Hermeneutical Phenomenology: This is one of most influential phenomenological field work. It involves a dialogue between a text, such as myth, drama, fairy story, dream report, oral history, etc and the experiences evoked in people participating in the text. The meaning of the text can be developed within the consciousness of living people.
There is a movement from the initial hearing of the text that may then lead to experiences that illuminate the meaning of the text.People can later start reflecting conceptually on both the text and the memory of experiences related to the text.
Transpersonal Phenomenology: This involves the recognition of extraordinary experiences as legitimate and useful data. Such experiences that in some sense go beyond the boundaries of ordinary ego-consciousness are called extraordinary. They include such phenomena as out-of–body experiences, visions, possession states, near-death experiences, meditative, ecstatic, unique and mystical experiences.
Social Phenomenology: This has become increasingly an influence on anthropological thinking of the social dimensions of experience. The object of scrutiny is your relationship to another person. It is not about the non-human objects of the world. What are the essential qualities of the social relationship?
Neuro-Phenomenology: This provides the most direct route to uncover the essential structures of consciousness. You can do this by stepping in the cross-cultural evidence that pertains to human experience and to explore the universal structures of experience.The neurosciences provide an independent source of looking directly at the architecture of the organ of experience – the human brain.
These blocks should not be considered as discrete units which can simply be placed next to one another. They are elements which are drawn together in various ways in the process of deconstruction and reconstruction.
i. Abstraction
This is often misunderstood in term of a distillation of sensory perception of the world of objects into conceptual categories.It starts from the literally objective world and selects out the recurrent or apparently the core or the defining features until an abstract concept is formed, at least in our minds if not in a directly communicable form. It works by moving from the abstract to the concrete. It starts
with abstract generalizations and then to their investigations.
ii. Totality
This refers to the view that social phenomena are interrelated and form a total whole. It means that a social phenomenon should be situated in a wider social context. Therefore social phenomena should not be analyzed in isolation. A totalistic view indicates that all the components are interrelated into a coherent structure which can only make meaning in terms of the structure, but then the structure relies on the component parts.
iii. Essence
This refers to the fundamental elements of analytic process. Critical social researchers see essence as a fundamental concept that can be used as the key to unlock the process of deconstruction.
iv. Praxis
This refers to the practical reflective activity. It involves what you do most of the time as a human being. It excludes such instinctive or mindless activities like sleeping, breathing etc or activities that involve repetitive work tasks. It is what changes the world. The critical social researcher believes that knowledge not just about finding out things about the world. It is about changing it. You need therefore to engage in praxis.
v. Ideology
This is a concept which has a long history. Its current usage is developed as an analytic and critical tool in the work of Marx. It has been an important feature of Marxism. There are two approaches to a critical analysis of ideology. These are the positive and the negative views of ideology.
vi.Structure
In critical social research, structure is viewed holistically as complex set of interrelated elements which are interdependent and which can only be adequately conceived in terms of the complete structure.
vii. History
This refers to both the reconstructed account of past events and the process by which this reconstruction is made. That is the process of doing history. It involves both a view about the nature of history and the assembling of historical materials.
a house apart brick by brick and may be building another house using that same bricks. Reconstruction is not only rebuilding, it involves reconceptualization. Critical research starts with observation, concern, frustration or doubt which provoked the enquiry.
You can start by asking series of questions like why are things appear like this? Why do they persist? Why has nothing been done about them? Does it mean they have not been noticed? Why it that people accept what is is not in their interest? These and more questions will lead you into getting a clearer picture of what you are looking for. These questions will lead you to three related lines of enquiry. What is essentially going on? Why has this historically been the case? Why structures reproduce this state of affairs?Start to broaden the enquiry.
Do not assume relationships as the enquiry develops but undertakefurther empirical enquiry. After the investigation is completed, you write the report as your chance to share the understanding wit others. Note the critical social research is primarily concerned with analysis and reporting of substantive issues rather than the artificial logic of the research process.
There is a movement from the initial hearing of the text that may then lead to experiences that illuminate the meaning of the text.People can later start reflecting conceptually on both the text and the memory of experiences related to the text.
Transpersonal Phenomenology: This involves the recognition of extraordinary experiences as legitimate and useful data. Such experiences that in some sense go beyond the boundaries of ordinary ego-consciousness are called extraordinary. They include such phenomena as out-of–body experiences, visions, possession states, near-death experiences, meditative, ecstatic, unique and mystical experiences.
Social Phenomenology: This has become increasingly an influence on anthropological thinking of the social dimensions of experience. The object of scrutiny is your relationship to another person. It is not about the non-human objects of the world. What are the essential qualities of the social relationship?
Neuro-Phenomenology: This provides the most direct route to uncover the essential structures of consciousness. You can do this by stepping in the cross-cultural evidence that pertains to human experience and to explore the universal structures of experience.The neurosciences provide an independent source of looking directly at the architecture of the organ of experience – the human brain.
CRITICAL RESEARCH
This lays emphasis on the fact that knowledge is problematic and capable of systematic distortion. Its concern is to understand the theory as well as the practices. It is extremely varied the critical methodology based on a number of building blocks.These blocks should not be considered as discrete units which can simply be placed next to one another. They are elements which are drawn together in various ways in the process of deconstruction and reconstruction.
Elements of Critical Social Research
The elements are abstraction, totality, essence, praxis, ideology, history and structure.i. Abstraction
This is often misunderstood in term of a distillation of sensory perception of the world of objects into conceptual categories.It starts from the literally objective world and selects out the recurrent or apparently the core or the defining features until an abstract concept is formed, at least in our minds if not in a directly communicable form. It works by moving from the abstract to the concrete. It starts
with abstract generalizations and then to their investigations.
ii. Totality
This refers to the view that social phenomena are interrelated and form a total whole. It means that a social phenomenon should be situated in a wider social context. Therefore social phenomena should not be analyzed in isolation. A totalistic view indicates that all the components are interrelated into a coherent structure which can only make meaning in terms of the structure, but then the structure relies on the component parts.
iii. Essence
This refers to the fundamental elements of analytic process. Critical social researchers see essence as a fundamental concept that can be used as the key to unlock the process of deconstruction.
iv. Praxis
This refers to the practical reflective activity. It involves what you do most of the time as a human being. It excludes such instinctive or mindless activities like sleeping, breathing etc or activities that involve repetitive work tasks. It is what changes the world. The critical social researcher believes that knowledge not just about finding out things about the world. It is about changing it. You need therefore to engage in praxis.
v. Ideology
This is a concept which has a long history. Its current usage is developed as an analytic and critical tool in the work of Marx. It has been an important feature of Marxism. There are two approaches to a critical analysis of ideology. These are the positive and the negative views of ideology.
vi.Structure
In critical social research, structure is viewed holistically as complex set of interrelated elements which are interdependent and which can only be adequately conceived in terms of the complete structure.
vii. History
This refers to both the reconstructed account of past events and the process by which this reconstruction is made. That is the process of doing history. It involves both a view about the nature of history and the assembling of historical materials.
Critical Research Process
The process here involves deconstruction and reconstruction. Note that this does no means takinga house apart brick by brick and may be building another house using that same bricks. Reconstruction is not only rebuilding, it involves reconceptualization. Critical research starts with observation, concern, frustration or doubt which provoked the enquiry.
You can start by asking series of questions like why are things appear like this? Why do they persist? Why has nothing been done about them? Does it mean they have not been noticed? Why it that people accept what is is not in their interest? These and more questions will lead you into getting a clearer picture of what you are looking for. These questions will lead you to three related lines of enquiry. What is essentially going on? Why has this historically been the case? Why structures reproduce this state of affairs?Start to broaden the enquiry.
Do not assume relationships as the enquiry develops but undertakefurther empirical enquiry. After the investigation is completed, you write the report as your chance to share the understanding wit others. Note the critical social research is primarily concerned with analysis and reporting of substantive issues rather than the artificial logic of the research process.
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