New Books in Sociology Pauwke Berkers and Yosha Wijngaarden, "A Sociology of Awkwardness: On Social Interactions Going Wrong" (Taylor & Francis, 2025)
Aug 30, 2025
Pauwke Berkers, a full professor of Sociology of Popular Music, and Yosha Wijngaarden, an assistant professor of Media and Creative Industries, delve into the intriguing realm of awkwardness in social interactions. They reveal how awkwardness isn’t a mere personal shortcoming but a complex sociological phenomenon shaped by cultural contexts. From navigating post-pandemic social situations to exploring coping strategies like humor and avoidance, their insights uncover how societal norms influence our often uncomfortable connections.
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Awkwardness As Social Outcome
- Awkwardness is not an individual trait but feelings from social interactions going wrong.
- It combines emotional experience and cultural labeling that shape how people interpret awkward moments.
Awkwardness Versus Embarrassment
- The authors contrast awkwardness with embarrassment and see awkwardness as longer‑lasting and relational.
- Embarrassment follows an individual mishap while awkwardness spans anticipation, occurrence, and retrospection.
PhD Ethnography Repurposed
- Yosha used an unused ethnographic chapter from her PhD to study frontstage/backstage awkwardness in open offices.
- The dataset also includes interviews with millennials returning to social life after COVID.
