About Interpretation in the Social Sciences

The role of interpretation in the social sciences is analyzed. Two methods of interpretation are presented. The hermeneutic method of Auslegung is the process of clarifying unclear passages & attributing meaning to them. The method of Deutung is predominant in the social sciences. It is a ration...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cahiers internationaux de sociologie 1978-07, Vol.25 (65), p.213-236
Main Author: Freund, Julien
Format: Article
Language:fre
Subjects:
Hermeneutic/Hermeneutics
Interpretation/Interpretations/ Interpretative
Social science/Social sciences/Social scientific
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The role of interpretation in the social sciences is analyzed. Two methods of interpretation are presented. The hermeneutic method of Auslegung is the process of clarifying unclear passages & attributing meaning to them. The method of Deutung is predominant in the social sciences. It is a rational rather than imaginative process, in which the meaning or explanation is derived from the context, rather than from introspection of the researcher. This interpretation can be undertaken by: (1) attribution -- assignment of meaning through antecedent or spatially close phenomena, (2) distribution -- analysis of frequency & possible cases of phenomena, & (3) representation -- analysis of simultaneity between two phenomena. Modified HA.
ISSN:0008-0276