Advances in Contemplative Social Research - ebook

This book is unique and audacious, and fits very well with current tendencies within qualitative research. It introduces new, fresh threads to questions and concerns that are highly significant for contemporary social sciences. The formulated conclusions go beyond directly methodological issues, posing key philosophical questions to the whole project of Western sociology.

Grażyna Woroniecka
From the review of the book

Deep contemplation of the situation could be the epistemological choice for social scientists. It is a fundamentally different approach to the research, where the investigator is researching the object but also the situation of research and her-self/him-self. Contemplating is a dual way of the approaching the truth. It does not mean that the researcher is mentally divided; just the opposite, she/he wants to be complete and achieve the unity of being as a researcher-human being and an element of the situation (psycho-social and historical). Contemplating enables researchers to see how the mind works and creates the images and reports from the field – what is available for the mind and what is silent or repressed because of the dominating rhetoric of description and rhetoric of feeling?... Contemplation is not only analysis, it is also an ethical choice of stopping here and now to see the situation clearly and reporting it with the all reservations that could be the result of the mindfully-observed interaction of mind, self, and situation at one historical moment.

From the Introduction

Introduction 9

Part One ‒ The Basics of Contemplative Research 25

Chapter 1. Identity Processes and Dialogicality of Self ‒ the Problem of Anamnesis 27

1.1. Introduction 27

1.2. “I” 27

1.3. “Me” 28

1.4. Dialogue – ‘internal conversations’ 28

1.5. Anamnesis 29

1.6. Anamnesis Work 31

1.7. Work on Identity 32

1.8. Conclusions 36

Chapter 2. Meditation for Social Scientists 39

2.1. Introduction 39

2.2. Epistemology of the Middle Way 39

2.3. Eightfold Path: Ethics and Cognition 43

2.4. Meditation Practice for Sociologists 50

2.5. Deconstruction and Reconstruction 53

2.6. Intuition for Sociologists 59

2.7. Conclusions 64

Chapter 3. Contemplation for Economists. Towards a Social Economy Based on Empathy and Compassion 69

3.1. Introduction 69

3.2. The Cult of Money according to David Loy 74

3.3. The Buddhist Economy according to Frederic L. Pryor 77

3.4. Towards a Social Economy 80

3.5. Conclusions 81

Chapter 4. The Problem of Ontological Insecurity. What Can We Learn from Sociology Today? Some Zen Buddhist Inspirations 87

4.1. Introduction 87

4.2. Zen Buddhist Inspirations for Sociology 90

4.3. Sociological Inspirations 92

4.4. What is Ontological Security? 99

4.5. Suffering 103

4.6. Greedy Institutions 108

4.7. Conclusions 114

Part Two ‒ The applications 121

Chapter 5. Standing in Public Places: An Ethno-Zenic Experiment Aimed at Developing Sociological Imagination, and More Besides… 123

5.1. Introduction 123

5.2. Methodology 128

5.3. The Analysis of Auto-Reports 132

5.3.1. Standing “Activity” 132

5.3.2. Thinking 132

5.3.3. The Strength of the Mind and Thinking—The Battle of Thoughts 134

5.3.4. Mindfulness Appears 135

5.3.5. The Reactions of ‘Normal Others’ 136

5.3.6. Reflections After the Experiment 136

5.4. Conclusions 138

Chapter 6. Contemplating Technology in Qualitative Research 141

6.1. Introduction 141

6.2. The Research and Disputes on CAQDAS 143

6.3. Perspective of the Research 146

6.4. Research, Methods, and Data 152

6.5. Explicitation. The Central Themes of All the Auto-reports 155

6.5.1. Overview 155

6.5.2. Technical Activities and Analytical Thinking 156

6.5.3. Parallel Paths of Thinking 160

6.5.4. Auxiliary Activities 161

6.5.5. Evaluative Thinking: Evaluating the Program and Computer Functions and the Comfort and Efficiency of the Work 161

6.5.6. The Issue of Concentration 162

6.5.7. Auto-observation/ Auto-reporting 164

6.5.8. The Perception of the Body 165

6.5.9. Emotions 167

6.6. Unique Topics 168

6.7. Physical Elements of the Situation 170

6.8. Conclusions 171

6.8.1. Methodological conclusions 175

Chapter 7. Experiencing the University 179

7.1. Introduction 179

7.2. Research, Methods, and Data 180

7.3. Research Results: Experiencing the University Organizational Culture 183

7.3.1. Experiencing Emotional States While Being at the University 184

7.3.2. Experiencing the University Infrastructure and Its Services 187

7.3.3. Organization Participants’ Routine Activities 192

7.3.4. Social Relations at the University 194

7.3.5. Unique Themes of Meaning Not Related to the Foregoing Ones 196

7.4. Discussion 196

Chapter 8. Hatha-yoga in Higher Education 201

8.1. Introduction 201

8.2. Yoga in Higher Education 203

8.3. Applications of Hatha-Yoga in Higher Education 205

8.4. Yoga Practice at the Course of “Meditation for Managers” 208

8.5. Conclusions 216

Chapter 9. Buddhism Zen and Qualitative Research 221

Part three ‒ Technicalities 225

Chapter 10. Technical Aspects of Contemplative Research 227

10.1. Introduction 227

10.2. Meditation 228

10.3. Self-observation 229

10.4. How to Write Auto-reports 231

10.5. Zenic Experiments 231

10.6. Contemplation 233

10.6.1. Empathetic Experiments 234

Conclusions 237

Bibliography 243

Information about the author 259