Approaches in Critical Social Research

There are four approaches in critical social research

1. Approaches in Critical Social Research
 Radical Historicism: This presupposes that constructing histories is an interpretative process rather than the recording of facts it attempts to dig beneath the surface of the historical development of structural forms. Radical historicism is concerned with the uncovering of historical evidence.The meaning of the evidence depends on a conceptualization of dominant socialstructures. The reconstruction of history takes place alongside structural analysis. Itinforms and is also informed by it.
2. Critical Ethnography: This is widely used and it involves a close attention to detailswhich characterize ethnography. It is very useful in rendering all the invisible to be visible and for revealing anomalies and common sense notions. It transforms all the anomalies and all details taken for granted into contradictions and myths by situating them in broader social and historical analysis. It focuses on the way contradictions are negotiated and myths re-presented.
3. Structuralist techniques: The two types of structuralist techniques used in critical social

research are:

• Semiological Analysis: This attempt to undercover the connoted level of denoted messages though widely used in the mass media. It is applicable to and derives from a general approach to the analysis of any system; it sees a sign as any cultural symbol which conveys a meaning. The sign is made up of two elements – signifier and signified.
• dentification of binary oppositions and narrative sequences: which draws on linguistics and presupposes that the structure of language is inherently dichotomous and consequently, the symbolic meaning of an image is determined only by differences.

SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISE 2

• What are the phenomenological approaches in social research?
• What are the four approaches in critical social research?

CONCLUSION

Researchers study the socio-cultural implications involved in their different areas of study. To this effect different scientific disciplines have influenced such areas in terms of theorization as well as methods adopted in the pursuit of knowledge.

Doing a research is not just about selecting and constructing data collection technique on the
contrary; it involves conceptualization of the problem theoretical debate, specification of research practices, analytic frameworks and epistemological presuppositions. In this unit you have studied some research methods which you can use in your qualitative researches.

SUMMARY

In this unit you have learnt that empiricism is a system which does not agree with all past knowledge which rests solely on experience. Anybody who practices empiricism is called empiricist. An empirical research method proceeds in a systematic and orderly manner in order to pursue the truth as determined by facts and logical considerations. The steps involved are

• Data collection
• Measurement
• Classification, organization and tabulation of data
• Data analysis
• Formulation of hypothesis and
• Formulation of theory or law.

The main features of empirical research are:

• Observation
• Concepts 
• Objectivity 
• Verifiability 
• Predictability 
• Systematic nature. 

You also learnt that phenomenology is philosophies of knowledge are

• Hermeneutical Phenomenology 
• Transpersonal Phenomenology 
• Social Phenomenology 
• Neuro-Phenomenology. 

Critical research lays emphasis on the fact that knowledge is problematic and capable of
systematic distortion. The elements of critical social research include abstraction, totality, essence, praxis, ideology, history and structure.

The approaches in critical social research are

• Critical case study 
• Radical historicism 
• Critical ethnography 
• Structuralist techniques.

TUTOR MARKED ASSIGNMENT

1. List the empirical research process
2. Explain the major features of empirical scientific research
3. Describe the phenomenological approaches
4. What are the elements of a critical social research?