Abstract: Usually translated as “understanding,” the concept of Verstehen has become part of a critique of positivist approaches to the social sciences. Associated with the sociology of Max Weber, Verstehen derives from the hermeneutic critique of positivism that emerged in German universities in the 1880s and 1890s that gave rise to a dispute over method in the social sciences ( Methodenstreit ). Verstehen refers to understanding the meaning of action from the actor's point of view. It is entering into the shoes of the other, and adopting this research stance requires treating the actor as a subject, rather than an object, of one's observations. It also implies that, unlike objects in the natural world, human actors are not simply the product of causal forces. Individuals are seen to create the world by organizing their own understanding of it and giving it meaning. To do research on actors without taking into account the meanings they attribute to their actions or environment is to treat them like objects.
Publication Year: 2019
Publication Date: 2019-05-23
Language: en
Type: other
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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