Methodology of Authenticity. Participatory Research From the Perspective of Systems Theory

Abstract

Sociologists are increasingly confronted with the question of how forms of authenticity can be integrated symmetrically into the research process. In autosociobiographical studies this question is addressed by emphasizing a blend of social-theoretical knowledge and authentic self-thematization. Accordingly, the researcher should allow lay sociologists to participate in the research process as equal partners. This renders authentic and symmetric forms visible in sociological research. However, it also raises issues that I reconstruct based on a systems-theoretical perspective: 1. topics of science differ from those of practice; 2. social asymmetry is inherent in the research process and 3. the temporal processes between science and empirical practice are systematically distinct. To account for these issues, I argue that researchers must take the locus of their research into appropriate consideration. The thematic, social, and temporal divergence of empirical practice and sociological research points to a radical perspectivism that not only applies to participatory research but should be reflected on a general methodological level. Rather than assuming authenticity as an anchor point in research, the perspective I adopt helps to look into the genesis of authenticity.