The Turn of Social Science Research: Using History to Develop Theory

CHEN Mingming

Journal of Renmin University of China ›› 2024, Vol. 38 ›› Issue (3) : 39-51.

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主管:教育部
主办:中国人民大学
ISSN 1000-5420  CN 11-1476/C
PDF(9579 KB)
Journal of Renmin University of China ›› 2024, Vol. 38 ›› Issue (3) : 39-51.

The Turn of Social Science Research: Using History to Develop Theory

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Abstract

The historical turn of social science research has several meanings-First, it implies a methodological shift towards historical methodsSecond, it involves a shift in research topics towards historical fieldsThird, it signifies a shift in research concepts and orientations towards exploring historical processes as a way to seek explanations for events, behaviors, and institutions. These turns respectively represent scholars' reflections on and challenges to the hegemony of mainstream methods in social scienceThey reflect the efforts to reintroduce history into social science to overcome the tendency of instrumentalism and onesidedness in social science researchThis approach also means to rediscover history through the introduction of the time element and the use of historical materials, thereby to achieve a complete and profound cognition and understanding of the process of social changes and their lawsAmong these, seeking explanations for events, behaviors, and institutions through the exploration of historical processes helps to comprehensively reconsider the construction of theories, models, and methods in social sciences, especially in political scienceIt is an important path for social science research to explore the depths of politics and history.

Key words

Social science / Historical turn / Political science / Revolution / Chinese modernization

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CHEN Mingming. The Turn of Social Science Research: Using History to Develop Theory[J]. Journal of Renmin University of China, 2024, 38(3): 39-51
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