Erving Goffman, renowned American sociologist, dies at 60 years old Erving Goffman passed away on November 20th, 1982, at the age of 60. He was a highly respected, celebrated sociologist who was born in Manville, Alberta, Canada in 1922. Goffman received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Manitoba in 1945 and earned his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1953. His academic work focused on the symbolic interaction in everyday life, particularly behavior in social settings and the structure of social organizations. Throughout his career, Goffman wrote several influential books, including The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life and Stigma. He served as professor at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Pennsylvania, where he held appointments in both the sociology and communication departments. Goffman's works had profound implications for our understanding of society, as they raised questions about the nature of the individual within complex social environments. He was honored with numerous awards and distinctions, including the American Sociological Association's Award for Distinguished Contributions to Scholarship and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences' Talcott Parsons Prize. Erving Goffman was a brilliant, influential scholar who thought deeply and sought to understand the complexities of social life. He will be deeply missed.