Abstract
Reviewed by: Rafał Sitko, Heriot-Watt University, UK
Imaginative Methodologies in the Social Sciences presents a collection of articles challenging conventional approaches to conducting and communicating research. The book is part of the Ashgate Publishing series Classical and Contemporary Social Theory and has been edited in an international cooperation between academics from the UK, Ireland and Denmark. The authors’ aims are to stimulate and inspire the development of, and experimentation with, new and alternative methodologies within the social sciences. In order to promote this, the 13 chapters present analyses from projects within a range of disciplines including sociology, psychology, criminology, anthropology, gender studies and social work. The chapters are organised into four main sections: Reading, Writing, Exploring and Teaching.
The first part of the book invites the reader to reflect on how we may read social science literature. Reading focuses on rediscovering that social thought is not an isolated activity, and that there is a dialectical relationship between social science and art. Authors show that scholars from various scientific disciplines often borrow from more artistic sources. Chapter 1 illustrates this by taking a step back in time and revisiting the literature of the Chicago School of sociology. Michael Hviid Jacobsen et al. argue that many of the prominent sociologists from the University of Chicago were preoccupied with a literary approach to sociology. Although these pioneers had varied research interests, they agreed on the advantages of a diversity of documentary material and the use of fiction in order to supplement sociological knowledge.
Part Two, Writing, presents perspectives on how a more literary style can make writing in the social sciences more moving, more relevant and possibly more accessible. Rigorously conducted ‘objective’ research does not have to be reported in a purely clinical or difficult to read manner. Laurel Richardson demonstrates this point in Chapter 6 where she uses a short story form to present an account of gender roles and stereotypes in the world of information technology. She chooses the literary frame of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland to describe her experience of patriarchy.
In Part Three, Exploring, contributors discuss how social and philosophical issues can be analysed with the use of more literary and creative sources, and how rediscovering the affinity between social scientific and poetic endeavours mutually benefits the writer and the reader. Chapters in this section show that notions of rationality need not conflict with a discussion of metaphors or narrative. Rather, the concepts can complement each other and together represent the social world more fully. For instance, in Chapter 7, Svend Brinkman advocates an approach of ‘getting in touch’ (p. 136) with the objects and processes of this world. In addition to examining the meaning of culture, he argues that art or aesthetics researchers should go one step further and experience studied elements of human life. Brinkman provocatively asks questions about what lies beyond the interpretation of facts and suggests it is important to challenge the established meaning-centred approach in qualitative social science.
Finally, the fourth part of the book, Teaching, focuses on how social research can be taught with a more imaginative approach. The chapters included here examine alternative and more creative forms of communicating knowledge, such as literature, films, music, performances or cartoons, and discuss their usefulness for pedagogical purposes. One of the main arguments of this part of the book is that literary or visual works can present sociological material in a more provocative, entertaining and challenging manner. In addition to conventional forms of teaching, creative pedagogical tools can help students to understand themselves as subjects in a wider society (Chapter 10) and teach them how to become critical readers of all materials, academic and otherwise (Chapter 11).
The strength of the book lies in its presentation of many different disciplinary perspectives and in the composition of the chapters which either use artistic works or, as in the case of Chapter 12, are a form of creative writing. The combination of theoretical, philosophical and example-oriented discussion gives the reader a full picture of the ‘new approach’ that the authors are attempting to advance. Thus, the book succeeds in its objective – to inspire the reader. Practical guidelines on writing, publishing, analysing or teaching creative methods add to the book’s overall discussion on the alternative, more literary approach to social sciences.
However, a possible criticism is that Imaginative Methodologies does not equip readers with the tools to gather or analyse data deriving from artistic works. The book strives to show that qualitative research in social sciences has more to offer than just interviews and focus groups, but although the title could suggest it covers evaluation of specific research methods or methodological frameworks, the book includes few insights on how to use the suggested approaches or how to work with the collected data. Instead, the editors invite readers to take a new look at their own work and disciplines and to appreciate and cultivate previously hidden artistic potential.
Overall, Imaginative Methodologies succeeds in highlighting that there is no single way to conduct and communicate social science research, and that an art-based approach can be appealing and insightful. The book’s structure, dividing reading, writing, exploring and teaching, allows the exploration of new ideas, whether the reader is primarily engaged in research or teaching activities. Readers experienced in the use of literary or visual works for research purposes will find this book a great resource for further broadening their epistemological horizons. The publication is probably even more suitable for scholars who are yet to discover diverse means of studying and teaching about human life, although students preparing a dissertation may want to choose a less advanced and more comprehensive research method guide.