The Politics of Social Research
- Martyn Hammersley - The Open University, UK
In this stimulating and often controversial book, Martyn Hammersley weighs the arguments offered in support of these two camps. He considers the fundamental issues that the debate raises about the nature of social research, its political dimensions, and its contemporary relevance. At the same time, he provides a robust defense of value neutrality as a constitutive principle of social research and presents a reassessment of the role of research in modern societies.
The Politics of Social Research will be of interest both to scholars and students engaged in research—both applied and theoretical—across the range of social science disciplines.
`For anyone interested in the nature of social research, who has enough grasp of the issues to access the text, this book is a must' - British Journal of Educational Psychology
`All in all Hammersley has produced a text which provides us with much to think about. As I have said, certain chapters will, no doubt, attract considerable debate. Almost all of the chapters could stand alone but the broad political theme used to bring chapters and topics together works well almost always' - Local Government Studies
`Not only is Hammersley a leading exponent of sociological research, he is also a key writer and thinker on the problems of undertaking research. This collection, some of which has been published elsewhere and some not, therefore is a welcome addition to the literature on social research... interesting and well-argued' - Disability and Society
A comprehensive and thought-provoking text on issues related to social research.
Very interesting book with excellent treatments of the idea of positivism and critical research.
It can be recommended as supplemental text. It is probably more advisable to use this book for a course in an advanced research master, rather than in a more basic course on research methodology.
Sage College Publishing
