The Hughesian Legacy: William Shaffir—A Principal Interpreter of the Chicago School Diaspora in Canada

In this paper, I discuss the invaluable role played by William Shaffir, my mentor and doc­toral supervisor, who shaped my approach to interpretive fieldwork and deepened my understanding of symbolic interactionist theory. Known affectionately as Billy to his colleagues and students, Shaffir is a gif...

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Main Author: Jacqueline Low
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Lodz University Press 2020-04-01
Series:Qualitative Sociology Review
Subjects:
Online Access:https://czasopisma.uni.lodz.pl/qualit/article/view/7631
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author Jacqueline Low
author_facet Jacqueline Low
author_sort Jacqueline Low
collection DOAJ
description In this paper, I discuss the invaluable role played by William Shaffir, my mentor and doc­toral supervisor, who shaped my approach to interpretive fieldwork and deepened my understanding of symbolic interactionist theory. Known affectionately as Billy to his colleagues and students, Shaffir is a gifted educator and one of the finest ethnographic researchers of his generation. My focus is on how the scholarly tradition that flows from Georg Simmel through Robert Park, Herbert Blumer, and Everett C. Hughes, passed from Billy on to me, is illustrative of what Low and Bowden (2013) conceptualize as the Chicago School Diaspora. This concept does not refer to the scattering of a people, but rather to how key ideas and symbolic representations of key figures associated with the Chicago School have been tak­en up by those who themselves are not directly affiliated with the University of Chicago. In this regard, while not a key figure of the Chicago School himself, Shaffir stands at the boundary between the Chica­go School of sociology and scholars with no official relationship to the School. As such he is a principal interpreter of the Chicago School Diaspora in Canadian Sociology.
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spelling doaj.art-ff97c28199b242a29e5919fa940336e52022-12-21T19:07:55ZengLodz University PressQualitative Sociology Review1733-80772020-04-01162142610.18778/1733-8077.16.2.027631The Hughesian Legacy: William Shaffir—A Principal Interpreter of the Chicago School Diaspora in CanadaJacqueline Low0University of New Brunswick, CanadaIn this paper, I discuss the invaluable role played by William Shaffir, my mentor and doc­toral supervisor, who shaped my approach to interpretive fieldwork and deepened my understanding of symbolic interactionist theory. Known affectionately as Billy to his colleagues and students, Shaffir is a gifted educator and one of the finest ethnographic researchers of his generation. My focus is on how the scholarly tradition that flows from Georg Simmel through Robert Park, Herbert Blumer, and Everett C. Hughes, passed from Billy on to me, is illustrative of what Low and Bowden (2013) conceptualize as the Chicago School Diaspora. This concept does not refer to the scattering of a people, but rather to how key ideas and symbolic representations of key figures associated with the Chicago School have been tak­en up by those who themselves are not directly affiliated with the University of Chicago. In this regard, while not a key figure of the Chicago School himself, Shaffir stands at the boundary between the Chica­go School of sociology and scholars with no official relationship to the School. As such he is a principal interpreter of the Chicago School Diaspora in Canadian Sociology.https://czasopisma.uni.lodz.pl/qualit/article/view/7631herbert blumergeorge herbert meadgeorg simmeleverett c. hugheswilliam shaffirsymbolic interactionismfieldwork methodthe chicago schoolthe chicago school diaspora
spellingShingle Jacqueline Low
The Hughesian Legacy: William Shaffir—A Principal Interpreter of the Chicago School Diaspora in Canada
Qualitative Sociology Review
herbert blumer
george herbert mead
georg simmel
everett c. hughes
william shaffir
symbolic interactionism
fieldwork method
the chicago school
the chicago school diaspora
title The Hughesian Legacy: William Shaffir—A Principal Interpreter of the Chicago School Diaspora in Canada
title_full The Hughesian Legacy: William Shaffir—A Principal Interpreter of the Chicago School Diaspora in Canada
title_fullStr The Hughesian Legacy: William Shaffir—A Principal Interpreter of the Chicago School Diaspora in Canada
title_full_unstemmed The Hughesian Legacy: William Shaffir—A Principal Interpreter of the Chicago School Diaspora in Canada
title_short The Hughesian Legacy: William Shaffir—A Principal Interpreter of the Chicago School Diaspora in Canada
title_sort hughesian legacy william shaffir a principal interpreter of the chicago school diaspora in canada
topic herbert blumer
george herbert mead
georg simmel
everett c. hughes
william shaffir
symbolic interactionism
fieldwork method
the chicago school
the chicago school diaspora
url https://czasopisma.uni.lodz.pl/qualit/article/view/7631
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