Canadian Symbolic Interactionism on the Global Stage: A Comment on Helmes-Hayes’ and Milne’s, ‘The Institutionalization of Symbolic Interactionism in Canadian Sociology, 1922-1979’

Abstract

In a recent CJS special issue developed around their paper titled “The Institutionalization of Symbolic Interactionism in Canadian Sociology, 1922-1979: Success at What Cost?” Helmes-Hayes and Milne (2017) document the emergence and establishment of symbolic interactionism (SI) in English-language Canadian sociology, and then consider its fragmentation and decline from 1979 into the present period. This is followed by commentaries from Jacqueline Low (2017), who gives a more optimistic impression of the present state of SI in Canada, and Neil McLaughlin (2017), who considers its sectarian nature as a social and intellectual movement. This is a worthy discussion in the history of Canadian sociology and the sociology of ideas. Certainly Canadian SI is an important part of our wider national sociology tradition, and it is important that we recognize its past, present, and future institutional development in light of as much evidence as possible.

Symbolic Interactionism in Canada: Shared Meaning and the Perpetuation of Ideas

“…In addition, as McLuhan and Puddephatt (:326) point out, Helmes‐Hayes and Milne “rely only on secondary sources and impressions” largely from interviews with symbolic interactionists that were among those appointed during the 1970s and 1980s in trying to chart the future of the perspective in Canadian academe. This means that later generations of scholars espousing the perspective (myself included) were not part of the evidence they examined.…”

“…This means that later generations of scholars espousing the perspective (myself included) were not part of the evidence they examined. Indeed, evidence from contemporary research on the disciplinary affinity of “full‐time members of Canadian sociology departments” in Canadian academe by Michalski (:539) found that, within the years 2014–2015, 44% of those surveyed “favored at least in part an interpretive or hermeneutic approach to sociological research.” This leads McLuhan and Puddephatt (:329) to conclude that “rather than being in a period of decline … the post‐1979 period has been one of growth for both SI and SI‐accommodative approaches in Canada.”…”

“…Helmes‐Hayes and Milne's (:155) analysis of publications also underrepresents the current generation of symbolic interactionists in Canada because the authors restricted their analysis to Canadian symbolic interactionists published by “prominent mainstream Canadian sociology” journals and scholarly publishing houses, despite the fact that interactionists in Canada publish in American, British, and other international journals (McLuhan and Puddephatt ). Notably, many Canadian Sociologists publish in the international journal Symbolic Interaction and research annual Studies in Symbolic Interaction .…”

The Virtue of Patience

“…1 For a discussion of symbolic interaction in Canada see Helmes-Hayes and Milne (2017), Low (2017), and McLuhan and Puddephatt (2017).…”