Introduction
In the field of social sciences, research is guided by various philosophical frameworks. Among them, the critical framework or critical theory has emerged as a significant approach that seeks not just to understand or interpret the world but to challenge and change it. This framework stands distinct from both post-positivism and interpretivism due to its activist and emancipatory stance. This answer highlights the main features of the critical framework and evaluates how it diverges from other philosophical paradigms.
Major Features of the Critical Framework
1. Emphasis on Power and Inequality
The critical framework focuses on how power structures, domination, and inequality shape social reality. It questions existing social arrangements and exposes how they benefit certain groups at the expense of others.
2. Normative and Emancipatory Goal
Unlike positivist frameworks, which seek objective truth, the critical approach has a normative aim—to liberate individuals from oppressive structures. It supports activism and aims for social transformation.
3. Reflexivity
Researchers are not considered neutral observers. The critical framework encourages reflexivity, where researchers examine their own positionality and potential biases during the research process.
4. Historical and Contextual Analysis
This framework views social phenomena within their historical and cultural contexts. It seeks to understand how current social realities have evolved over time and how they are influenced by historical injustices.
5. Interdisciplinary Orientation
Critical research often draws from a variety of disciplines such as sociology, economics, political science, and philosophy to analyze complex issues in a comprehensive manner.
6. Use of Qualitative Methods
Although not limited to qualitative methods, critical research often employs them to capture lived experiences, narratives, and social meanings that are overlooked by quantitative approaches.
7. Role of Ideology
Critical theory seeks to uncover hidden ideologies embedded in institutions, language, and social practices. It aims to reveal how dominant ideologies maintain power hierarchies.
Departure from Post-Positivism and Interpretivism
1. Contrast with Post-Positivism
Post-positivism still retains the belief in objective reality and emphasizes hypothesis testing, albeit with acknowledgment of potential biases. In contrast, the critical framework rejects the idea of a value-free inquiry. It views knowledge as socially constructed and inherently political.
- Post-positivism: Aims for objectivity, tests hypotheses.
- Critical theory: Focuses on subjectivity, social critique, and transformation.
2. Difference from Interpretivism
Interpretivism emphasizes understanding the meanings that individuals attach to their social world. It uses in-depth methods to grasp subjective experiences. However, it often lacks the critical edge of examining power relations or seeking social change.
- Interpretivism: Understands individual experiences and meanings.
- Critical framework: Goes further to critique structures of oppression and aims for emancipation.
Reasons for the Departure
- Purpose of Research: Post-positivism and interpretivism focus on explanation and understanding, respectively. Critical theory adds the dimension of critique and transformation.
- Epistemology: Critical theory emphasizes that knowledge is influenced by societal structures and ideologies, challenging the neutrality claimed by other paradigms.
- Ontology: Critical theorists believe that reality is shaped by social, political, cultural, and economic forces, not merely discovered through observation or interpretation.
Conclusion
The critical framework plays a vital role in social science research by drawing attention to systemic inequalities, power relations, and social injustices. While it shares some features with interpretivism, such as emphasis on context and subjectivity, it is a clear departure due to its normative and activist orientation. It challenges both post-positivism’s objectivity and interpretivism’s neutrality, making it a unique and transformative approach to research.