400002 SE From Theory to methods: Interpretative approaches to cultural sociology (2023S)

This course focuses on an interpretive approach to cultural sociology, moving from a theoretical orientation to a focus on methods. It begins from the foundation of interpretive sociology (verstehen,in Max Weber's thought), homing in on the study of culture in its myriad forms. This course is rooted in the premise that methodological rigor in cultural sociology requires reflections not only on the subjectivities of those we study, but also on our own subjectivities, which shape the ways that we undertake qualitative research, the ways that we do ethnography and interviews in seeking to understand both social meaning and action. While drawing examples from empirical studies across cultural sociology, including my own work on migration and pluralism in European cities, I will guide students in developing their own expertise in interpretive methodologies that underlie cultural sociology research.
In terms of activities and outputs, graduate students in this course will design interview-based and/or ethnographic projects in cultural sociology. We will begin from our own positionalities/subjectivities and move outwards to design research projects on the subjectivities of cultural actors and cultural mileue (e.g. locales, performances, media etc.). We will not only draft study designs, but actively practice interpretive ethnographic and interview-based research by drawing on the rich cultural resources (spaces, events, discourses) of Vienna, engaging with the city as a site of research in which we can develop our methodological expertise as cultural sociologists, sociologists interested in culture, or cultural studies scholars concerned with understanding the broader social world.