L12 CP Social constructionists Flashcards
What did the anti-positivists think
That the human realm is fundamentally different. The human experience is meaningful and is part of the human realm. They also thought that attempting to study the human realm needs to do more than only make observations.
This led to deep and approaximate understanding. What is considered a ‘knowledge’ outcome?
What are the two different kinds of knowledge based on ontological differences?
Natural world: ‘what I observe’. Regularities and predictions
Human experience: what I interpret, understand, make sense of, value etc…
What did Wilhelm Dilthey think? With what did his methods have to do?
His methods were based on acquiring Verstehen. Knowledge still needs to have some kind of empirical grounding. Bro does agree with Droysen that human realm is different (positivism can’t be used).
Introducted individuals as unit of observation. Never independent though. Every human being is embedded in relationships, culture, context …
Context shoudl be part of analysis
Researchers experiences and expressions should be considered.
How can hermeuneutics be used as a method for acquiring Verstehen?
It means ‘explain or translate’ in Greek. Hermeneutic circle = tacking back and forth between the particular and the context (or whole), to achieve a fuller understanding of a given phenomenon. It constantly compares parts to whole.
Specific situations and the context.
Explain how Dilthey thought hermeneutics can be applied to the human realm?
To understanding texts, human experiences, events and so forth. All men are created equal:
- How’s a word’s meaning shaped by the overall sentence
- Language?
-gender/age of writer.
What are ‘good’ knowledge claims in the sense of the hermeneutical appraoch?
not ‘true’ ones, but the ones that show a deep understanding of the particular in the larger context. It is about constantly improving and deepening one’s approximate understanding, within a given context.
What is Social constructionism
Social constructionism = about how actors, groups, societies construct knowledge about the world, i.e. about reality. Constructs depend on social interactions, past and current.
Explain why Berger and Luchkman’s SC can be viewed as weak social constructionism.
Knowledge claims are constructs, and all constructs are derived via a historical set of social interactions among social actors. Once they are there, they can have real impact on our lives. They go on from a permance, stability an objective reality. –> weak SC
What is then Strong SC?
Strong SC is critical on the idea that any construct can have any kind of stability.
Still constructs that are derived via historical set of social interactions among social actors. The difference is that understanding and experience of any construct happens via language. Can anything even exist outside of language?
What is contingency?
All knowledge and constructed artefacts we have now, could have been different. constructs arise from relations among social actors. Change the actors, events, relations,interactions –> new construct.
Explain the relation between SC, feminism and geography
Feminist turn provided an emphasis on Gender and gender norms being social constructs: notions of what good scientific claims are arose from white males. This could possibly have been different if they came from women.
What criticism did Ian Hacking have on social constructionism?
It’s not enough to simply reveal the unequal, power differences arising from unequal interactions among individuals. –> critical social constructionism. –> how can SC analysis contribute to justice discourses?
Also help in imagining those different outcomes.
Sum up the three views of critical social constructionism.
ironic view for social constructs: ‘reveal the power structure’
reformist view of social constructs: contigency can lead to calls for reform
Rebellious view of social constructs: Contingency can point towards revolution. Construct is overthrown.
