Programme full

Friday 17 April 2015 09:00 - 10:30
ROUNDTABLE SESSIONS
Methodological Innovations
ROUNDTABLE 12, CONFERENCE HALL, HAMISH WOOD BUILDING
Velho’s Observation of the Familiar Put into Practice: A Discussion of Its Methodological and Empirical
Implications
Ramos, C.
(University Institute of Lisbon)
In the context of a Ph.D. thesis, we make a comparative analysis between old individuals inhabiting Benfica (Lisbon
periphery with middle and lower classes population) and São José (the environment of Avenida da Liberdade with
lower classes population), by means of different kinds of observation: the observation of the familiar (Velho, 1986) and
the semi-familiar at Benfica and the observation of the exotic (Costa, 1986) at São José; each giving prominence to
participant observation. Furthermore, we made (25) life stories developed and detailed through semi-structured
interviews.
The communication I am proposing to the congress analyses the changes on sociological research parameters and
the principal methodological and empirical implications of the observation of the familiar, when compared to the
observation of the semi-familiar and the exotic (components, distinctions, affinities, outcomes).
For a long time the sociological field refused an open and impossible to tell apart relation between researcher and
researched (Burgess, 1984). The arrival of Velho's work (1986) came to show the interesting discoveries that may
come from the observation of the familiar, as an observation methodologically dependable on a tenuous separation
between private and public spheres. Something almost achieved on the observation of the exotic after three years of
fieldwork. This research benefits in detail from the familiarity at Benfica concerning important levels, like enlarged
consequences and thoughts about economic crisis, everyday activities in various social settings, characteristics of
family and neighbourhood ties, social exchanges and networks (re)configurations (during the last two decades).
Reflexivity and ‘Public Sociology’: Knowledge Construction, Transfer and Dissemination in the Impact Driven
Era
Lumsden, K.
(Loughborough University)
This paper considers the role of reflexivity in the dissemination of research findings and in the context of the pressure
to evidence the (immediate) impact of social scientific research (whether economic, social, cultural or political). The
importance and value of reflexivity is now largely accepted in social research (see Alvesson and Sköldberg, 2011;
Brewer, 2000; Lumsden 2009, 2013; Lumsden and Winter, 2014; May and Perry, 2011). As Finlay (2002) has pointed
out: the question is no longer whether to 'be' reflexive, but how do we go about 'doing' or practicing reflexivity?
The discussion is situated within the wider academic and disciplinary debates on 'public sociology' (Burawoy, 2005)
and the need for research findings to reach into multiple publics, beyond the traditional academic and user outputs. It
argues that reflexivity and its practice must extend beyond the analysis and writing-up stage, in order to ensure that
our engagement and activities with various societal groups in the name of 'impact' are conducted in a critical, reflexive
and tempered manner. The paper also demonstrates how reflexive moments during dissemination can provide
insights into how we related to research participants, how we constructed and represented their stories and social
worlds, and the consequences of making our work public. The use of online and social media (such as blogs, Twitter
and Facebook) Is one further avenue for engaging with wider publics, and hence the discussion also considers the
related creation of 'celebrity academics' and how sociologists' identities are being (re)shaped in this highly mediatized
environment.
Purposive Mixed Methods Sampling: Using Administrative Data for Qualitative Studies
Grüttner, M., Bernhard, S.
(Institute for Employment Research)
In mixed methods literature integration of quantitative and qualitative methods at the stages of data collection,
analyses and reporting is widely discussed. Nonetheless two research lacunae can be identified: First, insufficient
reflection of mixed methods integration at the stage of sampling and, second, poor use of administrative data
generated in social administration processes such as welfare or unemployment benefit allocation. In our presentation
we address these weaknesses and present a way to overcome them. To begin with, we give a brief overview of
existing types of mixed methods sampling strategies, which are positioned on a common probability-mixed-purposive
continuum, where quantity is associated with probability and quality with purpose. Subsequently, we introduce our
BSA Annual Conference 2015 238
Glasgow Caledonian University