This work provides a crystallization and particularization of a school of sociological thinking variously called 'creative sociology,' 'existential sociology,' 'phenomenological sociology,' 'conflict theory,' and 'dramaturgical analysis.' The result is a methodological synthesis of the 'dual' visions of Erving Goffman and Harold Garfinkel. This book equips the reader with a framework for providing adequate descriptions of those face-to-face encounters that make up everyday life. This edition includes essays not found in the first edition, as well as a new introduction that locates it in the spectrum of contemporary theorizing.