Architecture of Capitals: A Rigorous Qualitative Inquiry Framework

• In Event: 4154 - Qualitative Methodology

Abstract

Social sciences have a long and distinguished tradition of engaging the public and informing policy. Critical qualitative approach often finds itself on an awkward defensive position in its need to present itself as a scientific enterprise that is capable of producing authentic and generalizable data to inform policy. Since this new century, a methodological conservatism or “paradigm conflict” is evident in social sciences in America, Europe, and elsewhere. This paper examines recent developments and challenges in critical qualitative inquiry and proposes a framework termed the “Architecture of Capitals Accumulation, Transmission and Regulation (AOC)”. AOC resides on the nexus of methods and theory, providing a multi-level conceptual and analytical framework linking micro level individual actions and interactions to macro structures and policies, and strengthens the rigor and generalizability of qualitative design. The characteristics of an AOC design include a stratified sampling method of interviewees, multi-sites fieldwork whenever possible, “crystallization” of data, and a concerted multi-level analysis. Residing on both theory and methods, AOC can be understood as a critical-empirical approach: theories are generated from publicly engaged empirical data, and is centered on the distribution and flow of resources which help analyze social equality and justice. This framework is particularly powerful to aid studies on equality-related topics such as social class, race/ethnicity, gender, regional disparity, social movements, etc. The paper discusses key components of the framework, the underlining ontology and epistemology, and then outlines the procedure and techniques.

Author

• Yan Z. Ciupak, Northern Michigan University