Lecture: Debates on theory and method in the
social sciences
Harold Wilhite
SUM 3011/4011a
2010
What is interdisciplinarity?
Differing views. Simply awareness of other
perspectives? Does it involve the development
of new theories and methods? A central issue
is how to add value to individualised
disciplinary research without dissolving into a
quagmire of dilentantism.
What is methodology?
A way of inquiring about the world. Intimately
related to theory (conceptual landscapes). The
ways we inquire is deeply related to the ways
we conceive and theorize the subject of our
research.
Differing approaches to methodology
in the natural and social sciences
• NS: A separation of researcher and object of
research. A striving for objectivity.
SS separation assumed to be unclear. Search for
truth (validity) before objectivity
• NS: Theory first, test, negate, new theory
(deductive).
SS, appropriate theory emerges from
engagement with the subject (inductive).
• NS: Most often a hegemonic paradigm
SS: Most often competing paradigms
The Ortner article
• The Ortner article aims at exemplifying a deep
theoretical debate in the social sciences (and
within anthropology): the explanatory power of
two theoretical approaches of viewing agency,
one based in Foucault (sweeping discourses) and
the other in Geertz (thick description).
• Method: Fully deployed ethnography. An
ethnography in which Ortner lived herself into
the contexts of life among Sherpa and their
participation in mountaineering in Nepal.
The Wilhite et. al. article
• The Wilhite et al article on energy consumption in
Japan and Norway works at a kind of middle
theoretical level, aiming to illustrate the
importance of cultural difference in
understanding household energy use, and the
implications of this for energy saving policy.
• Method: bounded ethnography (relying heavily
on open-ended interviews).
Ethnography
• Long term study
• The researcher moves into all of the spaces that she/he
sees relevant to the study and remains open to
pursuing new subjects as information flows in. In a
globalising world, often multi-sited
• Follow subjects into the spaces of everyday life
• Involves review of written materials, texts
• Formal interviews
• Extensive informal conversations
• Field notes
• Less frequent but useful: use of survey questionnaire
Discourse Analysis
• A search for discursive truths ( a combination of
knowledge, language and power) and how these
truths normalise what people do and how they
do it ( even things that seem eminently physical
such as cleanliness, sexuality, thermal comfort).
• A method which is often textual. The nature of
the texts depends on the research question. For
example ‘sustainable development’. Search for
dominating views looking at academic papers,
books, public policy documents, conference
proceedings, interviews in relevant institutions
Wilhite et al: purpose
Addresses one of the bedrock assumptions in
energy. That individuals are free and autonomous
deciding units, unaffected by culture are social
relations. They make decisions by applying
economic utility.
The article sets out to undermine this assumption.
Culture matters and this means that other things
than economics are important to understanding
how people use energy.
How is the argument (paper) laid out?
• Rasjonale: importance and reason for doing
the study (p 159)
• Purpose (p 160)
• Method: how went about studying (answering
the research questions)
• Findings: what did the study reveal
• Discussion: reflections around findings
• Conclusions: what are the implications
Method
• Cross national comparison (aim at learning from similarities and
differences)
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Urban settings
Two countries with similar development histories
Rich, with similar amounts of household income spent on energy
Differences: climate and culture
• Qualitative interviews (aim at valid insights)
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Interview guide
Open ended as opposed to closed
Conversational
Usually smaller sample
Stratified sampling to capture important differences (157) as opposed
to random sampling
Writing
• stucture and argument
• sequences of interview or quotes to represent
points
• use the voices of informants (p 167 and 168)
• occasionally use numbers or percentages
when differences are clear
• use of tables where appropriate
Conclusions
• How theory – methodology – writing – reading
are tied together.
• How theories about the world and methods for
inquiring about it are tied to philosophy of
science.
• Academic disciplines formed around packages of
theory and method.
• In upcoming lectures, other disciplinary
approaches.
• Need for communication, cooperation and
mutual understanding between disciplines