Short description:

An introduction to the difference that critical realism can make to contemporary social sciences, covering cultural studies, feminism, globalization, heterodox economics, education policy, the self and the 'underclass' debate.

Long description:

This book introduces social scientists to the difference that critical realism can make to theorising and methodological problems within the contemporary social sciences. The chapters, which cover such topics as cultural studies, feminism, globalization, heterodox economics, education policy, the self, and the 'underclass' debate, are arranged in four sections dealing with some of the major topics in contemporary social science: ethics, the consequences of the 'linguistic turn', methodology and globalization.

'The book contains a solid introduction, is well edited and should be accessible to students as well as experts across a wide range of social scientific and humanities disciplines.' - Journal of Critical Realism 2:1 November 2003, Gary Potter

'In demonstrating both the dangers and avoidability of idealism, and in outlining an alternative, the collection will serve as a useful work of reference for social scientists.' - Andrew Sayer, Sociology

Table of Contents:

Justin Cruickshank Introduction

Part I: The Self - Method and Ethics

1. Margaret S. Archer The Private Life of the Social Agent: What Difference Does it Make?

2. Nick Hostettler and Alan Norrie Are Critical Realist Ethics Foundationalist?

Part II: Social Science and Critique after the Linguistic Turn

3. Caroline New Feminism, Critical Realism and the Linguistic Turn

4. José López Critical Realism: The Difference it Makes in Theory

5. Peter E. Jones Critical Realism and Scientific Method in Chomsky's Linguistics

Part III: Method, Politics and Policy

6. Justin Cruickshank Underlabouring and Unemployment: Notes for Developing a Critical Realist Approach to the Agency of the Chronically Unemployed

7. Robert Willmott New Labour, School Effectiveness and Ideological Commitment

8. Bob Carter What Race Means to Realists

9. Gary MacLennan and Peter Thomas Cultural Studies: Towards a Realist Intervention

Part IV: Political Economy and Globalism

10. Paul Lewis Naturalism and Economics

11. Heikki Patomäki A Critical Realist Approach to Global Political Economy

12. Branwen Gruffydd Jones Explaining Global Poverty: A Realist Critique of the Orthodox Approach