociology by Recovering the Interactional Side of Parsons’ Conception of Culture”. The American Journal of Cultural Sociology, (The American Journal of Cultural Sociology)
• Rawls, A. W. (2019). "Introduction to Garfinkel's 'Notes on Language Games': Language Events as Cultural Events". The European Journal of Social Theory, (The European Journal of Social Theory)
• Rawls, A. W., Duck, W., Turowetz, J. (2018). “Problems Establishing Identity/Residency in a City Neighborhood during a Black/White Police/Citizen Encounter: Revisiting Du Bois’ Conception of “The Submissive Man”. City and Community, (City and Community)
• Rawls, A. W. (2018). “The Wartime Narrative in US Sociology 1940-1947: Stigmatizing Qualitative Sociology in the name of “Science”. European Journal of Social Theory, ( European Journal of Social Theory)
• Rawls, A. W., Duck, W. O. (2017). "Fractured Reflections" of High Status Black Male Presentations of Self: Non-Recognition of Identity as a "Tacit" form of Institutional Racism. Sociological Focus, (Sociological Focus)
• Rawls, A. W. (2017). “An Essay on the Intrinsic Relationship between Social Facts and Moral Questions”. Canadian Journal of Sociology, (Canadian Journal of Sociology)
• David, G. C., Rawls, A. W., Trainum, J. (2017). Playing the Interrogation Game: Trust, Coercion and Confession in Police Interrogation. Symbolic Interaction.
• Rawls, A. W., Mann, D., Jeffrey, A. (2016). Locating the Modern Sacred: Moral/Social Facts and Constitutive Practices. The Journal of Classical Sociology/Sage Publications, (November 2013)
• Rawls, A. W., Mann, D. (2015). Getting Information Systems to Interact: The Social Fact Character of as a Factor in Designing Information Systems . The Information Society , (The Information Society ) 31/2 175–192.
• Rawls, A. W. (2013). Special Issue Editor's Introduction. Journal of Classical Sociology.
• Rawls, A. W. (2013). The Early Years 1939-1953: Garfinkel at North Carolina, Harvard and Princeton. Journal of Classical Sociology.
• Rawls, A. W. (2012). Special Issue Editor's Introduction. Journal of Classical Sociology.
• Duck, W. O., Rawls, A. W. (2012). Interaction Orders of Drug Dealing Spaces: Local Orders of Sensemaking in a Poor Black American Place . Crime, Law and Social Change.
• Rawls, A. W. (2012). Constitutive Practices in Durkheim's Division of Social Labor. The Journal of Classical Sociology, (12) 3
• Rawls, A. W. (2012). Durkheim's Epistemology: Continuities Between the Elementary Forms and The Division. Ethnografia E Ricerca Qualitativa, (V) 3 335-364.
• Rawls, A. W. (2012). Garfinkel, Ethnomethodology and the Defining Questions of Pragmatism. Qualitative Sociology.
• Rawls, A. W. (2011). Wittgenstein, Durkheim, Garfinkel and Winch. Journal for the Theory of Social Behavior.
• Rawls, A. W. (2009). An Essay on Two Conceptions of Social Order: Constitutive Orders of Action, Objects and Identities vs Aggregate Orders of Individual Action. The Journal of Classical Sociology, (9) 4 21.
• David, G. C., Garcia, A. C., Rawls, A. W., Chand, D. R. (2009). Listening To What is Said - Transcribing What is Heard:The Impact of Speech Recognition Technology (SRT) on The Practice of Medical Transcription (MT). Sociology of Health and Illness, (31) 6 924-938.
• Rawls, A. W., Mann, D., Garcia, A. C., David, G. C., Burton, M. (2009). Simple Enumerations: Ethnomethodology and MITRE Information Assurance Data Standards. Etnografia & Ricerca Qualitativa (Ethnography and Qualitative Research), (2) 1 77-106.
• Rawls, A. W. (2009). Special Issue Editor's Introduction. The Journal of Classical Sociology, (9) 4 1-14.
• Rawls, A. W. (2008). Harold Garfinkel, Ethnomethodology and Workplace Studies. Organization Studies, (20) 5
• Rawls, A. W. (2007). Durkheim's Epistemology: The Neglected Argument (in French Translation). Enquete/French.
• Rawls, A. W. (2007). Reciprocity and Practice: Trust in a context of Globalization (in French translation). Enquete/French.
• Rawls, A. W., David, G. C. (2006). Accountably Other: Trust, Reciprocity and Exclusion in a Context of Situated Practice. Human Studies, (28) 4 469-497.
• Wright, B., Rawls, A. W. (2006). The Dialectics of Beliefs and Practice: Religious Process as Praxis. Critical Sociology, (31) 1-2 30.
• Rawls, A. W. (2005). Garfinkel's Conception of Time. Time and Society, (14) 2-3 163-190.
• Rawls, A. W. (2005). The treatment of Practice in Durkheim's Sociology (in Russian Translation). Sosiological Review, (4) 1 3-30.
• Rawls, A. W. (2004). La Falace de l'abstraction Mal Place (The Fallacy of Misplaced Abstraction). The Mauss Review/French, (24) 25.
• Rawls, A. W. (2003). Conflict as a Foundation for Consensus: Contradictions of Capitalism in Durkheim's Division of Labor in Society. Critical Sociology.
• Rawls, A. W. (2002). Emergent Sociality: A Dialectic of Commitment and Order, translation. Mauss Review/French, (19) 19.
• Rawls, A. W. (2001). Durkheim's Treatment of Practice: Concrete Practice vs Representations as the Foundation for Reason. The Journal of Classical Sociology, (1) 1
• Rawls, A. W. (2000). Race as an Interaction Order Phenomena: W.E.B. DuBois's 'Double Consciousness' Thesis Revisited. Sociological Theory, (18) 2 239-272.
• Mosby, L., Rawls, A. W., Mays, E., Pettinari, C. J., Meehan, A. J. (1999). Troubles in Interracial Talk About Discipline: Discipline Narratives of African American Seniors. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, (30) 3 489-521.
• Rawls, A. W. (1998). Durkheim's Challenge to Philosophy: Human Reason as a Product of Enacted Social Practice. American Journal of Sociology, (104) 3 887-901.
• Rawls, A. W. (1997). Durkheim and Pragmatism: a Old Twist on a New Problem. Sociological Theory, (15) 1 5-29.
• Rawls, A. W., Meehan, A. J., Pettinari, C. J., Mays, E., Mosby, L. (1997). The Application of Interactional Analysis to an Applied Study of Social Work. Applied Behavioral Science Review, (5) 1 113-139.
• Rawls, A. W. (1996). Durkheim's Epistemology: The Initial Critique 1915-1924. Sociological Quarterly, (38) 1 111-145.
• Rawls, A. W. (1996). Durkheim's Epistemology: The Neglected Argument. American Journal of Sociology, (102) 2 430-482.
• Rawls, A. W. (1992). Can Rational Choice be a Foundation for Social Theory?. Theory Society, (21) 2 219-241.
• Rawls, A. W. (1990). Emergent Sociality: A Dialectic of Commitment and Order. Symbolic Interaction, (13) 1 63-82.
• Rawls, A. W. (1989). Language, Self, and Social Order: a Re-evaluation of Goffman and Sacks. Human Studies, (12) (1) 147-172.
• Rawls, A. W. (1989). Reply to the Interaction Order and the Mirco-Macro Distinction. Sociological Theory, (10 n. 1) Forthcoming.
• Rawls, A. W. (1989). Simmel and the Interaction Order: Reply to Levine. Sociological Theory, (7 no. 1) 124-129.
• Rawls, A. W. (1988). Interaction vs Interaction Order: Reply to Fuchs. Sociological Theory, (6 no. 1) 124-129.
• Rawls, A. W. (1987). The Interaction Order Sui Generis: Goffman's Contribution to Social Theory. Sociological Theory, (5) 2 136-149.
• Rawls, A. W. (1985). Reply to Gallant and Kleinman On Symbolic Interaction versus Ethnomethodology. Symbolic Interaction, (8) 1 121-140.
• Rawls, A. W. (1984). Interaction as a Resource for Epistemological Critique: A Comparison of Goffman and Sartre. Sociological Theory, (2) 1 222-252.

Books

• Rawls, A. W., Whitehead, K., Duck, W. (2020). Black Lives Matter: Ethnomethodological and Conversation Analytic Studies of Race and Systemic Racism in Everyday Interaction. . 300. London: Routledge
• Rawls, A. W., Duck, W. (2020). Tacit Racism. 400. Chicago: University of Chicago Press
• Rawls, A. W. (2019). Toward a Sociological Theory of Justice: Durkheim's Forgotten Introduction to The Division Social Labor. Routledge Forthcoming.
• Garfinkel, H., Rawls, A. W. (2019). Parsons Primer. Stuttgart: Springer
• Garfinkel, H., Rawls, A. W. (2019). The History of Gulfport Field 1942, Part II: The Aircraft Mechanics School, Section II Part II” . 400. University of Siegen
• Rawls, A. W. (2019). La Division du Travail Revisited: Vers une Théorie Sociologique de la Justice. Le bord de l'eau
• Garfinkel, H., Rawls, A. W. (2008). Toward a Sociological Theory of Information. 400. Boulder Colorado: Paradigm
• Garfinkel, H., Rawls, A. W. (2006). Seeing Sociologically. 350. Boulder, Colorado: Paradigm Publishers
• Rawls, A. W. (2004). Epistemology and Practice: Durkheim's The Elementary Forms of Religious Life. 400. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press
• Garfinkel, H., Rawls, A. W. (2002). Ethnomethodology's Program: Working Out Durkheim's Aphorism. 299. Boulder Colorado: Rowman and Littlefield Press
• Rawls, A. W., Anderson, W., Helm, D., Meehan, A. J. (1989). Interactional Order: New Directions in the Study of Social Order. 289. New York: Irvington Press

Book Chapters

• Eisenmann, C., Rawls, A. W. (2023). “The Continuity of Garfinkel’s Approach: Seeking Ways of ‘Making the Phenomenon Available Again’ through the Experience and Usefulness of ‘Trouble’.” In Phillippe Sormani and Dirk vom Lehn, (Eds.) The Anthem Companion to Harold Garfinkel. London/New York: Anthem Press Forthcoming.
• Turowetz, J., Rawls, A. W. (2022). "Talcott Parsons and Harold Garfinkel: The Development of Culture as Interaction." In Helmut Staubmann and Victor Lidz. , (Eds.) The Routledge International Handbook on Talcott Parsons Studies. London: Routledge
• Rawls, A. W. (2022). Inequality as a Scientific Issue when the Technologies of Practice that Create Social Categories become Dependent on Justice in Modernity In Johannes Schick, Mario Schmidt, and Martin Zillinger, (Eds.) The Durkheim Category Project. Berghahn
• Hoey, E., Rawls, A. W. (2022). “Harvey Sacks: Connections, References, Differences” In , (Eds.) Goffman-Handbook, Life, Work, Reception.
• Rawls, A. W. (2022). "Harold Garfinkel's Focus on Racism, Inequality and Social Justice: The Early Years 1939-1952" In Douglas Maynard and John Heritage, (Eds.) The Ethnomethodology Program: Legacies and Prospects. Cambridge University Press
• Rawls, A. W. (2021). Durkheim's Self-Regulating "Constitutive" Practices: an Unexplored Critical Relevance to Racial Justice, Consensus Thinking, and the Covid-19 Pandemic In Nicola Marcucci, (Eds.) Durkheim and Critique. Palgrave Macmillan
• Turowetz, J. W., Rawls, A. W. (2021). The Other Interactionism In Dirk Vom Lehn, Natalia Ruiz-Junco, and Will Gibson, (Eds.) Routledge International Handbook of Interactionism. Routledge
• Rawls, A. W. (2020). “Harold Garfinkel and Ethnomethodology” In Peter Kivisto, (Eds.) The Cambridge Handbook of Social Theory. Cambridge University Press
• Rawls, A. W. (2019). "Harold Garfinkel and Ethnomethodology" In Peter Kivisto, (Eds.) . Cambridge University Press Forthcoming.
• Rawls, A. W. (2018). Durkheim’s Tacit Conditions of Contract and Garfinkel’s Trust Conditions: the “Justice” Requirement in Modern Society In , (Eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Emile Durkheim. Oxford University Press Forthcoming.
• Rawls, A. W. (2018). Emile Durkheim In , (Eds.) The Cambridge Companion to Durkheim. Cambridge University Press Forthcoming.
• Rawls, A. W., Duck, W. (2018). “Fractured Reflections” in Cooley’s Looking Glass: Non-Recognition of Self Presentation as Racialized Experience In Ramiro Martinez, Jr., Meghan E. Hollis, and Jacob Stowell, (Eds.) The Handbook on Race, Ethnicity, Crime, and Justice. Wiley-Blackwell.
• Rawls, A. W. (2017). Interaction Orders In Edward Lawler, (Eds.) Order on the Edge of Chaos: Social Psychology and the Problem of Social Order. Cambridge University Press
• Rawls, A. W. (2013). Goffman et l'ordre de l'interaction In Laurent Perreau and Daniel Cefai, (Eds.) Goffman et l'order de l'interaction. CURAPP-ESS/CEMS-IMM
• Rawls, A. W. (2013). Durkheim’s Approach to Modernity: Self-Regulating Practices as a Constitutive Order of Practice (in German translation) In Tanja Boguz and Heike Delitz, (Eds.) Emile Durkheim and Soziologie und Ethnologie. Campus Edition, Series "Theorie und Gesellschaft" eds, Jens Beckert, Rainer Forst, Wolfgang Knöbl, Frank Nullmeier and Shalini Randeria
• Rawls, A. W., David, G. C. (2012). Accountably Other: Trust Reciprocity and Exclusion in a Context of Situated Practice In Stewart Clegg, Dave Courpasson and Nelson Phillips, (Eds.) Power and Organizations. SAGE Library of Business and Management
• Rawls, A. W. (2011). Harold Garfinkel (Revised) In Ritzer, George, (Eds.) The Blackwell Companion to Major Social Theorists. London: Blackwell
• Rawls, A. W. (2010). Social Order as Moral Order In Steve Hitlin, (Eds.) The Handbook of Morality. Sage
• Rawls, A. W. (2009). Communities of Practice vs Traditional Communities: the State of Sociology in a Context of Globalization In Cooper, Geoff, King, Andrew, Rettie, Ruth, (Eds.) Sociological Objects: The Reconfiguration of Social Theory. . 30. London: Ashgate
• Rawls, A. W. (2008). Translation of my Chapter on Garfinkel for the Russian translation of Studies in Ethnomethodology by Harold Garfinkel In Bankovskaya, Svetlana, (Eds.) Studies in Ethnomethodology. 50. St. Petersburg: Vladehner Daly
• Wright, B., Rawls, A. W. (2007). Speaking in Tongues: a Dialectic of Faith and Practice In Goldstein, Warren, (Eds.) Marx, Critical Theory, and Religion: a Critique of Rational Choice. 249-284. Boston: Brill
• Rawls, A. W. (2007). The Conception and Treatment of Practice in Durkheim In Bankovskaya, Svetlana, (Eds.) . 301-344. St.Petersburg: Vladehner Daly
• Rawls, A. W. (2003). Harold Garfinkel In Ritzer, George, (Eds.) . 50. London: Blackwell
• Rawls, A. W. (2003). Orders of Interaction and Intelligibility: Intersections Between Goffman and Garfinkel by Way of Durkheim In Trevino, Javier, (Eds.) . 40. Boulder, Colorado: Rowman and Littlefield
• Rawls, A. W. (2002). Durkheim's Epistemology: Practice as the Basis of Knowledge Iin Italian Translation) In Rosati, Massimo, Santambrogio, Ambrogio, (Eds.) . 30. Rome, Italy: Meltimi
• Rawls, A. W. (2002). Harold Garfinkel In Lynch, Michael, Sharrock, Wes, (Eds.) Harold Garfinkel Companion. 50. Nashville, TN: Rutledge Press
• Rawls, A. W. (2002). The Interaction Order Sui Generis: Goffman's Contribution to Social Theory In Fine, Gary Alan, (Eds.) . 40. Oxford, UK: Blackwell
• Rawls, A. W. (2000). Harold Garfinkel In Ritzer, George, (Eds.) . 50. London: Blackwell
• Rawls, A. W. (1994). Simmel, Parsons and the Interaction Order In , (Eds.) . 20. London, UK: Routledge
• Rawls, A. W. (1989). An Ethnomethodological Perspective on Social Theory In Helm, David, Anderson, W. Timothy, Meehan, Albert J, Rawls, Anne W, (Eds.) . 16. New York, NY: Irvington Press
• Rawls, A. W. (). “Harold Garfinkel’s Focus on Racism, Inequality and Social Justice: The Early Years 1939-1953” In Doug Maynard and John Heritage, (Eds.) Ethnomethodology: a Retrospective. . Cambridge University Press. Forthcoming.