The Reconstruction of Meaning. Notes on German Interpretive Sociology

Authors

  • Ronald Hitzler Universität Dortmund

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-6.3.7

Keywords:

interpretive sociology, methods of qualitative research, biographical research, sociol­ogy of knowledge, objective hermeneutics

Abstract

The epistemological goal of interpretive sociology is the reconstruction of meaning. The basic internal differences appear clearly in the theoretical answers to the question as to where meaning is originally constituted. Within German sociology four main perspectives have become institutionalised, in a) the "Methods of Qualitative Research" Section, b) the "Biographical Research" Section, c) the "Sociology of Knowledge" Section (formerly "Sociology of Language"), and d) the "Objective Hermeneutics" Association. The central theoretical and methodological questions and answers of these different groups are described, and it is pointed out which developments orig­inated abroad and which are specific to German sociology. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0503450

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Author Biography

Ronald Hitzler, Universität Dortmund

Ronald HITZLER (http://www.qualitative-research.net/fqs/beirat/hitzler-e.htm), Prof. Dr.

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Published

2005-09-30

How to Cite

Hitzler, R. (2005). The Reconstruction of Meaning. Notes on German Interpretive Sociology. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 6(3). https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-6.3.7

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 3 (2005): The State of the Art of Qualitative Research in Europe

Section

National Overviews: Qualitative Methods in Various European Countries in Comparison to the U.S.

License

Copyright (c) 2005 Ronald Hitzler

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.