Sensing frames: A contribution to sensory pluralism

Are expressions like “sense of responsibility,” “sense of community,” and “business acumen” merely metaphors, or do they refer to deeper, socially embedded forms of perception? This article introduces the concept of “sensing frames”: the socially learned, culturally shaped, and pragmatically enacted modalities through which people perceive and feel frames—the organizational principles that, according to Goffman, allow us to define the situation and recognize “what is going on” around us. Just as the bodily senses help to orient us in physical space, sensing frames—such as the sense of justice, belonging, or urgency—guide ethical evaluations, shape collective experiences, and structure interactions. Drawing on the sociology of senses through an interactionist perspective, we argue in favor of a rethinking of social perception by radicalizing the sensory dimensions of frames and social interactions. Sensing frames are thus the cultivated modalities and activities of sensing through which the social world becomes intelligible, shareable, and livable.