Laura Sheerman, EdD Student, Laura2.Sheerman@live.uwe.ac.uk
In the realm of academia, the pursuit of knowledge is a ceaseless journey, with scholars and students alike continually seeking to unravel the complexities of the world around us. Among the various intellectual tools available, one approach that has gained prominence in recent years is critical realism (CR).
Rooted in the philosophical writings of Roy Bhaskar, CR texts are littered with abstract concepts and philosophical language, often leaving scholars in a state of bewilderment. Friendlier texts are becoming available, ‘Working with Critical Realism – Stories of Methodological Encounters’ (Maisuria & Banfield 2023) and ‘Explaining Society – Critical Realism in the Social Sciences’ (Danermark et al. 2019) are particularly accessible reads.
Encouraging deep reflection on the nature of reality and knowledge, CR demands deep intellectual engagement to grapple with fundamental questions of reality. Not an easy task for a solitary scholar.
With the support of Alpesh Maisuria, the reading community emerged in January 2023 to provide a sanctuary for bewildered CR scholars. Accessed via a monthly virtual meeting, academics joined together to set sail on a voyage of intellectual growth and confidence.
Our first challenge was to gain a foundation understanding of critical realism. In our initial reading, ‘The Order of Natural Necessity – A Kind of Introduction to Critical Realism’ (Hawke, 2016) we engaged in a critical discussion of the six features of critical realism. Underlabouring emerged as a distinctive concept and describes removing rubbish that prevents us knowing the world.
As a group we reached a consensus of understanding that CR under labours for both positivism and interpretivism, refuting the idea the world is reducible to our knowledge of reality. Rather the events we experience (subjective reality) are underpinned by hidden causes (causal mechanisms) we do not directly experience, resulting in stratified layers of reality (ontological pluralism).
Over six months we immersed ourselves in CR texts written by a plethora of CR scholars i.e., Buch-Hansel & Nielsen (2020), Bhaskar (2017), Alderson (2021) & Elder-Vass (2012) leading to a newfound confidence. A confidence that assisted discussions of our own applications of critical realism within our individual research endeavors making a ‘light bulb moment’ – an instance when the puzzle pieces of critical realism clicked into place, illuminating our understanding of its pivotal role in shaping our scholarly work.
By the fifth month, the group had found a new confidence to articulate CR in our own doctoral work. In contrast to our early discussions that had predominantly centered on understanding foundational concepts, this meeting saw a remarkable shift. Nearly half of our time was dedicated to delving into the applications of critical realism within our respective doctoral research.
Sharing our research projects showcased the versatility and applicability of critical realism. Inspiring us to push the boundaries of our own work and contribute to the growing body of knowledge in this field.
The voyage into critical realism can often feel like embarking on a solitary expedition. Enriching the journey by collaborating with aspiring and accomplished critical realists, created not only a rich virtual learning environment but also opportunities for unique scholarly connections to cultivate wisdom collectively.
References
Alderson, P. (2021) Critical realism for health and illness research: A practical introduction. Bristol: Policy Press.
Danermark, B., Ekström, M. and Karlsson, J.C. (2019) Explaining society: Critical realism in the social sciences. New York: Routledge.
Buch-Hansen, H. and Nielsen, P. (2020) Critical realism: Basics and beyond [online]. Kindle ed. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. [Accessed 1 February 2023].
Elder-Vass, D. (2012) The reality of social construction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Hawkes, G., ed. (2016) The order of natural necessity – A kind of introduction to critical realism [online]. Kindle ed. [Accessed 10 January 2023].
Maisuria, A. and Banfield, G. eds. (2022) Working with Critical Realism: Stories of Methodological Encounters. Oxfordshire: Taylor & Francis.
