1. THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL PROBLEMS IN CROSS-NATIONAL RESEARCH.
- Author
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Lupri, Eugen
- Subjects
- *
SOCIOLOGICAL research , *SOCIAL theory , *CULTURE , *SOCIETIES , *HYPOTHESIS , *RURAL sociology - Abstract
The objectives of this paper are threefold. First, it traces briefly the use of the comparative method La sociology. It documents that what is currently called 'cross-national research' is an interest that has antecedents running back for at least a century in a great variety of field. Secondly, the paper argues for a closer interplay between sociological theory construction and cross-national data. Because current sociological theory is exceedingly culture-bound, basing its propositions largely on data derived from modern American and Western European societies, the need for testing hypotheses within truly cross-cultural settings is most timely and urgent. Thirdly, the paper delineates three major methodological problems in cross-national research. These problems include (I) the requirement of equivalence of meaning, (2) the requirement of concept equivalence, and (3) the requirement of equivalence of cultural variability. It concludes with a recommendation for furthering interest in cross-national research in rural sociology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 1969
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