HISTORICAL-COMPARATIVE METHODOLOGIES

Notes from Neuman’s Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, 4^th edition. Allyn and Bacon, 2000.

These methods put historical time and cross-cultural variation at the center of the research question, data collection and data analysis. Using these methods requires developing a thorough knowledge of the history and culture surrounding your research question.

Use Historical-Comparative Methodologies When:

1. You want to explore why a particular social outcome occurred.
2. You want to compare a topic across different societies.
3. You want to determine whether an “old” explanation of a social phenomenon is still valid given what has happened historically since the explanation was developed.

Examples of Historical-Comparative Research Questions:

• What fundamental features are common to most societies?
• In the U.S, is race declining in sociological significance compared to social class?
• What caused revolutionary social change in China?
• How have American’s beliefs, values, attitudes and behaviors regarding children changed in the 20^th century?
• How was the institution of medicine changed over the 20^th century?
• Why did capitalism take hold early in the U.S. and not elsewhere?

Historical-Comparative Methodologies

Can draw on both qualitative and quantitative methods, often combining several methodologies. However, usually researchers who use historical-comparative methodologies adopt more of a qualitative approach to science and knowledge. Their goal for their research is not to develop “the” answer, but an answer that is people, place and time specific.

· Implement surveys, interviews, or other widely used social research methods across several time periods or places.

· Use research data collected by other social scientists/organizations on multiple countries, such as the Human Relations Area Files, the Ethnographic Atlas, the World Handbook of Political and Social Indicators.

• Treat as data any records that were created at particular moments in time, for reasons other than research, that shed light on your topic: newspaper articles, letters, advertisements in magazines, the minutes of an organization’s meetings, church records on marriages etc…
• Treat as data any historical explanations written about the topic, usually by historians.
• Oral histories of people who “lived” the topic.
• Case studies of comparative societies/groups.
• Direct collection of data on the topic being studied is often impossible, because the issue occurred in the past or the people involved are no longer living.

Steps in Historical-Comparative Research

Goal	Process
1. Conceptualize research topic and setting	Become familiar with the issues at hand, the history, the culture, etc.
2. Data Collection	Locate evidence: Where can you find information on this topic? Library sources, scientific literature, newspapers, museums, organizational records, etc.
	Evaluate the quality of the above evidence: While reviewing the above materials, answer (a) how relevant is this information to the topic being studied; (b) how accurate is the evidence; (c) Are there missing pieces of information or people not being represented in this evidence?
3. Analyze Data	Organize Evidence: Did any patterns appear to you while reviewing the above materials? Are there any similarities or differences in the “story” told in the above materials?
	Synthesize: Re-read the materials to see if the pattern identified above holds. Are there any exceptions? How so? During this step, develop a more detailed pattern.
4. Dissemination	Write report of methods used and findings.

Ethical Issues in Historical-Comparative Research

Overall, there are often fewer ethical issues in historical-comparative research than with other methodologies because the data we use in historical-comparative research was often collected in the past or is public information. Even with this type of data though there are issues to consider:

1. Accuracy of evidence/data used.
2. Confidentiality of people who are represented in evidence/data.
3. Need to respect cross-cultural variations in customs/values/meanings.
4. Power issues: Often a historical-comparative researcher comes from a privileged country to a less privileged country to collect data on the latter.