Not knowing what to say during a date, dropping something in front of others or seeing a colleague eat out of his nose during a meeting. These are almost daily moments of awkwardness, which Prof Dr Pauwke Berkers (ESHCC’s department of Arts and Culture Studies) and Dr Yosha Wijngaarden (ESHCC's Department of Media and Communication) explain from the perspective of sociology in their new book A Sociology of Awkwardness, which was published on Monday 21 April. The book shows how uncomfortable feelings are the result of social interactions gone wrong.
Berkers and Wijngaarden combine insights from cultural sociology and the sociology of interactions and emotions, developing the first comprehensive sociology of awkwardness in this book. It provides an understanding of how people define, express, and experience awkwardness, while locating its causes not within individuals but within social interactions. The book also offers a unique perspective by examining how both time and space contribute to the experience of awkwardness. Additionally, it delves into the various ways people deal with awkward interactions.
A Sociology of Awkwardness introduces a novel theory and typology of awkwardness, drawing from rich empirical data of everyday encounters, work, dating, and self-help. This book will appeal to scholars across the social sciences, particularly those interested in culture, social interactions, and emotions. It will also attract readers seeking to understand awkwardness as a cultural phenomenon, though not as a self-help guide.
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Pauwke Berkers is full professor of Sociology of Popular Music at Erasmus University Rotterdam. As a music sociologist, he has widely written on social inequalities within popular music in academic journals such as Gender & Society, Poetics, and Cultural Sociology. His most recent book is Gender Inequality in Metal Music Production (with Julian Schaap, 2018). As a cultural sociologist, his work addresses topics such as authenticity, stigmatisation, boundary work and (long silence) awkwardness.
Yosha Wijngaarden is assistant professor of Media and Creative Industries at Erasmus University Rotterdam. Working at the intersection of sociology, media studies organisation studies, and geography, she has written extensively on work practices and (potentially awkward) social interactions within the creative industries. Her work was published in academic journals such as Geoforum, Human Relations, and Cultural Trends.
