the theoretical and empirical fields of research, paul dowling, school of culture language and communication institute of education university of london

Question 3

epistemology: the nature of knowledge

constructivism/constructionism: knowledge is not concerned with absolutes, but with individual (constructivism) or collective ( constructionism) constructions that are thereby context-specific

general approach or general methodology: assumptions about the nature of the objects and their relations etc

structuralism: the value or meaning of an object is given by its relationships within a system of objects (eg like the meaning of 'the 12:15 flight from Beijing to Narita')

poststructuralism: the systems that give meaning are never fully stable or fixed or complete so that meaning is perpetually undermining itself

Issues

As a sociologist, I am concerned, fundamentally, with method, that is, with the assumptions that I need to make in order to establish a coherence and explicitness in my organisational langauge and its descriptions

I am also concerned to develop the power of my OL in terms of the range of objects and settings that it can address

The level of power is a measure of the use-value of my sociology

The level of coherence is a measure of the consistency of its descriptions

The level of explicitness is a measure of its teachability

So, I draw inspiration from a range of powerful thinkers (Foucault, Bourdieu, Bernstein, Piaget, Rorty, Fish, Hillis-Miller, Derrida, Lacan, Baudrillard, Lyotard, de Saussure, Marx, Durkheim, Weber, ...)—because of my cultural origins, these tend to be European or American and always read in English

But I am not concerned to put them in curricular boxes

I am concerned to render coherent and explicit the OL that emerges from my engagements with them and with the objects and settings that constitute my empirical field

Crotty, M. (1998). The Foundations of Social Research: Meaning and perspective in the research process. London, Sage.


	Question 3 epistemology: the nature of knowledge constructivism/constructionism: knowledge is not concerned with absolutes, but with individual (constructivism) or collective ( constructionism) constructions that are thereby context-specific general approach or general methodology: assumptions about the nature of the objects and their relations etc structuralism: the value or meaning of an object is given by its relationships within a system of objects (eg like the meaning of 'the 12:15 flight from Beijing to Narita') poststructuralism: the systems that give meaning are never fully stable or fixed or complete so that meaning is perpetually undermining itself Issues As a sociologist, I am concerned, fundamentally, with method, that is, with the assumptions that I need to make in order to establish a coherence and explicitness in my organisational langauge and its descriptions I am also concerned to develop the power of my OL in terms of the range of objects and settings that it can address The level of power is a measure of the use-value of my sociology The level of coherence is a measure of the consistency of its descriptions The level of explicitness is a measure of its teachability So, I draw inspiration from a range of powerful thinkers (Foucault, Bourdieu, Bernstein, Piaget, Rorty, Fish, Hillis-Miller, Derrida, Lacan, Baudrillard, Lyotard, de Saussure, Marx, Durkheim, Weber, ...)—because of my cultural origins, these tend to be European or American and always read in English But I am not concerned to put them in curricular boxes I am concerned to render coherent and explicit the OL that emerges from my engagements with them and with the objects and settings that constitute my empirical field Crotty, M. (1998). The Foundations of Social Research: Meaning and perspective in the research process. London, Sage.