Researching social problems: Putting the cart before the horse?

Description

Whatdowegainindefiningandresearchingsocialproblemsas‘objective’,‘quantifiable’,and‘measurable’phenomena?Inhisinfluential1971paper,HerbertBlumercritiquedthesocialsciencesforchasingwhatisusuallytakenasthe‘objective’aspectofsocialproblems.Guidedbytheirobjective,quantifiableformulation,weoftenpurportknowingwhatasocialproblemisbeforewebeginresearchingit—inotherwords,weputthecartbeforethehorse.Usingmyresearchonpovertyasanexample,Iwilllogicallyexaminebothrealistandconstructivistapproachestothestudyofsocialproblemsandpointoutsomecommonerrorsineach.Iwillarguethatinresearchingsocialproblems,psychologyhascometosufferfromwhatFrancisBaconcalledtheidolatheatri—thedogmatictendenciesofresearchborneoutofwronglawsofdemonstration.

Period	24 Oct 2017
Held at	University of Cambridge, United Kingdom