Summary of Dr Catherine Hastings: Critical Realist methodology webinar

Main Ideas and Concepts

• Critical Realism Overview

  Critical Realism is a philosophy of science that serves as a meta-theoretical framework, emphasizing the importance of understanding the underlying structures and mechanisms that shape social reality. It advocates for a deeper understanding of social issues, moving beyond mere description to theorizing causal explanations that inform practical interventions.

• Four Pillars of Critical Realism
  • Realist Ontology: Reality is stratified and emergent, meaning that there are layers of reality that interact in complex ways, and much of what influences outcomes is not directly observable.
  • Epistemic Relativism: Knowledge is historically and culturally situated, evolving over time through empirical evidence and critique.
  • Judgmental Rationality: Different theories can be evaluated based on their explanatory power, and Critical Realism often provides stronger explanations than traditional approaches.
  • Cautious Ethical Naturalism: Values and facts are intertwined; understanding social realities involves exploring the normative foundations of what constitutes a good life and society.
• Research Implications

  Causality is complex and non-linear; understanding social phenomena requires considering multiple interacting mechanisms. Researchers must move from mere description to explanation through methods like abstraction, abduction, and retroduction. Critical Realism encourages interdisciplinary inquiry, allowing insights from various disciplines to create a more comprehensive understanding of social issues.

• Emancipatory Social Science

  Research should be grounded in normative foundations, aiming to understand and promote human flourishing. It involves diagnosing social problems, envisaging achievable alternatives, and developing theories of transformation to enact change.

• Practical Examples

  Catherine Hastings shares her research on homelessness, illustrating how a critical realist perspective shifted the focus from risk factors to resource availability as a key determinant of homelessness. She emphasizes the importance of structural changes to address the root causes of homelessness, particularly among vulnerable populations like older single women.

Methodology and Instructions

• Moving from Description to Explanation
  • Utilize abstraction to identify the structures and features of phenomena.
  • Employ abduction to redescribe observations in theoretical terms.
  • Apply retroduction to inquire about the necessary conditions for observed phenomena.
• Interdisciplinary Approach

  Integrate insights from various academic disciplines to form a transdisciplinary understanding of complex social issues.

• Emancipatory Research Principles
  • Diagnose and critique social issues.
  • Envision concrete, achievable alternatives for social change.
  • Develop a causal theory of transformation that considers the potential for future change.

Speakers/Sources

• Dr. Catherine Hastings

Notable Quotes

— 22:29 — « Critical realism has a beautiful metaphor called concrete utopianism or reaching for concrete utopias. »

— 22:36 — « The idea of saying concrete utopias is what is it we can actually achieve given the resources that we have. »

— 24:55 — « The theory of explanatory critique thus opens up the possibility that social science and more generally science may be able to justify social policies rationally. »

— 29:21 — « If you don't have the resources to meet the challenge to your housing, then you're likely to become homeless. »

— 32:55 — « To reverse that trend, there needs to be changes structurally. »

Category

Educational

Video