Revision summary
Interpretative research studies meaning, not only counts. Weber kept value-relevance in problem choice and demanded value-discipline in proof. Harding’s strong objectivity names the researcher’s location. Geertz, prolonged fieldwork, triangulation, and respondent checks test the reading. Empathy without evidence is not objectivity.
Model answer
Introduction
Interpretative research seeks the meaning of action, not only a count of behaviour. Objectivity here is not a pretence that the observer has no standpoint. It is a disciplined way of checking that the account is of the actor’s world, not only of the researcher’s wish.
Body
What objectivity can mean in interpretation
- Max Weber split value-relevance, which selects the problem, from value-freedom in the demonstration. The ideal type is a tool, not a moral sermon.
- Verstehen is controlled understanding: the researcher reconstructs motives and then tests them against documents, talk, and comparison.
- Sandra Harding’s strong objectivity asks the researcher to name her location, because hidden standpoint is a bias, not a virtue.
Practical checks
- Prolonged fieldwork, as in William Foote Whyte’s street-corner study, reduces one-shot projection.
- Clifford Geertz’s thick description ties meaning to public symbols, so the reading can be disputed by other observers.
- Triangulation of interview, observation, and record, and respondent validation, catch the researcher’s favourite story.
- Reflexive notes record how the interviewer shaped the talk, which Ann Oakley showed is never a one-way extraction.
What it is not
- Objectivity is not the deletion of meaning. That would return to a thin positivism that Weber already rejected.
- It is not empathy without evidence. Feeling with the actor is a start, not a proof.
Flow diagram
flowchart TD I[Interpretative research] --> V[Weber verstehen] I --> R[Named standpoint] V --> T[Triangulation] R --> T T --> O[Checked account]
Conclusion
In interpretative work, objectivity is achieved by naming values, reconstructing meaning with Weber’s tools, and checking the reconstruction against several sources. Harding’s reflexivity and Geertz’s public symbols keep the account testable.
Quick related
Students also ask
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Is sociology a value-free science ? Discuss.
Next question on this syllabus topic (2020 · Q1(b)). View answer →
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Is interpretative research doomed to be subjective?
No. Subjectivity is the object of study. Objectivity is the method of checking the account.
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Does naming bias remove it?
Naming is the first control, not a magic wipe. Comparison and documents still have to carry the claim.
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