The symbolic interpretation of work as a part of the legitimating process found in alternative communities is explored. This is done through a critique of Kanter's (1972) structural functional approach and the development of a dialectical perspective within which legitimacy is treated as a product of the efforts of community members to ritualistically reconcile contradictions between their public claims about themselves and the practical problems found in daily life. Central to this process is the rise of ritual structures through which seemingly mundane features of everyday life are given symbolic meaning. The implications of this perspective for analyzing time conventions and legitimation crises are also discussed.
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