Dr Catherine Hastings: Critical Realist methodology webinar

Co-convenor of TASA’s Applied Sociology Thematic Group Dr Catherine Hastings will be presented a webinar on Critical Realist methodology in applied social science research, including approaches to evaluation. It started with a presentation on core features of critical realism, focussing on its practical implications for analysing causal complexity, the use of social theory, the intersection of structure and agency, and working within a framework of interdisciplinary inquiry. Catherine appraised the influence of critical realism on her research work, using applied and evaluative project examples, particularly focussing on how critical realism provides frameworks to better (in her option!) answer questions such as what generates a problem, for whom, why, and in what contexts. The presentation was followed by Q&A and discussion.