One of the most cogent uses of the drama metaphor is Carlen's (1976) study of proceedings in a London magistrates court. Like Garfinkel, Carlen follows a phenomenological, observational method, and for much of the book appears to be giving a straightforward Durkheimian account of the symbolic meaning of the event and its significance for the constitution and reinforcement of social rules. She then, however, highlights the deficiency which phenomenological perspectives share with Durkheim's theories in so far as they neglect the factor of power. Carlen points out that the way in which the judge's seat is raised above everyone else, the way the defendant is the furthest away from the judge, the clothes and wigs, the rising and bowing, all serve to emphasize the power relationships in the courtroom, which are, of course, reflections of power relations throughout society.