Zbornik Radova Filozofskog Fakulteta u Prištini (Jan 2012)
In support of the importance of development comparative method in sociology
Abstract
The importance of comparative methods in social research is now almost non-debatable. In contemporary sociological literature there are many papers that indicate the use of the sociological (and not only sociological) method. In addition, in international surveys carried out in the comparative-historical studies, there is a long-term tradition of development issues of comparative method in the study of social phenomena. This text is designed as a contribution to understanding the contribution of important comparative method in contemporary social research. Usefulness of comparative method became apparent to the classicists of sociology - K. Marx, E. Durkheim and M. Weber, and even much earlier to Auguste Comte. Their work (with the exception of Comte), despite many criticisms that are often moving in the direction of a lack of systematic and reliable source material, has an outstanding contribution in terms of highlighting the importance and application of comparative method. E. Durkheim was among the first to try to determine its epistemological significance. Critics of their actions, however, do not sufficiently take into account the limitations of that age, especially in underdeveloped standardization and classification of the data collected. The period of the sixties marked that, after a short delay, following re-affirmation and development of comparative methods in social research emerged. This was largely contributed by criticism of classical ideas related to this method, together with the 'fake controversy' between supporters of quantitative and qualitative methodology. A lot has been done in terms of standardization of comparative method and empirical information by training funds for the classification and measurement, and modern technical means by which it is possible to achieve a simple collection and processing of comparable data. By improvement of these methods, the shortcomings that accompanied comparative research in the past would be eliminated, for example, incomplete and unreliable sources and fragmented materials, resulting in non-critical and data analysis.
