Social theory and the everyday: some methodological insights from Wittgenstein
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Social theory and the everyday : some methodological insights from Wittgenstein. / Hermansen, Jens Christian.
In: Distinktion, Vol. 18, No. 1, 26.01.2017, p. 41-58.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Social theory and the everyday
T2 - some methodological insights from Wittgenstein
AU - Hermansen, Jens Christian
PY - 2017/1/26
Y1 - 2017/1/26
N2 - The article argues for the relevance of rediscovering Wittgenstein in social theory with particular focus on his philosophical method. The article is divided into three parts. Part I gives a brief overview of Wittgenstein’s role in the coming of age of the influential 1980s generation of European social theory. Parts II and III discuss Wittgenstein’s method and its significance for social theory. In Wittgenstein’s late philosophy, there are deep and unique insights to be gained about doing theoretical research. These insights can be extended to the social sciences. The article argues that the tradition of social theory can benefit from being linked to Wittgenstein’s method which suggests a way of theorizing on the basis of detailed case-knowledge; that it can profit from bringing this method into an explicit relation to existing approaches, styles and tools in social theory. Despite its sketchy and unfinished character, Wittgenstein’s case study method can be a guide for a way of bridging the widening gap between theoretical and empirical forms of research that can be observed in the social sciences today.
AB - The article argues for the relevance of rediscovering Wittgenstein in social theory with particular focus on his philosophical method. The article is divided into three parts. Part I gives a brief overview of Wittgenstein’s role in the coming of age of the influential 1980s generation of European social theory. Parts II and III discuss Wittgenstein’s method and its significance for social theory. In Wittgenstein’s late philosophy, there are deep and unique insights to be gained about doing theoretical research. These insights can be extended to the social sciences. The article argues that the tradition of social theory can benefit from being linked to Wittgenstein’s method which suggests a way of theorizing on the basis of detailed case-knowledge; that it can profit from bringing this method into an explicit relation to existing approaches, styles and tools in social theory. Despite its sketchy and unfinished character, Wittgenstein’s case study method can be a guide for a way of bridging the widening gap between theoretical and empirical forms of research that can be observed in the social sciences today.
KW - Faculty of Social Sciences
KW - Social theory
KW - Wittgenstein
KW - case study method
KW - everyday life
KW - theorizing
KW - gap between theoretical and empirical research
KW - methodological instructions
M3 - Journal article
VL - 18
SP - 41
EP - 58
JO - Distinktion
JF - Distinktion
SN - 1600-910X
IS - 1
ER -
ID: 173312421