Giddens' reintegration of sociological theory has cast a spell over many sociological theorists, particularly those who are concerned with micro-sociology. While recognising the contributions of structuration theory, this paper argues that Giddens' theoretical account of action and structure is incoherent. Paradoxically, this is because of a major achievement of structuration theory: the recognition of the constitutive role of time and space in social organisation. Drawing on Giddens' work, this paper examines the theory of action and social organisation that is implicit in ethnomethodology and argues that it is better able to accommodate the complexities of social life which structuration theory identifies but cannot analyse.
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