Social Science Matters

The social sciences routinely debate questions of society, and of the relationship between individuals and the social world in which we live. Some contemporary debates have a long history, and others are expressed differently in the age of new technologies and the Internet. This book offers an introduction to some of these key debates, and to the ways of thinking and dealing with them the social sciences employ. It introduces important concepts which promote understanding of discussions including those on identity, citizenship, social divisions, consumption and class, gender, race and ethnicity, the role of the media and the impact of globalization. This student-friendly book, including boxed material, examples and illustrations, fills the gap in the market for an introductory text on the social sciences. It will greatly interest students wishing to bridge the gap between Access courses or A levels and social science degrees, and those who are considering studying the social sciences at undergraduate level and who want to know more about what might be involved.

Economic changes and political changes which emerged with the modern capitalist world-economy were accompanied in the sociocultural domain by changes in the structures of knowledge. These included the hierarchical separation of the realm of facts from that of values, institutionalized as a division between the sciences and the humanities. The social sciences responded to contradictions inherent in this structure over the nineteenth century in producing knowledge on which policy decisions could be based. The problems of the contemporary period indicate we are in a long-term, structural crisis. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the theoretical frameworks and methodological approaches through which social analysts and observers alike seek to understand the world. Since the 1960s, developments in the field of knowledge, especially two movements complexity studies in the natural sciences and cultural studies in the humanities have contested the naturalized, essentialist boundaries separating the sciences, the social sciences and the humanities. The primary rationale for this work is to recognize the inseparable whole composed of the material structures of the world and the structures of knowledge that govern what actions may be deemed legitimate and effective. 'Knowledge Matters' discusses what actions will actually be undertaken by social agents, and what such an approach means for an analysis of the present situation in terms of imagining and evaluating possible futures.

This book calls into question the complexity of social, political, cultural, and technological aspects of the health care system. It explores how critical social science research can be put into action to improve health care in Canada.

The papers included in this volume were originally presented at a conference to commemorate the opening of the Social Science Centre at the University of Western Ontario in 1973. Participants were asked to take stock of the development of their disciplines in Canada, to assay the contours of current endeavours, and to comment upon avenues of future research. Their efforts mark what is believed to be the first collective assessment of the social sciences in Canada. The contributors include: Nathan Keyfitz on sociology, C.B. Macpherson on political science; H.G. Johnson on economics; Ramsay Cook on history; and M. Rokeach on the place of values in Canadian social science. Commentaries on the papers are also included. Each author has addressed himself to one or more of the following matters: the degree to which the disciplines as practised in Canada are linked to or differentiated from their practice elsewhere; the benefits and drawbacks of a 'nationalistic' approach to scholarship in the social sciences; the contributions of Canadian scholarship to the study of society in general and Canadian society in particular; the interaction among the social sciences in Canada and the need for inter-disciplinary studies; and the unfulfilled agenda of Canadian social science. The assessments thus delineate the peculiar problems of the social sciences in Canada as well as some of the overall problems within and among the disciplines themselves.

This holistic How to guide provides practical advice on conducting meaningful research within the social sciences, focusing on practices which are sensitive and bespoke. Mapping out the field and inviting further exploration, its insights reflect lessons from a wide variety of social science research projects, all of which have crucial epistemological and methodological consequences. Drawing on diverse experiences of international and interdisciplinary scholars, How to do Social Science that Matters presents methodology as a result of choices and stances related to values, context, and research interests. Each chapter focuses on one particular perspective, considering relationships, systemic inequalities, mutual meanings, and heterodoxy. A vast range of techniques are employed to conceptualise meaningful research methods, from ethnographies to poetry. Ultimately, this How To guide foregrounds the importance of impactful social science in peacemaking and building understanding. Centring a truly innovative perspective on social science analysis, this book is a crucial resource for students and scholars of management, organisation studies and research methods. It also appeals to those across the social sciences who wish to learn more about crafting purposeful and sensitive methodology.

An accessible introduction to the latest developments and debates in the philosophy of social science.