Instytucje totalne dzisiaj: stan badań, krytyka, rekonfiguracje
Total Institutions Today: State of Research, Criticism, Reconfiguration

Summary/Abstract: Goffman’s concept of total institutions seems to have lost its significance and raises a lot of questions. From the perspective of more than 50 years since the first publication of Asylums, there has been a great deal of confusion surrounding this work. The definition of total institutions itself is fuzzy and ambiguous, applicable to almost any social institution. This article aims at offering a corrected, precise and up-to-date definition of total institutions. It starts with placing the concept in the context of other social studies and its applicability. Then it moves on to reconstruct the critical comments, identifying the weak and strong points of Goffman’s concept. It discusses other alternative theoretical constructs which build on his work. Finally, the author formulates a reconfiguration of the concept.

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