This blog post considers the basic theories of time that underpin the main approaches to social analysis. Before looking at theories of time, it is first useful to offer an overview of those approaches. Social analysis has tended to build from one of two foundations. A third foundation has long been present, though it has …
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What is ontology? Ontology explained (using apples)
This blog post attempts to give an accessible introduction to ‘ontology’. This is my second such attempt – see this earlier post. I was inspired to write this by Tom Fryer’s excellent introduction to ontology and epistemology. I should also acknowledge (and highly recommend) Peter Adamson’s philosophy podcast for the ancient examples. Fundamentally, ontology is …
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Critical Discourse Analysis and Poststructuralist Discourse Theory
In this blog post, I outline some key differences between ‘critical discourse analysis’ and ‘poststructuralist discourse theory’, by asking how discourse relates to society and subjects. This blog is based on my recent publication: Newman, J. (2020). ‘Critical realism, critical discourse analysis, and the morphogenetic approach‘. Journal of Critical Realism. <<<HOMEPAGE || In a recent …
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Simplifying some -isms and -ologies.
In this blog post, I outline some key -isms and -ologies that often arise when teaching the philosophy of the social sciences. Students often find it difficult to grapple with this complex of approaches. Here I suggest ways of simplifying these issues for students. <<<HOMEPAGE || I have some new research in the pipeline, but …
What is Ontology?
<<<HOMEPAGE || Ontology: “the philosophy of being and existence.” The importance of ontology is increasingly recognised across the social sciences, which is why it is worth trying to get a good grasp on its meaning. However, unless you already know what ontology is, the above definition does not really get you much closer to understanding …
Are structure and agency real?
<<<HOMEPAGE || Introduction In my publication in the Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, I engage with two influential approaches to the structure-agency issue: constructivist institutionalism (Hay, 2016) and the morphogenetic approach (Archer, 1995). My paper deals with numerous points of agreement and disagreement between the two approaches, but in this blog, I will …
Positivism, Constructivism, and Realism in Social Analysis
<<<HOMEPAGE || Introduction In the first chapter of my thesis, Ontological Social Policy Analysis, I lay out my own ontological assumptions and my prefered analytical modelling of those assumptions. In simpler terms, I explain how I view social reality. This view is one amongst many in the social sciences, and it is therefore necessary for …
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Ontological Social Policy Analysis: An Introduction
<<<HOMEPAGE || On 3rd May 2019, my doctoral thesis was passed without corrections by examiners Dave Marsh and Tim Heppell. I would like to thank Stuart McAnulla and Richard Hayton for their three and half years of dedicated supervision. The full manuscript is now available online through the following link: Jack Newman thesis – Ontological …
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Dr Jack Newman - Research Blog 