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The radical interactionist (RI) perspective is based on three root images: (1) collective act, (2) the self, and (3) social habitat. Considerable attention has already been devoted to all these root images, except for the self, which is still in need of exposition. During this exposition of the self, its basic operating components are not only explained, but also contrasted with those examined from a traditional symbolic interactionist (SI) perspective. It is concluded that the idea of the self as conceived from the newer perspective of RI surpasses the view of the self from the much older SI perspective; the RI conception of the self offers a more consistent and less confounding explanation of its basic operational components, phylogenesis, and ontogenesis. Unlike this SI view of the self, which operates on the principle of sociality, the RI view, which operates on the principle of domination, accomplishes this explanation without succumbing to romantic idealism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present‐day state of our knowledge of the self as a soliloquy has not moved far beyond where the American pragmatists, John Dewey and George Herbert Mead, left it almost a century ago. Since their writings underpin the view of the self that current followers of the perspective of symbolic interactionism have adopted, their work still remain relevant today. To advance the development of the self as a soliloquy significantly beyond the point that it currently stands, however, I propose an explanation from the radical interactionist's perspective to account for the self's operation during the interlinkage of the individual acts that results, in conflictive or cooperative social acts. The individual act is reconceived from this new viewpoint, as unfolding over four stages: (1) need, (2) design, (3) re‐design, and (4) ending. While analyzing the self's operation during each one of these stages, I take special pains to explain the indispensable part that domination plays in bringing about their interlinkage, without which social acts of either type could not be completed. I argue that radical interactionism offers a more nuanced and realistic conception of the self's functioning during the interlinking of individual acts than its older cousin, symbolic interactionism, because unlike the latter, which rests on the assumption of sociality, the former is based on the assumption of domination. Thus, radical interactionism can much better account for how the self operates during the interlinking of individual acts that end in both conflictive and cooperative social acts and not only one or the other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Argues that Greek Americanism is neither based upon the wholesale assimilation of American culture nor the futile copying of Greek culture. Instead, an amalgamation of both cultures, a blending together of Greek and American cultures in a manner that produces a unique culture all its own is presented. (GR)

Herbert Blumer sought to develop 'naturalistic inquiry' to provide sociologists, especially those who subscribe to the perspective known as 'symbolic interactionism,' with an alternative methodology to positivism for them to use in their research. Since Blumer died before he could complete the job, an attempt is made to finish the work that he left undone on the method of naturalistic inquiry along the lines originally envisioned by him. Among other things, more details are provided to help researchers to carry out the two stages of naturalistic inquiry that he identified: 'exploration' and 'inspection.' A third stage, confirmation, is also added to the method. Although Blumer described naturalistic inquiry only in theory, it is described here both in theory and actual practice, which is essential to make the method more understandable to others. In addition to providing a more complete statement of naturalistic inquiry, the ideas that he drew on to develop the method are revealed. Several myths surrounding the method and the grounded theories that can be potentially developed from using it are also exposed. Finally, the case is made that naturalistic inquiry occupies a relatively unique position in the social sciences.

Two tales from an unpublished creative nonfiction novel 'Melting Pot Boils Over' are presented to draw attention to the experiences of the marginalized Greek immigrants and their children in the South at the end of the Jim Crow era.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I would like to acknowledge the assistance of Scott A. Hunt. His detailed comments helped me greatly improve both the article's introduction and its conclusion. I delivered a short paper on violent encounters in which I provided a brief discussion of 'violent engagements' at the European Criminological Society Meeting held in Amsterdam from August 25 to 28, 2004. I later delivered a much longer paper on violent encounters in which I not only discussed violent engagements in much more detail but also discussed 'violent skirmishes' and 'dominance tiffs' at the Natural Decision Making Conference held in Amsterdam from June 14 to 15, 2005. From the author's study of violent and nonviolent offenders and non-offenders 'accounts, he drew two main conclusions about the interaction that takes place between the perpetrator and victim when violent crimes are committed. First, these crimes are committed during violent encounters that encompass five stages: (1) role claiming, (2) role rejection, (3) role sparring, (4) role enforcement, and (5) role determination. Second, based on how many of these stages are completed, violent encounters can be divided into three subtypes: (1) engagements, (2) skirmishes, and (3) tiffs. Violent dominance encounters that go through all five stages constitute engagements, those that enter only four of the stages constitute skirmishes, and those that enter only three of the stages constitute tiffs. Thus, for any theory to provide a complete explanation of violent crimes, it must be able to account for not only violent engagements but also violent skirmishes and tiffs. Keywords: dominance; encounters; skirmishes; violent interaction; violent situations; violent social action

The Case of Greek Immigrants in the South Many new immigrants to America could profitably follow the example of the Greeks who immigrated to our southern states. My maternal grandfather, [...]

Greek Americanism is the only viable mode of adaptation to the United States for people of Greek descent. It is not only simple in principle, but also possible in practice, [...]

A short story about Nick who wants to arrange a marriage for his sister-in-law Penelope with Yiannos, an older Greek man who owns a thriving restaurant but wants a virgin bride for himself is presented.

Two tales about confrontations between Americans from various ethnic backgrounds that took place in Virginia during the twilight of the Jim Crow era are narrated. Both tales feature a character Pete Aegean, whose parents are Greek immigrants and who works as a counterman in a Greek-immigrant-owned cafe, and narrate his conflicts with his patrons who are White native Southerners.

Floyd Pumice, a romantic product salesman is welcomed by his counterman 'Pete the Greek', to watch Pumice ply his trade on the cafe's patrons. Pumice, who adroitly tailors his sales pitch to his customers closes sales with a long married, middle-aged man with a wife of the same age, a young single man who is desperate for sexual relations with his girl friend, and a young single man suffering from feelings of sexual inadequacy.

Romantic product salesmen traded in the Bible Belt by selling sex toys catering to a primarily male clientele, and taking advantage of their sexual ignorance and sexist attitudes, were able to sell merchandise that decreased rather than increased their customer's sexual frustration, at exorbitant prices. With the spread of X-rated bookstores to the Bible Belt in the mid-1960s, this little-known and secretive occupation disappeared from American cultural landscape.

The tales from the Melting Pot Boils Over describes the predicament of a Greek immigrant, who is operating a segregated cafe, where he has to deal with the patrons who are African American as well as American, in order to get their goodwill and keep the cafe running profitably. Three different situations involving an American patron, an African American patron and a riot in the cafe, are described separately.