Ethnomethodology at Play

Peter Tolmie is Senior Research Fellow in the School of Computer Science and IT at the University of Nottingham, UK, and co-editor of Ethnomethodology at Work. Mark Rouncefield is Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Computing at Lancaster University, UK, and co-editor of Ethnomethodology at Work.

’A delightful set of essays that reveal the intricacies, the complexities of play and pleasure and provide a highly distinctive contribution to our understanding of the expertise and sensibilities that underpin sporting, leisure and cultural activities.' Christian Heath, King’s College London, UK ’Between sociologists wanting to look at the social benefits of and cultural theorists critiquing the sexuality of games as a source of domination, one is left wondering what actually gets done when people play. This collection is one of the first to look at just this. Tolmie and Rouncefield’s book is highly recommended for anyone interested in the empirical study of play and games in society.’ Richard Harper, Microsoft Research Cambridge, UK '... the text is filled with insightful examples of the mundane work of doing leisure activities. The sociality of these activities is amply illustrated in these constitutive ethnographies. The text stands as an exemplar of the ethnomethodological analytic mentality and shows phenomenon in the course of its being done, unalloyed by some theoretical perspective that serves to lose the phenomenon it trades on. As such I would strongly recommend it as essential to anyone who is serious about the worldly accomplishment of leisure activities.' Symbolic Interaction

• Overview: Garfinkel's Bastards at Play; I: Domestic Pleasures; 1: Cooking for Pleasure; 2: Reading for Pleasure: Bedtime Stories; II: Having a Hobby; 3: Identifying Birds by their Song; 4: Seeing Fish; 5: All At Sea: The Use of Practical Formalisms in Yachting; 6: Remixing Music Together: The Use and Abuse of Virtual Studio Software as a Hobby; III: ‘Getting Out of the House'; 7: A Day Out in the Country; 8: Playing Dangerously: An Ethnomethodological View upon Rock-Climbing; 9: Distance Running as Play/Work: Training-Together as a Joint Accomplishment; IV: Doing Stuff Together; 10: Playing in Irish Music Sessions; 11: Vine Right, Shimmy, Shimmy! Accomplishing Order* in a Line Dancing Class; 12: Encounters at the Counter: The Relationship between Regulars and Staff