practices are displayed only in performances: a practice…
““practices are displayed only in performances: a practice is the trace, the residue, of its performances. Practices are not "stable compositions of easily recognized characteristics." They are nothing more than "footprints left behind by agents responding to their emergent situations, footprints which are only somewhat less evanescent than the transactions in which they emerged" (OHC ioo).””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Practices emerge from actions and are fleeting traces, not fixed structures.
In simple terms: Practices are temporary results of actions.
Key Takeaway
Recognize the fluid nature of practices.
Themes
change
ity
emergence
Mood
analytical
reflective
Type
theoretical
academic
When to use this quote
- organizational change
- cultural analysis
- policy design
Key Concepts
sociology
performance theory
agency
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we study fleeting practices?
- What methods reveal hidden traces?
A Different Perspective
Practices can be hard to capture for analysis.