INTRODUCTION

Hillyard argues that Irving Goffman’s mixing of detailed study, an evocative writing style and interjection as social commentator can legitimately be defined as social science research because it highlights inequalities. His approach is seen not as a systematic model but as a appreciation of the rhetorical nature of ethnographic writing and argument, whilst maintaining a critical theoretical agenda. Debates over the legitimacy of partisan research and in particular critical ethnography are a feature of the last decade in education (Hammersley, 1992) and Irving Goffman, in particular, is held in high esteem for his work on inequalities which is why the debate at the Oxford 2002 conference was so pertinent.