Abstract
Historical and comparative methods comprise a diverse set of perspectives on and methodologies for examining temporality, including comparison, narrative, interpretive methods, and quantitative analysis. While many early sociologists used comparison implicitly, a more explicit comparative paradigm based on the work of Mill became influential in the late twentieth century for explaining historical causality. Critiques of these approaches led to a rise in narrative analyses, including process tracing and negative case analysis, which tend to emphasize process in explaining social change. Interpretive methods, including historical ethnography and oral history, provide tools for examining subjective meanings in historical context, including how they change over time. Finally, conventional quantitative methods, network methods, and content analysis can be used for formal analyses of history and structured comparison. Each methodology must be chosen to suit available data and specified carefully to avoid reification of the historical and causal dynamics under examination.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.