Paradigms in Family Research: Diversity and Reflexivity

Abstract

This article addresses scholarly reflexivity in family research, by studying the use of paradigm from the second half of the twentieth century. In doing so, the present study focuses on countries that have produced remarkably abundant scholarly literatures on family issues, with a special focus on the United States, and with a limited focus on Japan for comparison from a non-Western context. By reviewing several types of family studies, this article throws light upon both the various manifestations of scholarly (self-)reflexivity and the diverse characteristics of the way paradigms are referred to in family science, as well as the connection between them. In doing so, the employment of paradigms is discussed through aspects such as the subject, the addressed field and its covered scale, as well as certain substantive attributes of the employed paradigm. In contrast, reflexivity in this study is referred to as reflexivity upon knowledge production, which is either related to the characteristics of a specific academic community or referred to a concrete research subject. By employing this conceptual tool, the present study, without claiming to be exhaustive, suggests that theoretical studies (especially from a philosophical approach), as well as emancipatory studies with a strong normative approach reveal high scholarly (self-)reflexivity, where the focus is either on the academic community, or on the applied research methodology and underlying assumptions, rather than on a specific family practice or process.

Keywords

• Family
• Paradigm
• Social Science
• Diversity
• Reflexivity
• Ideoloji

Aile Araştırmalarında Paradigmalar: Çeşitlilik ve Düşünümsellik

Abstract

Bu makale, yirminci yüzyılın ikinci yarısından itibaren paradigmanın kullanımını inceleyerek aile araştırmalarında bilimsel düşünümselliği ele almaktadır. Bunu yaparken, bu çalışma, aile meseleleri hakkında dikkate değer büyüklükte akademik literatür üretmiş ülkelere, özellikle Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ve Batı dışı bir bağlamda karşılaştırma yapmak için sınırlı bir şekilde Japonya’ya odaklanmaktadır. Bu makale, aile çalışmalarının çeşitli türlerini gözden geçirerek, hem bilimsel (kendi üzerine) düşünümselliğin çeşitli tezahürlerine, hem aile biliminde paradigmalara atıfta bulunulan yolların farklı özelliklerine, hem de ikisinin arasındaki bağlantıya ışık tutmaktadır. Bunu yaparken, paradigmaların kullanılması; kullanılan paradigmanın belirli esas özelliklerinin yanı sıra konusu, alanı ve kapsadığı ölçeği gibi çeşitli yönleriyle tartışılmaktadır. Buna karşılık, bu çalışmada düşünümsellik, ya belirli bir akademik topluluğun özellikleriyle ilgili olan veya somut bir araştırma konusuna atıfta bulunan bilgi üretimi üzerine düşünümselliğe göndermede bulunmaktadır. Bu kavramsal aracı kullanarak, bu çalışma, kapsamlı olma iddiasında bulunmadan, güçlü bir normatif yaklaşıma sahip özgürleştirici çalışmaların yanı sıra (özellikle felsefi bir yaklaşımdan yapılan) teorik çalışmaların belirli bir aile pratiği veya sürecinden ziyade, odağının ya akademik topluluk olduğu ya da uygulamalı araştırma metodolojisi ve altında yatan varsayımlar olduğu yüksek düzeyde bilimsel (kendi üzerine) düşünümselliği ortaya koyduğunu öne sürmektedir.

Keywords

• Aile
• Paradigma
• Sosyal Bilim
• Çeşitlilik
• Düşünümsellik
• İdeoloji

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