Signifying Acts : Structure and Meaning in Everyday Life

The theme of Signifying Acts is that social acts are created by human agents engaging in signifying gestures and elic­iting determined responses—from which flow a number of consequences. This theme is developed by a critical synthesis of various strands of early and contemporary thought in symbolism, meaning, language, and grammar. These strands have been classified as pragma­tism and interactionism, structuralism and grammatical theory

Perinbanayagam brings together for the first time the writings of G. H. Mead and his followers, who label their efforts “symbolic interactionism,” and the re­cent developments in the philosophi­cal and anthropological studies of mind and meaning. Through his wide-ranging analysis, he demonstrates the sociologi­cal relevance of Chomsky, Derrida, and Searle and particularizes their contribu­tions to a more comprehensive theoreti­cal framework. The interdisciplinary scope of his thesis recalls Ernest Becker’s Birth and Death of Meaning, and his sty­listic flair will stimulate readers at all levels of sophistication.

R. S. Perinbanayagam is Associate Pro­fessor of Sociology at Hunter College and coauthor of Foundations of Interpre­tive Sociology.