Thesis Writing

Tuesday, 30 December 2008

There is no Zygmunt Bauman - He does not exist

		There is no Zygmunt Bauman, he does not exist. A Bauman Verdamn-Schrift



		When the kids had killed the man, I had to break up the band. David Bowie Ziggy Stardust No area of either academic life or popular culture is untouched by the influence of postmodern ideas and yet at the same time there is confusion as to the nature of postmodernism. What is it? For many people, Zygmunt Bauman is the person who has provided the most effective response to this question. Taking my starting point with Baumans postmodern ethics, the opinion developed in this paper is rather different. In other words, Bauman speaks from a moral position that he cannot acknowledge. In Alone Again: Ethics After Certainty (1994) Bauman opens his discussion by contrasting the views and life experience of Leon Shestov who believed that: In each of our neighbours we fear a wolf (Bauman 1994 page 1) with Knud Logstrup who believed that: It is a characteristic of human life that we mutually trust each other... (Bauman 1994 page 1). Bauman accounts for the difference in views between the two philosophers by comparing their very different life experiences in two very different societies. As Bauman explains: Their generalizations contradicted each other, but so did the lives they generalized from. And this seems to apply to all of us. (Bauman 1994 page 2) This comment, on the surface, is a rather obvious statement; however, it contains within it Baumans notion of the social (first developed in his PhD. thesis) and an inclination of how the social operates on the individual human agent. From this point Bauman goes on to outline his theory of morality: .. morality means being-for (not merely being-aside or even being-with) the Other. To take a moral stance means to assume responsibility for the Other; to act on the assumption that the well-being of the Other is a precious thing calling for my effort to preserve and enhance it, that whatever I do or do not do affects it, and that if I have not done it, it might not have been done at all, and that even if others do or can do it this does not cancel my responsibility for doing it myself... And this being-for is unconditional. (Bauman 1994 pages 18 - 19). These ideas are more fully developed in his text Life in Fragments (1995) in which Bauman repeats the above comment: We are, so to speak, ineluctably - existentially -moral beings: that is, we are faced with the challenge of the Other, which is the challenge of responsibility for the Other, a condition of being-for. (Bauman 1995 page 1) The difference between being - with and beings - for the Other is about the level of commitment that we have for the Other, about having an emotional engagement with the Other. This involves regarding the Other not as a type or a category but as a unique person. This involves: · Rejecting indifference towards the Other rejecting stereotyped certainty towards the Other viewing the Other in a fashion that is free from sentiment. It is in relation to the Other that we make our choice between good and evil. Moreover, as Bauman clearly explains being-for the Other is in the last analysis a power relationship because it involves being responsible for the Other: I am responsible for defining the needs of the Other, for what is good, and what is evil for the Other. If I love her and thus desire her happiness, it is my responsibility to decide what would make her truly happy. If I admire her and wish her perfection, it is my responsibility to decide what her perfect form would be like. If I respect her and want to preserve and enhance her freedom, it is again my responsibility to spell out what her genuine autonomy would consist of. (Bauman 1995 page 65) Baumans work on morality is yet another illustration of the agency - structure debate which is thoroughly modern in nature, and which has dominated sociological theorising throughout the twentieth century. What Bauman is doing has a great deal in common with the approach of Durkheim and Giddens, in that Bauman attempts to locate and describe the relationship between the external relations in the world (the structure, or the social) and the internal condition of the person (the nature of agency). Far from being a postmodernist, this represents a thoroughly modern set of problems and solutions. Bauman claims to have found a natural moral faculty within the human being. But how are such moral judgements possible? The answer is by our human faculty - our human agency. The problem with the natural moral faculty is that when the agent is faced with the dilemma of it wishes but I wish it is agency that exercises choice. Moreover, it is questionable if nature has any morality. It is when Bauman talks about the source of morality that his convictions appear on the scene. Bauman attempts to give morality a basis, but morality itself is regarded as something universal and given. Morality is treated as that which has always been, which justifies the actions of a person in the eyes of the other. Suffering is something that must be done away with. What is the aim of Baumans conception of morality? To shame the person into obedience? To believe in our own virtue? To discover our conscience? To find our soul? At the same time Bauman attempts to cast the postmodern self as the wicked but happy other As we shall see in our discussion of Baumans postmodern ethics, for Bauman morality is a mode of biological fact. In the last analysis, Bauman provides what he calls a natural and hence, beyond critique or emancipation, discussion of what causes us to desire our own domination. One of the many problems with Baumans theory of morality is that what is fair to one may not be fair to another. There is always the risk that morality can be little more than an apology for cruelty. Whenever a person raises the issue of morality, they have the other in mind and the idea in their head of the other behaving in a way that is unacceptable. The appeal to morality allow one to impose ones will on the other with justification. In this sense Bauman is no different from the Nazis he so fully condemns in Modernity and the Holocaust (1989) What ever postmodernism is about, it is about saying goodbye to morality and about losing the ability to be appalled by acts of cruelty. In contrast, Baumans postmodern ethics is about providing a justification for action against the behaviour of others. We do not like the behaviour of the other; it breaks out moral code, take action. To act is to impose our will on the other and this may involve acting in a way which makes use of the methods that cruel people use. Moral codes not only harbour their own kind of purity they necessarily provide justifications for cruelty. The Creation of a Postmodernist. In his contribution to the Theory, Culture & Society Festschift of Baumans work, Stefan Morawski commented:

Saturday, 27 December 2008

SLSP5111M - Leeds University Library

SLSP5111M - Leeds University Library:

Qualitative Research Methods, 2008-2009, Semester 2
Prof Anne Kerr
e.a.kerr@leeds.ac.uk

On this page:

Qualitative and Quantitative Research: Conjunctions and Divergences

Qualitative and Quantitative Research: Conjunctions and Divergences:

Qualitative and Quantitative Research: Conjunctions and Divergences

Vol 2, No 1 (2001)

Edited by Margrit Schreier & Nigel Fielding

Thematic Issue

Introduction: On the Compatibility between Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods	Abstract HTML PDF
Nigel Fielding, Margrit Schreier

The Logic of Relating Qualitative and Quantitative Method

Sociological Explanations between Micro and Macro and the Integration of Qualitative and Quantitative Methods	Abstract HTML PDF
Udo Kelle

Combination and Integration of Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis	Abstract
Philipp Mayring

Constructivist Realism: An Ontology That Encompasses Positivist and Constructivist Approaches to the Social Sciences	Abstract HTML PDF
Gerald Cupchik

Strategies in Qualitative and Quantitative Research	Abstract
Harald Witt

It's Logic in Practice, My Dear Watson: An Imaginary Memoir from Beyond the Grave	Abstract HTML PDF
Gary Shank

Imitation Games and Political Discourse	Abstract HTML PDF
Francisco Gutierrez Sanin

Processing Raw Data both the Qualitative and Quantitative Way	Abstract HTML PDF
Dietmar Janetzko

Different Approaches for Inter-Relating Qualitative and Quantitative Method

Seeing Our Quantitative Counterparts: Construction of Qualitative Research in a Roundtable Discussion	Abstract HTML PDF
Jean A. Saludadez, Primo G. Garcia

The Quantitative/Qualitative Debate and Feminist Research: A Subjective View of Objectivity	Abstract HTML PDF
Nicole Westmarland

The Logographic Analysis of Social Processual Texts	Abstract
Annette Schmitt, Ulrich Mees, Uwe Laucken

Numerically Aided Phenomenology: Procedures for Investigating Categories of Experience	Abstract HTML PDF
Don Kuiken, David S. Miall

Discovery as Basic Methodology of Qualitative and Quantitative Research	Abstract HTML PDF
Gerhard Kleining, Harald Witt

Best Practices: Rituals and Rhetorical Strategies in the "Initial Telephone Contact	Abstract HTML PDF
Giampietro Gobo

Innovative Applications of Methodological Inter-Relation

How Do You Find Out What Really Matters for Public Acceptance—The Case of Swine Production Sites in Rural Communities	Abstract HTML PDF
Stefan Mann

Understanding Online Communities Through Multiple Methodologies Combined Under a Postmodern Research Endeavour	Abstract HTML PDF
Natilene Irain Bowker

On the Triangulation of Quantitative and Qualitative Data in Typological Social Research: Reflections on a Typology of Conceptualizing "Uncertainty" in the Context of Employment Biographies	Abstract
Alexander Jakob

Single Contributions

Transforming Suppression—Process in Our Participatory Action Research Practice	Abstract HTML PDF
Susan Goff

Undertaking Sensitive Research: Issues and Strategies for Meeting the Safety Needs of All Participants	Abstract HTML PDF
Heather McCosker, Alan Barnard, Rod Gerber

FQS Reviews

Review: Chris Mann & Fiona Stewart (2000). Internet Communication and Qualitative Research: A Handbook for Researching Online	Abstract HTML PDF
Morag A. Gray

Review: Uwe Flick, Ernst von Kardorff & Ines Steinke (Eds.) (2000). Qualitative Forschung. Ein Handbuch [Qualitative Research: A Primer]	Abstract
Rudolf Schmitt

Review Essay: Glory to the Fools: Ambiguities in Development through Play within Games	Abstract HTML PDF
Jaan Valsiner

Professor Alan Bryman

Professor Alan Bryman:

Academic Staff

Professor Alan Bryman

Head of School and Professor of Organisational and Social Research

Telephone: +44 (0) 116 252 2790
Fax: +44 (0) 116 252 5515
Email: a.bryman@le.ac.uk

Office: Room 308, Ken Edwards Building

Brief Biography

I joined the School of Management in August 2005 after working for 31 years in the Department of Social Sciences, Loughborough University. I currently teach Qualitative Management Research on the PhD programme and have been Head of School since January 2008.

Research Interests

My main areas of research lie in the following areas:

Combining quantitative and qualitative research. For a long time, I've been interested in methodological issues and in 2003-4, I was funded as a fellow to work on the issue of how quantitative and qualitative research are combined in the social sciences. The fellowship was part of the Economic and Social Research Council's Research Methods Programme.
Disneyization and McDonaldization. I'm interested in different aspects of modern consumer culture and their implications for organizational issues. I'm particularly interested in the impact that the principles associated with Disney theme parks are influencing how services and products are made available for consumption. I explored these issues in a book, The Disneyization of Society (Sage, 2004), which has been translated into Chinese, Portuguese, and Japanese.
Effective leadership in higher education. I've been interested in leadership for many years and in fact have written two books on this topic: Leadership and Organizations (Routledge, 1986) and Charisma and Leadership in Organizations (Sage, 1992). In 2005/06, I worked full-time on a review of the literature on leadership in universities. This was funded by the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education.

Selected Recent and Forthcoming Publications

2008 and in press

Bryman, A. 'Of methods and methodology', Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management, 3, 2008, pp. 159-68.

Bryman, A. Social Research Methods third edition (Oxford University Press, 2008). See: http://www.oup.com/uk/catalogue/?ci=9780199202959.
For the Online Resource Centre: http://www.oup.com/uk/orc/bin/9780199202959/

Bryman, A. and Cramer, D., Quantitative Data Analysis with SPSS 14, 15 and 16: A Guide for Social Scientists (Routledge, 2008).

Buchanan, D. and Bryman, A. (eds) Sage Handbook of Organizational Research Methods (Sage, 2009, in press).

Bryman, A. 'The end of the paradigm wars?', in P. Alasuutari, J. Brannen and L. Bickman (eds) Handbook of Social Research, (Sage, 2008), pp. 13-25.

Bryman, A. 'Why do researchers integrate/combine/mesh/blend/mix/merge/fuse quantitative and qualitative research?', in M. Bergman (ed.), Advances in Mixed Methods Research, (Sage, 2008) pp. 87-100.

Bryman, A. 'Leadership in higher education', in K.T. James and J. Collins (eds), Leadership Perspectives: Knowledge into Action, (Palgrave, 2008) pp. 126-39.

2007

Bryman, A., Becker, S., and Sempik, J., 'Quality criteria for quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods research', International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 11, 2007, pp.261-76.

Bryman, A. and Bell, E., Business Research Methods revised edition (Oxford University Press, 2007)
http://www.oup.com/uk/catalogue/?ci=9780199284986
For the Online Resource Centre: http://www.oup.com/uk/orc/bin/9780199284986/

Bryman, A., 'Barriers to integrating quantitative and qualitative research', Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 1, 2007, pp. 1-18.

Bryman, A., 'The research question in social research: what is its role?', International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 10, 2007, pp. 5-20.

Bell, E. and Bryman, A., 'The ethics of management research: an exploratory content analysis', British Journal of Management, 18, 2007, pp. 63-77.

Buchanan, D. and Bryman, A., 'Contextualizing methods choice in organizational research', Organizational Research Methods, 10, 2007, pp. 483-501.

Angell, E., Jackson, C., Ashcroft, R., Bryman, A., Windridge, K., and Dixon-Woods, M. 'Is "inconsistency" in Research Ethics Committee decision-making really a problem? An empirical investigation and reflection', Clinical Ethics, 2, 2007, pp. 92-9.

Bryman, A., 'Effective leadership in higher education', Studies in Higher Education, 32, 2007, pp. 693-710.

Sempik, J., Becker, S. and Bryman, A., 'The quality of research evidence in social policy: Consensus and dissension among researchers', Evidence and Practice, 3, 2007, pp. 407-23.

Dixon-Woods, M., Angell, E., Ashcroft, R. and Bryman, A. 'Written work: the social functions of Research Ethics Committee letters', Social Science and Medicine, 65, 2007, pp. 792-802.

Angell, E., Bryman, A., Ashcroft, R., and Dixon-Woods, M., 'Never mind the scientific quality, feel the ethics?: an analysis of decision letters by Research Ethics Committees and a reflection', Quality and Safety in Health Care, 17, 2007, pp. 131-6.

Bryman, A. entries on 'Disneyization' and 'Technological determinism' in G. Ritzer (ed.), Encyclopedia of Sociology (Blackwell, 2007).

2006

Bryman, A. 'Integrating quantitative and qualitative research: how is it done?', Qualitative Research, 6, 2006, pp. 97-113.

Bryman, A. 'Paradigm peace and the implications for quality', International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 9, 2006, pp. 111-26.

Bryman, A. and Cassell, C. 'The researcher interview: A reflexive perspective', Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management: an international journal, 1, 2006, pp. 41-55.

Bryman, A. and Beardsworth, A. 'Is Qualitative Research Becoming McDonaldized?', Methodological Innovations Online [Online], 1(1), 2006. Available: http://sirius.soc.plymouth.ac.uk/~andyp/viewarticle.php?id=20

Bryman, A. (ed.), Mixed Methods (Sage, 2006). This is a four-volume set.

Parry, K.W. and Bryman, A. 'Leadership in organizations', in S. Clegg, C. Hardy, T. Lawrence and W. Nord (eds), Sage Handbook of Organization Studies (Sage, 2006).

2005

Bryman, A. and Cramer, D. Quantitative Data Analysis with SPSS 12 and 13: A Guide for Social Scientists (Routledge, 2005).

Bryman, A. and Teevan, J. Social Research Methods. Canadian Edition (Oxford University Press, 2005) [ Find out more... ]

Greasley, K., Bryman, A., Dainty, ARJ., Price, ADF., Soetanto, R. and King, N. 'Employee perceptions of empowerment', Employee Relations , 27, 2005, pp. 354-68.

Dainty, ARJ., Bryman, A., Price, ADF., Greasley, K., Soentanto, R. and King, N. 'Project affinity: the role of emotional attachment in construction projects,' Construction Management and Economics , 23, pp. 241-244.

2004

Lewis-Beck, M. Bryman, A and Liao, TF (eds), The SAGE Encyclopedia of Social Science Research Methods (Sage, 2004) [ Find out more... ]

Hardy, M. and Bryman, A. (eds), Handbook of Data Analysis (Sage, 2004) [ Find out more... ]

Bryman, A. Social Research Methods , Revised edition (Oxford University Press, 2004). [ Find out more... ]

Bryman, A. The Disneyization of Society (Sage, 2004). [ Find out more... ]

Becker, S. and Bryman, A. (eds), Understanding Research for Social Policy and Practice (Policy Press, 2004).

Entries on 'McDonaldization' and 'Disneyization' in G. Ritzer (ed.), Sage Encyclopedia of Social Theory (Sage, 2004).

Beardsworth, A and Bryman, A. 'Meat consumption and meat avoidance among young people - an eleven year longitudinal study', British Food Journal , vol. 106, 2004, pp. 313-27.

Bryman, 'Qualitative research on leadership: a critical but sympathetic review', Leadership Quarterly , 15, 2004, pp. 729-69.

Other

I edit a series of books entitled Understanding Social Research for Open University Press. In addition, I'm on the editorial board of the following journals: Leadership; The Leadership Quarterly; Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management: An International Journal; and Journal of Mixed-Methods Research.