What is social science if not critical
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 5610172 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jana Bacevic (0000-0002-1801-5222, Durham University Durham UK, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Publication date | 2024-09-19 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | British Journal of Sociology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0007-1315 • E-ISSN: 1468-4446 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/1468-4446.13142 |
| PMID | 39297200 |
| OpenAlex | W4402649148 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 14 |
This short article represents a contribution to the debate on the motion "Social science is explanation, or it is nothing." While in the format of parliamentary debating the contribution would fall on the side of the opposition, I will not be arguing against explanation as such. The work of explaining is in no way oppositional to or mutually exclusive with critique. Instead, my contribution will revolve around two arguments: one is that both critique and explanation exhibit characteristics we commonly attribute to science; the other is that reserving the label of science for explanation draws a boundary around social sciences in ways that exclude many of the interesting things it does. Some of the examples include the sociological analysis of governmental approaches to the COVID-19 pandemic, or critical analysis of concepts such as "cancel culture" or "terrorism." The conclusion is that explanation and critique are mutually supporting elements of science, and that combined they give us insights we cannot glean from either alone
Epistemology · Nothing · Opposition (politics · Political science · Politics · Social science · Sociology · Critical Realism in Sociology · Law · Philosophy · Political and Economic history of UK and US · Social and Cultural Dynamics
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| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |