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The position of the researcher in a responsive complexity approach
Frits Simon
Working from a complexity perspective within social sciences demands that the researcher has a different attitude. The complex responsive process approach as developed by Stacey c.s. puts forward ideas for this different attitude. A researcher needs to embody complexity instead of taking a distant, analytic stance.
Stacey c.s. departs from a non-dualistic approach in which a researcher unavoidably takes part in a dynamic and unpredictable social world. There is no possibility to step out of this world, because the social world emerges through the many human interactions. Conducting research and taking up the perspective that Stacey c.s. offers means reflecting auto-ethnographically upon one's experiences because research consists of actions in the social world with others. Therefore, the validation of the research will also have to take place responsively. Embodying complexity in doing research leads to accepting uncertainty, being modest and frank, acting ethically and being aware of the performative consequences of the research.

Pragmatics and pragmatism in
qualitative inquiry
Adri Smaling
American pragmatist philosophers, i.e.
Charles Peirce, William James, John
Dewey, Herbert Mead, have influenced
the methodology of qualitative research,
especially the grounded theory
approach and action research. In addition
Richard Rorty is mentioned. Some
of their ideas are discussed, such as
abduction, self, work, transaction,
symbolic interaction, role taking and
conversation.

Unfairly shunned: covert participant observation
Unfairly shunned: covert participant observation
Covert participant observation is rarely used in criminological research due to ethical questions. This article describes several problems undercover researcher are confronted with while being in the field. It shows the complexity and demanding aspect of doing covert participant observations in the field of public transport. It is argued that the ethical issues have to be evaluated taking the objectives and the research questions into account. It is stated that covert participation can be defended and might even be necessary to investigate hidden or undesirable behavior, even though there are ethical and practical issues involved.

Every social problem is hierarchically structured. To elucidate the importance of this hierarchical aspect for solving social problems, the concepts of problem domain & context are introduced. For each problem, its defining instance, its definition, & its experience may be individual or collective. Subjective & objective components of problems can be distinguished. Each problem situation leads to the formation of a field of power involving various problem-defining instances, each with its particular problem definition & problem experience. Problems cannot be solved without taking into account each of the forces in this field of power. 1 Table, 2 Figures. Modified Author Summary.

An empirical test of hypotheses that explain Left/Right political preferences on the basis of economic self-interest or of status. The diagonal mobility models developed by Michael E. Sobel (see SA 30:3/82M2954) are applied to survey data from the Netherlands for 1970/71 & 1977. The hypothesis that yields the best fitting model is that based on the assumption that individuals behave according to economic self-interest, but with a time-lag before taking on the political preferences of a newly entered status category. Macro-effects on society can thus be expected to reflect net structural mobility rather than total mobility, as would be suggested by status hypotheses. 10 Tables, 30 References. Modified HA

The term performance - a temporary and active presentation, expression, or act - has a presence in all cultural media and genres, and has repercussions for taking on, experiencing, and enacting an identity as well. Performance reaches beyond theatre, ballet and music to any human behaviour that is constantly performed through personal acts that contradict stereotypes - not just with regard to gender, but equally so with regard to class and ethnicity or race. The theme Gender and Performance focuses upon the performative strength of gender through various media: feminist and political theatre, an online 'private' novel turned radio play, protest movements, internet beauty blogs, dressing and fashion and the performativity of the word slut. Gender and performativity will take the reader to the Netherlands, Austria, Canada, Mexico and the Philippines

Deliberative democrats claim that political deliberation among citizens increases the legitimacy of and support for democratic decision-making. The question is, however, whether deliberative democracy can realize its added value in the real world of politics where political discussion is characterized by persisting inequalities. This paper tries to contextualize the gender gap in political talk by taking into account the social (i.e., discussion networks) and political context (i.e., campaign effects) in which political debate takes place. Based on previous research we argue that women prefer to discuss politics in relatively like-minded, cohesive networks, while men prefer more confrontational networks. Moreover, we expect the gender gap to depend on the electoral context, in that the gender gap disappears in later campaign phases. These two arguments were tested and confirmed using data gathered in the Partirep Regional Election Survey in 2009. Adapted from the source document.