Search Results

What Feminist Science Studies Can Offer

Janet A. Kourany

in Philosophy of Science after Feminism

This chapter takes up the feminists’ normative questions regarding science introduced in chapter 1 together with the various feminist science studies approaches they have engendered—the ... More

This chapter takes up the feminists’ normative questions regarding science introduced in chapter 1 together with the various feminist science studies approaches they have engendered—the methodological approach rationalized by the ideal of value-free science, the social approach rationalized by the social value management ideal of science, and the naturalist approaches rationalized by the empiricist ideal of science. In the end, however, a new approach is found necessary—a political approach rationalized by the ideal of socially responsible science. According to this approach sound social values as well as sound epistemic values must control every aspect of the scientific research process from the choice of research questions to the communication and application of results, this to be enforced by such political means as funding requirements on research.Less

Contributing to the Discipline

Rebecca Todd Peters and Bernadette McNary-Zak

in Teaching Undergraduate Research in Religious Studies

The chapter situates Undergraduate Research in Religious Studies within the contexts of the institutional and national organizations such as the Council of Undergraduate Research by addressing the ... More

The chapter situates Undergraduate Research in Religious Studies within the contexts of the institutional and national organizations such as the Council of Undergraduate Research by addressing the central feature of how students engaging in this pedagogy are contributing knowledge to the discipline. Given the multiplicity of methodological approaches in the discipline, this chapter offers the insights and perspectives of several faculty mentors of Undergraduate Research in order to highlight some of the ongoing perspectives and questions about what Undergraduate Research looks like in the field of Religious Studies.Less

Introduction

Arunabh Ghosh

in Making It Count: Statistics and Statecraft in the Early People’s Republic of China

This introductory chapter introduces a “crisis of counting” during the early years of the People's Republic of China (PRC). In its simplest form, the crisis in the PRC was understood as a problem of ... More

This introductory chapter introduces a “crisis of counting” during the early years of the People's Republic of China (PRC). In its simplest form, the crisis in the PRC was understood as a problem of building a centralized statistical system. At the heart of the varied solutions attempted by Chinese statisticians was a contentious debate about the very nature of social reality and the place and efficacy of mathematical statistics—in particular, probability theory—in ascertaining that reality. This debate played out against a backdrop populated by three divergent methodological approaches to statistics and statistical work. After all, abstract ideas about the nature of the world, whether defined by chance or certainty, have real world consequences. Chinese deliberations over such questions and their engagement with the Ethnographic, Exhaustive, and Stochastic approaches during the 1950s exemplify some of those consequences. The chapter unpacks these choices and traces how statistics in its various forms—as a (social) science, as a profession, and as an activity—came to be formulated and practiced, shedding light on fundamental questions germane to the histories of the People's Republic, statistics and data, and mid-century science.Less

Introduction

Susan James

in Spinoza on Philosophy, Religion, and Politics: The Theologico-Political Treatise

The introduction sets out a distinctive methodological approach to the study of the Theologico‐Political Treatise. In contrast to the stances taken by many other commentators, this book illuminates ... More

The introduction sets out a distinctive methodological approach to the study of the Theologico‐Political Treatise. In contrast to the stances taken by many other commentators, this book illuminates the argument of the Treatise by setting it in the historical context of the political and theological debates of the Dutch Republic to which Spinoza is contributing. The work emerges as a highly critical intervention in a series of interconnected disputes. Spinoza aims to discredit a range of influential parties and redirect the course of power. At the same time, he attempts to analyse the conditions in which Dutch citizens can best progress towards the good life that he outlines in his Ethics. His argument is conducted on two levels, the philosophical and the imaginary, each of which has its own authority. To understand the Treatise, it is vital to be sensitive to these registers and to Spinoza's continual shifts from one to the other.Less

Methods and Data

Grigore Pop-Eleches and Joshua A. Tucker

in Communism's Shadow: Historical Legacies and Contemporary Political Attitudes

This chapter looks at the questions of data and methodology. It is divided into three parts. The first part introduces in much greater detail the intuition behind the study's methodological approach. ... More

This chapter looks at the questions of data and methodology. It is divided into three parts. The first part introduces in much greater detail the intuition behind the study's methodological approach. The second part provides information regarding the modeling choices made in the analyses, the justification for doing so, and a discussion of some of the consequences of the choices for how one ought to interpret the findings. The third part describes both the survey data sets analyzed and the aggregate-level data collected to augment these surveys. Ultimately, the chapter can function almost as a stand-alone reference section that is easily accessibly at any time during the reading of the book.Less

Introduction

Lesley A. Sharp

in The Sacrificed Generation: Youth, History, and the Colonized Mind in Madagascar

This introductory chapter discusses the most deeply affected victims in Madagascar, namely the marginalized coastal youth. It first describes the nation of Madagascar and the town of Ambanja, which ... More

This introductory chapter discusses the most deeply affected victims in Madagascar, namely the marginalized coastal youth. It first describes the nation of Madagascar and the town of Ambanja, which is located in the Sambirano Valley. It then provides a general overview of the political history of the island and a description of anthropological models of childhood and their limitations. Finally, it reviews the methodological approaches used throughout the research with school youth.Less

Introduction

Anne Galletta and William E. Cross

in Mastering the Semi-Structured Interview and Beyond: From Research Design to Analysis and Publication

This introductory chapter describes the semi-structured interview, which addresses specific dimensions of the research question while also allowing for study participants to offer new meanings to the ... More

This introductory chapter describes the semi-structured interview, which addresses specific dimensions of the research question while also allowing for study participants to offer new meanings to the topic of study. It is particularly instrumental in creating openings for a narrative to unfold, while including questions informed by theory. It also leaves a space through which one might explore with participants the contextual influences evident in the narratives. To illustrate this methodological approach and philosophical orientation, the book provides a qualitative study focused on a particular social problem with a long history in education and psychology. Referred to throughout as “the desegregation study,” its inclusion is intended to illustrate in a concrete and detailed manner the use of the semi-structured interview within a multimethod qualitative study.Less

Researching the asylum-migration-community nexus

Maggie O'Neill

in Asylum, migration and community

This chapter studies the various methodological approaches to researching the asylum–migration–community nexus. It discusses the research with and for asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants, while ... More

This chapter studies the various methodological approaches to researching the asylum–migration–community nexus. It discusses the research with and for asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants, while focusing on the use and value of participatory-action research and the participatory- and community-arts methods. The chapter further stresses the need to include asylum seekers, migrants, and refugees in dialogue and research that aims to inform praxis and policy.Less

Envoi

Ed Sanders

in Envy and Jealousy in Classical Athens: A Socio-Psychological Approach

The Envoi looks at the aims of the book and summarizes its conclusions. This book has aimed to demonstrate that a methodological approach focusing on less specific terminology than on identifying ... More

The Envoi looks at the aims of the book and summarizes its conclusions. This book has aimed to demonstrate that a methodological approach focusing on less specific terminology than on identifying scripts and examining scenarios can be fruitful in illuminating the emotions as experiences beyond the possibilities permitted by a purely lexical approach. Classicists studying emotion should be much more open to using an approach based on intellectual cross-fertilization.Less

Time-use Surveys in Latin America: 2005–15

Valeria Esquivel

in Mainstreaming Unpaid Work: Time-use Data in Developing Policies

This chapter observes that the decade of 2005–15 witnessed rapid expansion of time-use surveys in Latin America at an unprecedented rate. It discusses the different methodological approaches used in ... More

This chapter observes that the decade of 2005–15 witnessed rapid expansion of time-use surveys in Latin America at an unprecedented rate. It discusses the different methodological approaches used in Latin American countries in the context of the on-going regional debate in the continent, mainly related to use of 24-hour time diary versus modular surveys using that use stylized questions. Though some experts in the region have a highly positive view about the use of stylized questions of data collection, the author does not quite agree, as she believes that time-use surveys based on 24-hour time diary give sound and reliable data. The author suggests open dialogue on this subject where both the ideas are presented along with selected global experts.Less

Introduction

Mogens Lærke, Justin E. H. Smith, and Eric Schliesser

in Philosophy and Its History: Aims and Methods in the Study of Early Modern Philosophy

The introduction explains the need for how an international, inclusive discussion about the range of different methodological approaches from different traditions of philosophy can be read alongside ... More

The introduction explains the need for how an international, inclusive discussion about the range of different methodological approaches from different traditions of philosophy can be read alongside each other and be seen in sometimes very critical conversation with each other. In addition, it identifies four broad themes in the volume: the largest group of chapters advocate methods that promote history of philosophy as an unapologetic, autonomous enterprise with its own criteria within philosophy. Second, three chapters can be seen as historicizing the history of philosophy from within. Third, four chapters argue for history of philosophy as a means toward making contributions to contemporary philosophy. Finally, two chapters explore the relationship between the history of philosophy and the history of science.Less

Embracing the Paradigm of Dirty Hands

in Language of the Gun: Youth, Crime, and Public Policy

The Catalina interviews (the interviews of young males at the Catalina Mountain School in Tucson, Arizona) lend support to four methodological approaches. But at the same time, they expose the ... More

The Catalina interviews (the interviews of young males at the Catalina Mountain School in Tucson, Arizona) lend support to four methodological approaches. But at the same time, they expose the assumptions about human behavior embedded in each. The interviews reveal moments of individual decision making, of instrumental reasoning, and deliberate choice. The Catalina interviews also reveal recurring registers of gun talk. Commodities, protection, suicide—there are patterns in the way the Catalina youths talk about guns. But how do those patterns become necessary, and why should we assume that they influence behavior? The youths recount recurring scripts about gun carrying. They seem to know well how to play these encounters. At the same time, the reiteration seems to modify the performance. Sometimes it leads to gunfire, at other times to a standoff. The empirical data from the Catalina School raise more questions than they answer.Less

Bourdieu and Practice Theory: From the Kabyle House to the Street Corner

in Language of the Gun: Youth, Crime, and Public Policy

This chapter focuses on practice theory and on the writings of Pierre Bourdieu, who self-consciously intervened in an effort to overcome the debate between Sartre and Lévi-Strauss: How does structure ... More

This chapter focuses on practice theory and on the writings of Pierre Bourdieu, who self-consciously intervened in an effort to overcome the debate between Sartre and Lévi-Strauss: How does structure relate to individual decision making? In the case of the Catalina interviews (interviews of young males at the Catalina Mountain School in Tucson, Arizona), how are the registers of gun talk connected to the practice of carrying guns? Do they help us understand why the Catalina youths possess guns, and can they help us predict which youths carry? Do the registers influence practice so as to perpetuate or undermine the language itself? Do the structures change over time? And what would account for the change? In sum, how do the registers of gun talk relate to the individual decisions to carry guns? Pierre Bourdieu specifically addressed these questions, and the approach he helped develop—known as “practice theory”—represents the perfect illustration of a third methodological approach to social science.Less

Investigating Culture in War: Methodology, Causality, Case Studies, and Data

in Why War?: The Cultural Logic of Iraq, the Gulf War, and Suez

Realizing that war talk is always a case of new wine in old bottles takes us a step away from relativism, subjectivism, and the fetishization of the uniqueness of each setting toward a deductive and ... More

Realizing that war talk is always a case of new wine in old bottles takes us a step away from relativism, subjectivism, and the fetishization of the uniqueness of each setting toward a deductive and generalizable theory of what culture might look like and how it works in crisis situations. Accordingly, we need a methodological approach that engages with interpretation but does so in a way that is consistent with norms of what we might think of as hypothesis testing. The conduct of social scientific research has traditionally entailed trade-offs between these poles. There are long-acknowledged tensions between specificity and generality of focus, between the refinements of interpretative sensibilities and the brisk satisfactions of closure and accountability that can come from the embrace of the science model. This chapter maps out an approach that can respect each of these contending paths to understanding. It also exercises some of the other old war horses from the battle lines of the Methodenstreit: the problematic dualism separating structural and agentic models of culture.Less

The Cognitive Basis of Social Interaction Across the Lifespan: An Introduction

Heather J. Ferguson

in The Cognitive Basis of Social Interaction Across the Lifespan

This chapter sets the scene of the book by providing key definitions of the concepts that underlie social interaction, and highlighting the importance of a lifespan approach. Traditionally, research ... More

This chapter sets the scene of the book by providing key definitions of the concepts that underlie social interaction, and highlighting the importance of a lifespan approach. Traditionally, research on social interaction has focused on a very narrow age-range between 2 and 7 years old, when these skills are known to develop in typically developing children. However, over the last few years new paradigms and methodological advances have facilitated an exciting new body of research that has examined social interaction in infancy and beyond childhood. This chapter presents key theoretical models of social interaction, and considers the predictions that each makes about development across the lifespan, noting a particular role for cognitive mechanisms. It also introduces a range of methodological approaches that have been used to study social interaction, emphasizing the challenges that researchers face in applying these methods across the lifespan, and the opportunities that lie ahead thanks to new paradigms and technologies that enable more implicit and ecologically-valid research on this topic.Less

Arabic-Islamic Records on Latin-Christian Europe

Daniel G. König

in Arabic-Islamic Views of the Latin West: Tracing the Emergence of Medieval Europe

Chapter 1 introduces the reader to the general theme of the book. It discusses and defines the terminology employed to describe, analyse, and evaluate Arabic-Islamic records on medieval Western ... More

Chapter 1 introduces the reader to the general theme of the book. It discusses and defines the terminology employed to describe, analyse, and evaluate Arabic-Islamic records on medieval Western Europe on a macro-historical scale. An overview of the range of available sources introduces the reader to the material that is subject to analysis in the following chapters. An account of the current state of research questions previous interpretations of related Arabic-Islamic records and outlines the study’s alternative approach: to analyse and interpret the extant material thematically and in chronological order, thus tracing and explaining the processes of transmission, reception, and contextualization that facilitated the production of the extant Arabic-Islamic records on certain Latin-Christian phenomena. Two short overviews at the beginning and end of the chapter explain the structure of the current study.Less

A Genealogy of the Youth Gun Field

in Language of the Gun: Youth, Crime, and Public Policy

With a view to mapping the terrain of law and policy onto the discussion of methodological approaches, the analysis here begins with a genealogical inquiry: How did law and policy alternatives ... More

With a view to mapping the terrain of law and policy onto the discussion of methodological approaches, the analysis here begins with a genealogical inquiry: How did law and policy alternatives emerge, develop, fragment, and reproduce over time? What are the disciplines, institutions, and practices that engendered these policies—or alternatively, that were themselves born of these projects? Such an inquiry involves two tasks. The first task is to trace the genealogy of the larger research field in order to locate the birth of youth gun studies. The second task is to explore the micropolitics of the laws and policies surrounding youth gun possession at the turn of the twenty-first century. How is it that youth gun possession became such a hot political issue in the mid- to late 1990s? This chapter addresses these two lines of inquiry.Less

Introduction: Imago Dei and the Dialectics of In-Visibility

Claudia Welz

in Humanity in God’s Image: An Interdisciplinary Exploration

The Introduction describes the theme and aim of the book—namely (1) to clarify the meaning of the biblical notion that the human being has been created b’tselem elohim (Genesis 1:26–7; 5:1–3; 9:6), ... More

The Introduction describes the theme and aim of the book—namely (1) to clarify the meaning of the biblical notion that the human being has been created b’tselem elohim (Genesis 1:26–7; 5:1–3; 9:6), in the image of an invisible God, (2) to trace different Jewish and Christian interpretations of ‘humanity in God’s image,’ and (3) to reconsider the significance of the imago Dei in a post-Holocaust context. Further, the Introduction gives an account of the scope and methodological approach, the state of the art, and the distinctive features of the present study—for instance, its focus on an ethical and theological dialectics of in-visibility. Finally, it outlines the argument and four-part structure of the book and provides abstracts of its eight chapters. Part I is entitled “Creation and Creativity”; Part II “Revealment and Concealment”; Part III “Reorientation and Redemption”; and Part IV “Ethics with an Eschatological Proviso.”Less