TY - CHAP

T1 - Unchain the Beast!

T2 - Pluralizing the Method of Theorizing

AU - Carleheden, Mikael

PY - 2024/8/2

Y1 - 2024/8/2

N2 - Today, most sociologists claim to be theorizing or use theory in one sense orthe other. However, it is often unclear what this claim means and how suchtheorizing is conducted. A sociologist is a scientist sitting on a stool withthree legs: social theory, qualitative research, and quantitative research. If oneof the legs is in bad shape, the stool might break and the sociologist will falldown. Thus, these main subfields of sociology differ in many aspects, but areinterdependent. In this paper, I will focus on the theoretical dimension of thisinterdependence. My claim is that all three subfields include practices of theorizing, which typically are different in kind. This difference, however, has theform of “know-how” rather than “know-that.” I will therefore try to explicatethe different methods implicated by these different ways of theorizing. Thegeneral aim is to show how the different methods of theorizing can accomplishdifferent things, all of which are crucial for the sociology discipline.Thus, the paper calls for theoretical pluralism.

AB - Today, most sociologists claim to be theorizing or use theory in one sense orthe other. However, it is often unclear what this claim means and how suchtheorizing is conducted. A sociologist is a scientist sitting on a stool withthree legs: social theory, qualitative research, and quantitative research. If oneof the legs is in bad shape, the stool might break and the sociologist will falldown. Thus, these main subfields of sociology differ in many aspects, but areinterdependent. In this paper, I will focus on the theoretical dimension of thisinterdependence. My claim is that all three subfields include practices of theorizing, which typically are different in kind. This difference, however, has theform of “know-how” rather than “know-that.” I will therefore try to explicatethe different methods implicated by these different ways of theorizing. Thegeneral aim is to show how the different methods of theorizing can accomplishdifferent things, all of which are crucial for the sociology discipline.Thus, the paper calls for theoretical pluralism.

KW - Faculty of Social Sciences

M3 - Book chapter

SN - 978-3-658-44054-1

SP - 17

EP - 43

BT - Die Praxis soziologischer Theoriebildung

A2 - Anicker, Fabian

A2 - Armbruster, André

CY - Wiesbaden

ER -