Synopses & Reviews
Published social science rarely gives real attention to the actual doing of research, making the process appear magical, or at least self-evident and simple. This book is intended to right the balance by illuminating the craft and the choices made as the research process unfolds for the sociologist. The metaphorical image of going backstage speaks to the reader 's experience with each of the 17 interviews, which illuminate the choices and constraints of researchers as well as unanticipated developments, good and bad. The volume represents a range of interests, themes, research philosophies and approaches from a diverse group of contributors. Particularly suited for advanced undergraduate and graduate research methods students, the volume addresses virtually all of the most vexing methods questions through accessible and compelling first-hand descriptions of sociological research. The volume is an invaluable addition to the library of all social science researchers.
From the Foreword by Howard Becker:
The stories in Sociologists Backstage tell how the contributors, who differ in so many ways, dealt with the situations they found themselves in as they did their research, and how who they were and what they had become in their lives intersected with those situations. The stories will fascinate you, and give you a lot to think about as you go ahead with your own research adventure.
Synopsis
Sociological Storytelling is a volume of directed reflections by sociological researchers on the motivations for research, the decisions made at crucial points, and the challenges they face in the research process. The volume is thus intended to combine the intriguing elements of memoir and the enlightening aspects of a research post-mortem. Readers will be able to use the volume to both humanize the research process and explore the complications of research.
Synopsis
From the Foreword by Howard Becker:
"The stories in Sociologists Backstage tell how the contributors, who differ in so many ways, dealt with the situations they found themselves in as they did their research, and how who they were and what they had become in their lives intersected with those situations. The stories will fascinate you, and give you a lot to think about as you go ahead with your own research adventure."