XIX ISA World Congress of Sociology (July 15-21, 2018)

671

Biographical Research: Epistemological and Methodological Foundation, Balance and Perspectives I

RC38 Biography and Society (host committee)

Language: English

Since the establishment of the RC Biography and Society, the biographical research showed a multifold development, founded in many epistemological schools and based in different methodological approaches. However, neither the epistemological foundation nor the methodological procedures are always explicit in the papers presented in the RC 38 sessions. Often the papers are focused on research projects and results and due to the time frames the theoretical foundation of the procedures are only mentioned but not described in detail. In contrast the aim of this session is to discuss the variety of epistemological and methodological foundations that have been used more or less explicit in biographical research approaches. We want to open up and to establish the theoretical discussion about the basis of research in order to engage efforts in the task of reviewing and discussing the epistemological foundations of biography as a way to approach social reality. This might be useful for the future development of biographical research, and for the attraction of new generations of sociologists worldwide for this subarea of the sociology.