Resistance as a social drama: A study of change-oriented encounters

Abstract

Resistance is a change-oriented process that follows certain stereotyped sequences of behaviors. These sequences are promulgated by intentional actors who cue cultural forms (rituals) in order to guide interaction. This process can be understood as a social drama composed of four stages: breach, crisis, redress, and reintegration. Using interviews and ethnographic accounts of behaviors in 165 classrooms at two high schools, this article describes the nature of each stage and the strategies used by both protagonists and antagonists of change. Since social dramas are disruptive episodes of social action, special attention is paid to the potential they have for transforming the social order, thereby affecting micro- to macrolevel change.