The Concept of Total Institution According to Erving Goffman: Power, Mortification, and Resistance

The concept of total institution in the research of Erving Goffman (1922-1982) lacks the presence it deserves in the published Arabic literature, especially in studies related to institutions. Goffman provides a theoretical framework crucial for analyzing several modern institutions of similar nature and impact, manifested in social disintegration and rendering individuals submissive. In this context, this study approaches the concept of total institution, whether in its original form as described by Goffman or as defined in subsequent texts that criticized and developed the concept further. The study also seeks to understand the nature of the total institution, the forms of power within it, and how it leads to social disintegration, without neglecting the effectiveness of individual resistance to this process.

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The concept of total institution in the research of Erving Goffman (1922-1982) lacks the presence it deserves in the published Arabic literature, especially in studies related to institutions. Goffman provides a theoretical framework crucial for analyzing several modern institutions of similar nature and impact, manifested in social disintegration and rendering individuals submissive. In this context, this study approaches the concept of total institution, whether in its original form as described by Goffman or as defined in subsequent texts that criticized and developed the concept further. The study also seeks to understand the nature of the total institution, the forms of power within it, and how it leads to social disintegration, without neglecting the effectiveness of individual resistance to this process.

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