ABSTRACT
This article proposes and analytical framework for public examination building upon a interactionist sociology, and mainly the works of sociologist Erving Goffman. Firstly, constructivism’s advance toward an understanding of processes of competition among actors is shown, with special emphasis on school competitions. Next, the reception of Game Theory by Sociology is analyzed so that the Goffmanian view of interactionist dynamics can be furthered: beginning with daily interactions (the theater metaphor), followed by focalized interactions and ending with strategic interactions (the game metaphor). Lastly, an ethnography of oral examinations assessing general culture of the French magistrate makes it possible to apply the theoretical categories through the dense descriptions of interactional frames.
sociology of juridical professions; public examinations; interactional rites; strategic interaction; French magistrate