i
The journal is open to receive papers throughout the year, except when there are calls for papers published on its Web page. Papers must be sent to the editor's email hcadenas@uchile.cl and not by registering on this page. It should be noted that due to the number of papers received, the evaluation of each paper can take between 4 and 8 months.
MAD also publishes articles in "Early View" version, which have been accepted for publication, peer-reviewed and corrected before the publication of the issue, allowing its readers to have quicker access to its contents. Each article has an online publication date and a DOI, allowing them to be cited as soon as they are published.
Please refer to the "Guidelines for the presentation and submission of papers".
Applying a Distinction. A Systemic-Constructivist Program for Qualitative Social Science Research
Abstract
At least since the XVIII century, the ‘problem of induction’, that is, how to justify the abstractions derived from any empirical observation, has been at the core of a fiery debate both within the philosophy of science, and the praxis of social sciences. Refuting the allegation of ‘empirical closure’ raised against Niklas Luhmann’s Social Systems Theory, we claim that it delivers a privileged epistemological and theoretical platform to face such a dilemma, since it highlights the necessary conditions to produce an ‘abductive’ reasoning. By way of discussing, on the one hand, Luhmann’s understanding of knowledge and science, and on the other, diverse attempts to apply empirically the systemic approach and integrate it with other analytical tools, the paper offers a general model to understand the role and relationships of the principles of theoretical plausibility and empirical grounding within social science research. Based on that, the article identifies the criteria of ‘isomorphism’, ‘perspectivism’, transparency’ and ‘iterability’ as indicators of scientific acceptability of a systemic-constructivist research, and offers orientations for the design of such a research.Keywords:
Qualitative Research, Abductive Reasoning, Analytical Process, Social Systems Theory, Rigor CriteriaReferences
Alexander, D. & Blum, V. (2016). Ecological Economics: A Luhmannian Analysis of Integrated Reporting. Ecological Economics, 129, 241–251.
Andersen, N. (2006). Diskursive analytische Strategien in der Verwaltungswissenschaft. Politische Vierteljahresschrift, 37, 97–120.
Arnold, M. (2005). La sociedad como sistema autopoiético: fundamentos del programa sociopoiético, manuscrito.
Baralou, E., Wolf, P., & Meissner, J. (2012). Bright, Excellent, Ignored: The Contribution of Luhmann’s System Theory and its Problem of Non-Connectivity to Academic Management Research. Historical Social Research, 37, 289–308.
Becker, K. & Seidl, D. (2007). Different Kinds of Openings of Luhmann’s Systems Theory: A Reply to La Cour et al. Organization, 14(6), 939–944.
Bendassolli, P. F. (2013). Theory Building in Qualitative Research: Reconsidering the Problem of Induction. Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 14(1).
Besio, C. & Pronzini, A. (2005). Niklas Luhmann as an Empirical Sociologist Methodological Implications of the System Theory of Society. Cybernetics and Human Knowing, 15(2), 9–31.
Besio, C. & Pronzini, A. (2010). Inside Organizations and Out. Methodological Tenets for Empirical Research Inspired by Systems Theory. Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 11(3).
Boholm, A. (2008). The Public Meeting as a Theatre of Dissent: Risk and Hazard in Land Use and Environmental Planning. Journal of Risk Research, 11(1), 119–140.
Boholm, M. (2012). The Semantic Distinction Between “Risk” and “Danger”: A Linguistic Analysis. Risk Analysis, 32(2), 281–292.
Camarillo, G. (1997). Confiabilidad y validez en estudios cualitativos. Educación y Ciencia, 1(15), 77–82.
Concha, V., Barriga, O., & Henríquez, G. (2011). Los conceptos de validez en la investigación social y su abordaje pedagógico. Revista Latinoamericana de Metodología de las Ciencias Sociales, 1(2), 91–111.
Dunne, C. (2011). The Place of the Literature Review in Grounded Theory Research. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 14(2), 111–124.
Farías, I. & Ossandón, J. (2011). ¿Luhmann para qué? White Papers.
Feldpausch-Parker, A., Ragland, C., Melnick, L., Chaudhry, R., Hall, D., Peterson, T., Wilson, E. (2013). Spreading the News on Carbon Capture and Storage: A State-Level Comparison of US Media. Environmental Communication, 7(3), 336–354.
Fontes, A. & Ayala, R. (2011). La aplicación de la teoría de sistemas de Luhmann a un proceso educativo con redes virtuales móviles. Revista Complutense de Educacion, 22(1), 129–144.
Gentile, G. (2010). Die Gesprächsanalyse der dokumentarischen Methode als “Schlüssel” zu selbst-referenziellen Kommunikationssystemen? Theoretisch-methodologische Grundlagen und empirische Vignetten. Forum: Qualitative Social Research (Sozialforschung), 11(3).
Gibson, B., Gregory, J., & Robinson, P. (2005). The Intersection between Systems Theory and Grounded Theory: The Emergence of the Grounded Systems Observer. Qualitative Sociology Review, 2, 3-21.
Glaser, B. (2005). The Grounded Theory Perspective III: Theoretical Coding. Mill Valley: Sociology Press.
Guba, E. (1981). Criteria for Assessing the Trustworthiness of Naturalistic Inquiries. Educational Technology Research and Development, 29(2), 75–91.
Guba, E. & Lincoln, Y. (1994). Competing Paradigms in Qualitative Research. In N. Denzin & Y. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of Qualitative Research (pp. 105–117). California: Sage.
Hidalgo, L. (2016). Confiabilidad y validez en el contexto de la investigación y evaluación cualitativas. Sinopsis Educativa. Revista venezolana de investigación, 5(1–2), 225–243.
Hume, D. (1974). Inquiry Concerning Human Understanding. Indianapolis: Hackett.
Ibáñez, J. (1991). El regreso del sujeto. Santiago de Chile: Amerinda.
Ibáñez, J. (2000). Más allá de la sociología. El grupo de discusión: técnica y crítica. Madrid: Siglo XXI.
Joyce, P. (2010). What is the Social in Social History? Past and Present, 206(1), 213–248.
Knight, A. (2013). La revolución cósmica. Utopías, regiones y resultados. México 1910-1940. México DF: Fondo de Cultura Económica.
Knight, G., Macneill, M., & Donnelly, P. (2005). The Disappointment Games. Narratives of Olympic Failure in Canada and New Zealand. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 40(1), 25–51.
Kranz, O., Steger, T., & Hartz, R. (2016). The Employee as the Unknown Actor? A Discourse Analysis of the Employee Share Ownership Debate with Special Emphasis on Central and Eastern Europe. Organizacija, 49(2), 77–93.
La Cour, A., Vallentin, S., Højlund, H., Thyssen, O., & Rennison, B. (2007). Opening Systems Theory: A Note on the Recent Special Issue of Organization. Organization, 14(6), 929–938.
Lakatos, I. (1970). Falsification and the Methodology of Scientific Research Programmes. In I. Lakatos & A. Musgrave (Eds.), Criticism and the Growth of Knowledge (pp. 91–196). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Leleur, S. (2008). Systems Science and Complexity: Some Proposals for Future Development. Systems Research and Behavioral Science, 25(1), 67–79.
Luhmann, N. (1996). La ciencia de la sociedad. México DF: Anthropos/Universidad Iberoamericana/Iteso.
Luhmann, N. (1998). Complejidad y modernidad: de la unidad a la diferencia. Madrid: Trotta.
Luhmann, N. (1999). Teoría de los sistemas sociales II (artículos). Osorno: Universidad de Los Lagos, Universidad Iberoamericana.
Luhmann, N. (2007). La sociedad de la sociedad. México DF: Herder.
Martínez, M. (2006). Validez y confiabilidad en la metodología cualitativa. Paradígma, 27(2), 1–20.
Mascareño, A. (2006). Sociología del método: la forma de la investigación sistémica. Cinta de Moebio, 26, 122-154.
Messmer, H. (2003). Konflikt und Konfliktepisode: Prozesse, Strukturen und Funktionen einer sozialen Form. Zeitschrift für Soziologie, 32(2), 98–122.
Mitchell, R. (2007). Grounded Theory and Autopoietic Social Systems: Are They Methodologically Compatible? Qualitative Sociology Review, 3(2), 105–118.
Moral, C. (2006). Criterios de validez en la investigación cualitativa actual. Revista de Investigación Educativa, 24(1), 147–164.
Noe, E. & Alrøe, H. (2015). Sustainable Agriculture Issues Explained by Differentiation and Structural Coupling Using Social Systems Analysis. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 35(1), 133–144.
Peirce, C. S. (1974). Collected Papers of Charles Sanders Peirce. (C. Hartshorne & P. Weiss, Eds.). Cambridge: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.
Popper, K. (1959). The Logic of Scientific Discovery. London: Hutchison.
Quine, W. (1998). From Stimulus to Science. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Ragin, C. (2000). Fuzzy-set Social Science. Chicago & London: The University of Chicago Press.
Ramos, C. (2008). ¿Sistema, campo de lucha o red de traducciones y asociaciones? Tres modelos para investigar la ciencia social y un intento de integración. Persona y sociedad, 22(2), 9–52.
Reichertz, J. (2009). Abduction: The Logic of Discovery of Grounded Theory. Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 11(1).
Robles, F. (1999). Los sujetos y la cotidianeidad. Elementos para una microsociología de lo contemporáneo. Santiago de Chile: Ediciones Sociedad Hoy.
Robles, F. (2004). Sistemas de interacción, doble contingencia y autopoiesis indexical. In F. Osorio (Ed.), Ensayos sobre socioautopoiesis y epistemología constructivista (pp. 46-86). Santiago de Chile: Ediciones Mad.
Schneider, W. (2000). The Sequential Production of Social Acts in Conversation. Human Studies, 23(2), 123–144.
Starks, H., Trinidad, S., & Brown, S. (2007). Choose Your Method: A Comparison of Phenomenology, Discourse Analysis, and Grounded Theory. Qualitative health research, 17(10), 1372–1380.
Stein, D., Stein, M., & Lorenzini, A. (2011). Systemic Social Practice of Nurses in Luhmann’s Perspective. Revista Da Escola De Enfermagem Da Usp, 45(1), 114–119.
Timmermans, S. & Tavory, I. (2012). Theory Construction in Qualitative Research: From Grounded Theory to Abductive Analysis. Sociological Theory, 30(3), 167–186.
Vogd, W. (2007). Empirie oder Theorie? Systemtheoretische Forschung jenseits einer vermeintlichen Alternative. Soziale Welt, 58(3), 295–321.
Von Groddeck, V. (2010). The Case of Value Based Communication - Epistemological and Methodological Reflections from a System Theoretical Perspective. Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 11(3).
Wiedemann, G. (2013). Opening up to Big Data: Computer-Assisted Analysis of Textual Data in Social Sciences. Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 14(2).
Andersen, N. (2006). Diskursive analytische Strategien in der Verwaltungswissenschaft. Politische Vierteljahresschrift, 37, 97–120.
Arnold, M. (2005). La sociedad como sistema autopoiético: fundamentos del programa sociopoiético, manuscrito.
Baralou, E., Wolf, P., & Meissner, J. (2012). Bright, Excellent, Ignored: The Contribution of Luhmann’s System Theory and its Problem of Non-Connectivity to Academic Management Research. Historical Social Research, 37, 289–308.
Becker, K. & Seidl, D. (2007). Different Kinds of Openings of Luhmann’s Systems Theory: A Reply to La Cour et al. Organization, 14(6), 939–944.
Bendassolli, P. F. (2013). Theory Building in Qualitative Research: Reconsidering the Problem of Induction. Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 14(1).
Besio, C. & Pronzini, A. (2005). Niklas Luhmann as an Empirical Sociologist Methodological Implications of the System Theory of Society. Cybernetics and Human Knowing, 15(2), 9–31.
Besio, C. & Pronzini, A. (2010). Inside Organizations and Out. Methodological Tenets for Empirical Research Inspired by Systems Theory. Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 11(3).
Boholm, A. (2008). The Public Meeting as a Theatre of Dissent: Risk and Hazard in Land Use and Environmental Planning. Journal of Risk Research, 11(1), 119–140.
Boholm, M. (2012). The Semantic Distinction Between “Risk” and “Danger”: A Linguistic Analysis. Risk Analysis, 32(2), 281–292.
Camarillo, G. (1997). Confiabilidad y validez en estudios cualitativos. Educación y Ciencia, 1(15), 77–82.
Concha, V., Barriga, O., & Henríquez, G. (2011). Los conceptos de validez en la investigación social y su abordaje pedagógico. Revista Latinoamericana de Metodología de las Ciencias Sociales, 1(2), 91–111.
Dunne, C. (2011). The Place of the Literature Review in Grounded Theory Research. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 14(2), 111–124.
Farías, I. & Ossandón, J. (2011). ¿Luhmann para qué? White Papers.
Feldpausch-Parker, A., Ragland, C., Melnick, L., Chaudhry, R., Hall, D., Peterson, T., Wilson, E. (2013). Spreading the News on Carbon Capture and Storage: A State-Level Comparison of US Media. Environmental Communication, 7(3), 336–354.
Fontes, A. & Ayala, R. (2011). La aplicación de la teoría de sistemas de Luhmann a un proceso educativo con redes virtuales móviles. Revista Complutense de Educacion, 22(1), 129–144.
Gentile, G. (2010). Die Gesprächsanalyse der dokumentarischen Methode als “Schlüssel” zu selbst-referenziellen Kommunikationssystemen? Theoretisch-methodologische Grundlagen und empirische Vignetten. Forum: Qualitative Social Research (Sozialforschung), 11(3).
Gibson, B., Gregory, J., & Robinson, P. (2005). The Intersection between Systems Theory and Grounded Theory: The Emergence of the Grounded Systems Observer. Qualitative Sociology Review, 2, 3-21.
Glaser, B. (2005). The Grounded Theory Perspective III: Theoretical Coding. Mill Valley: Sociology Press.
Guba, E. (1981). Criteria for Assessing the Trustworthiness of Naturalistic Inquiries. Educational Technology Research and Development, 29(2), 75–91.
Guba, E. & Lincoln, Y. (1994). Competing Paradigms in Qualitative Research. In N. Denzin & Y. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of Qualitative Research (pp. 105–117). California: Sage.
Hidalgo, L. (2016). Confiabilidad y validez en el contexto de la investigación y evaluación cualitativas. Sinopsis Educativa. Revista venezolana de investigación, 5(1–2), 225–243.
Hume, D. (1974). Inquiry Concerning Human Understanding. Indianapolis: Hackett.
Ibáñez, J. (1991). El regreso del sujeto. Santiago de Chile: Amerinda.
Ibáñez, J. (2000). Más allá de la sociología. El grupo de discusión: técnica y crítica. Madrid: Siglo XXI.
Joyce, P. (2010). What is the Social in Social History? Past and Present, 206(1), 213–248.
Knight, A. (2013). La revolución cósmica. Utopías, regiones y resultados. México 1910-1940. México DF: Fondo de Cultura Económica.
Knight, G., Macneill, M., & Donnelly, P. (2005). The Disappointment Games. Narratives of Olympic Failure in Canada and New Zealand. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 40(1), 25–51.
Kranz, O., Steger, T., & Hartz, R. (2016). The Employee as the Unknown Actor? A Discourse Analysis of the Employee Share Ownership Debate with Special Emphasis on Central and Eastern Europe. Organizacija, 49(2), 77–93.
La Cour, A., Vallentin, S., Højlund, H., Thyssen, O., & Rennison, B. (2007). Opening Systems Theory: A Note on the Recent Special Issue of Organization. Organization, 14(6), 929–938.
Lakatos, I. (1970). Falsification and the Methodology of Scientific Research Programmes. In I. Lakatos & A. Musgrave (Eds.), Criticism and the Growth of Knowledge (pp. 91–196). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Leleur, S. (2008). Systems Science and Complexity: Some Proposals for Future Development. Systems Research and Behavioral Science, 25(1), 67–79.
Luhmann, N. (1996). La ciencia de la sociedad. México DF: Anthropos/Universidad Iberoamericana/Iteso.
Luhmann, N. (1998). Complejidad y modernidad: de la unidad a la diferencia. Madrid: Trotta.
Luhmann, N. (1999). Teoría de los sistemas sociales II (artículos). Osorno: Universidad de Los Lagos, Universidad Iberoamericana.
Luhmann, N. (2007). La sociedad de la sociedad. México DF: Herder.
Martínez, M. (2006). Validez y confiabilidad en la metodología cualitativa. Paradígma, 27(2), 1–20.
Mascareño, A. (2006). Sociología del método: la forma de la investigación sistémica. Cinta de Moebio, 26, 122-154.
Messmer, H. (2003). Konflikt und Konfliktepisode: Prozesse, Strukturen und Funktionen einer sozialen Form. Zeitschrift für Soziologie, 32(2), 98–122.
Mitchell, R. (2007). Grounded Theory and Autopoietic Social Systems: Are They Methodologically Compatible? Qualitative Sociology Review, 3(2), 105–118.
Moral, C. (2006). Criterios de validez en la investigación cualitativa actual. Revista de Investigación Educativa, 24(1), 147–164.
Noe, E. & Alrøe, H. (2015). Sustainable Agriculture Issues Explained by Differentiation and Structural Coupling Using Social Systems Analysis. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 35(1), 133–144.
Peirce, C. S. (1974). Collected Papers of Charles Sanders Peirce. (C. Hartshorne & P. Weiss, Eds.). Cambridge: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.
Popper, K. (1959). The Logic of Scientific Discovery. London: Hutchison.
Quine, W. (1998). From Stimulus to Science. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Ragin, C. (2000). Fuzzy-set Social Science. Chicago & London: The University of Chicago Press.
Ramos, C. (2008). ¿Sistema, campo de lucha o red de traducciones y asociaciones? Tres modelos para investigar la ciencia social y un intento de integración. Persona y sociedad, 22(2), 9–52.
Reichertz, J. (2009). Abduction: The Logic of Discovery of Grounded Theory. Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 11(1).
Robles, F. (1999). Los sujetos y la cotidianeidad. Elementos para una microsociología de lo contemporáneo. Santiago de Chile: Ediciones Sociedad Hoy.
Robles, F. (2004). Sistemas de interacción, doble contingencia y autopoiesis indexical. In F. Osorio (Ed.), Ensayos sobre socioautopoiesis y epistemología constructivista (pp. 46-86). Santiago de Chile: Ediciones Mad.
Schneider, W. (2000). The Sequential Production of Social Acts in Conversation. Human Studies, 23(2), 123–144.
Starks, H., Trinidad, S., & Brown, S. (2007). Choose Your Method: A Comparison of Phenomenology, Discourse Analysis, and Grounded Theory. Qualitative health research, 17(10), 1372–1380.
Stein, D., Stein, M., & Lorenzini, A. (2011). Systemic Social Practice of Nurses in Luhmann’s Perspective. Revista Da Escola De Enfermagem Da Usp, 45(1), 114–119.
Timmermans, S. & Tavory, I. (2012). Theory Construction in Qualitative Research: From Grounded Theory to Abductive Analysis. Sociological Theory, 30(3), 167–186.
Vogd, W. (2007). Empirie oder Theorie? Systemtheoretische Forschung jenseits einer vermeintlichen Alternative. Soziale Welt, 58(3), 295–321.
Von Groddeck, V. (2010). The Case of Value Based Communication - Epistemological and Methodological Reflections from a System Theoretical Perspective. Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 11(3).
Wiedemann, G. (2013). Opening up to Big Data: Computer-Assisted Analysis of Textual Data in Social Sciences. Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 14(2).
Twitter