Theorising in the Social Sciences

Dear Colleagues,

As social scientists, we regularly and necessarily refer to theory to inform our thinking and our practice(s) regarding social phenomena, but we often do so implicitly. As a result, the theoretical/intellectual/ideational basis for much of our work is not visible nor, significantly, opened to critique. Theoretically based research—which I refer to here as ‘theorising’—is generally regarded as an ‘intellectual’ activity, seen as somewhat secondary to that which is empirical, methods-focused, and ‘practical’ (Višňovský 2019), with there being something of an (illusory?) ontological distinction drawn between the two. According to Swedberg (2014; 2016), ‘theorising’ is the process of developing theory, so precedes it within what he refers to as the context of discovery, whilst theory locates itself within the context of justification. Arguably, too, the use of other extant theories from within the context of justification can be utilised, integrated, and considered within the context of discovery—generating new perspectives on social science phenomena by the judicious use of existing theories, explanations, and ideas. As such, theorising could (should?) be considered an important social practice in the same way as other practice(s), thus creating a space within and through which intellectual activity such as thinking, reflecting, and extrapolating can be regarded as inherently valuable and necessary to the whole research agenda at every and all levels.

From the perspective of extant theory (the context of justification), all social scientists/scientists have their own favourites and would regularly refer to these to inform their work. However, these theories themselves are underpinned by a range of meta-theories—those broad-based ‘philosophies of science’—for example, interpretivism, pragmatism, critical realism, etc., within which such contextualised theories nestle, and which themselves offer the tools to generate and shape our thinking and aid the discovery of different ways to conceptualise social science phenomena.

The aim of this Special Issue is to receive papers that consider, discuss, and locate theorising as an active process, providing specific examples of how this can and has been used by contributors in relation to a wide range of social science phenomena. Of particular interest would be those contributions that consider both meta-theoretical/philosophical perspectives as precursors to more contextualised theory development and practical application with submissions that take account/draw from the widest range of disciplines being given special attention, recognising that, as Kurt Lewin said, “There is nothing as practical as a good theory.”

References

Swedberg, Richard. 2014. The Art of Social Theory. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Swedberg, Richard. 2016. Before theory comes theorizing or how to make social science more interesting. The British journal of sociology 67: 5-22.

Višňovský, Emil. 2019. Action, Practice and Theory: Toward a Pragmatist Philosophy. in Questions of Practice in Philosophy and Social Theory. Edited by Buch, Anders and Theodore Schatzki. London: Routledge.

Dr. Steve Hothersall
Guest Editor

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• theorising
• theory
• philosophy of science
• metatheory
• research