Remarks on Blumer, Symbolic Interactionism and Mass Society

Abstract

The development of Symbolic Interactionism in Italy has benefited from a progressively positive relationship with Anglo Saxon Sociology, which has transcended the traditional boundaries of functionalism’s centrality. In its development, Herbert Blumer is a national and international point of reference because of his theoretical elaboration and contradictory relationship with the research process. His occasional and critical evaluation of mass society, considered in light of its prioritization of collective behavior, highlights an approach that suggests the differentiation of individual roles and identities as central to their relationships.