Methods and Theory in Comparative Research PDF

Methods and theory in comparative research Dr. Emanuela Buscemi, Zayed University Spring 2025 Comparative sociology It is the study of differences and similarities in social processes, structures, and phenomena across different societies or historical periods. It h...

Methods and theory in comparative research Dr. Emanuela Buscemi, Zayed University Spring 2025 Comparative sociology It is the study of differences and similarities in social processes, structures, and phenomena across different societies or historical periods. It helps us understand universal social laws and explain the diversity of social behaviors and structures. We employ it to identify patterns of social organization, culture, and behavior through comparison. It allows us to test sociological theories across different contexts and assess the Theory of comparative research  Structural Functionalism - Durkheim: o Social systems areunderstood in terms of how their parts function together to maintain stability. o Comparison helps identify how different structures (e.g., family, religion) function in diverse societies.  Conflict Theory - Marx: o Focus on power, inequality, and class struggle across societies. o Comparative research can reveal how different economic systems shape class relations and social conflict.  Interpretive Sociology - Weber: o Emphasizes understanding the meaning of social actions through the perspective of individuals within different cultural contexts. o Comparison looks at how values and beliefs affect  Durkheim’s method in comparative research  Scientific Approach: Durkheim viewed sociology as a science and believed in using empirical data and systematic comparison.  Social Facts are the primary unit of study in Durkheim’s approach as external, coercive aspects of social life that shape individual behavior.  Comparative historical method to study patterns across societies (e.g., religion, crime, suicide).  Focus on how institutions (religion, law) function to maintain social order.  Example: suicide - Durkheim compared suicide rates across different societies to understand the role of Weber’s method in comparative research  Verstehen (insight): Weber focused on understanding the subjective meaning that individuals attach to their actions.  Weber emphasises the historical and cultural context when analyzing societies.  Ideal Types: idealized models created to study social phenomena.  Weber was interested in individual actions and how subjective beliefs, values, and motivations shape social reality. Example: The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (book) - Weber compared religious values and their relationship with economic development (capitalism) in the Methods in comparative research: qualitative o Focus on in-depth understanding of social phenomena (e.g., ethnography, interviews). o Weber emphasizes the understanding of cultural and subjective meanings within historical context. o Example: Comparing religious rituals across cultures by observing and interpreting them in context. Methods in comparative research: quantitative o Focus on numerical data and statistical analysis to identify patterns and relationships between variables. o Durkheim’s approach uses statistical data to examine social facts (e.g., suicide rates, crime rates). o Example: Comparing suicide rates across countries to understand social integration's effect. Methods in comparative research: mixed o Combines both qualitative and quantitative approaches to get a more holistic view of social phenomena. o Example: A study combining qualitative interviews about religious beliefs and quantitative data on social cohesion and crime. Challenges of comparative research  Contextual Differences: Social, political, and cultural contexts may vary greatly, making comparison difficult and potentially misleading (risk of oversimplification or generalisation).  Ethnocentrism: The risk of viewing other societies through the lens of one's own culture (risk of biased interpretations).  Selecting variables to compare can be challenging due to the complexity of social systems.  Over-Simplification of complex social structures to compare may ignore nuances or lead to reductionist conclusions.  Historical Contingencies (unique historical events) makes it hard to draw generalized conclusions. Wallerstein: historical social science  Wallerstein critiques the limitations of traditional sociology and suggests the integration of historical social science to better understand social phenomena.  He believes that historical social science offers a more comprehensive framework.  He emphasizes that to understand global inequality, capitalism, and social change, we need to incorporate historical processes into sociological analysis.  The World-System Theory that he developed connects past and present global inequalities. Prospects for a historical social science What:  Wallerstein argues that sociology should be interdisciplinary (history, economics, and political science).  He advocates for the integration of historical and sociological methods to investigate long-term social change, not just immediate social phenomena.  The historical social science approach allows us to understand how historical processes (e.g., colonialism, capitalism, state formation) shape contemporary societies. How:  Cross-temporal and cross-national comparisons: incorporating history, sociology can analyze social change over longer periods and in different contexts.  Macro-level analysis emphasizes the need to look at social phenomena on a global scale, connecting local histories to global processes.  Historical analysis allows for a deeper understanding of the development of global capitalism and its impact on social inequalities through an emphasis on power structures. Obstacles to historical social science According to Wallerstein, sociology must evolve and embrace a historical, global, and interdisciplinary approach to better understand contemporary issues like inequality, global capitalism, and social transformation in order to overcome the following obstacles:  Disciplinary Boundaries: Sociology often remains distinct from other fields, limiting its scope and theoretical innovation.  Short-Term Focus: Sociological research tends to prioritize immediate, empirical studies over long-term, historical analysis.  Challenges in Theorizing Global Systems: The complexity of global systems requires a holistic approach, but existing theories often fail to connect local and global phenomena effectively. Please note that to get a good grade in class you should not limit your revisions to the Power Point presentations, but also do the weekly readings. grazie