Review Reviewed Work(s): Necessary Conditions

Review Reviewed Work(s): Necessary Conditions: Theory, Methodology, and Applications by Gary Goertz and Harvey Starr Review by: Ross Macmillan Source: Contemporary Sociology, Vol. 33, No. 3 (May, 2004), pp. 379-380 Published by: American Sociological Association Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3593972 Accessed: 23-02-2018 08:31 UTC JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://about.jstor.org/terms

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Methodology and Research Techniques 379 The Thebook book makes makes a justified a justified claim claim to be to beabout about what whatthe thesocial social sciences sciences areare trying trying to to using usingbiographical biographical methods methods sociologically. sociologically. do, do, what whatthey theyare aredoing, doing, and and what what they they could could Discussion of the uncertain sands of socio-

do do in in the thefuture. future.The The authors authors suggest suggest a vision a vision of of the the social socialsciences sciences that that is probably is probably closer closer logical understanding of the past are readily to tothis overall overalltheoretical theoretical goals, goals, yetyet farfar away away from from discussed in many of the chapters, and contemporary contemporarypractice. practice. In In doing doing so, so, they they pro-proitself provides valuable sociological thinking. The footnotes also hold a mine of informavide vide not notone onebut butseveral several templates templates forfor doing doing

social tion on different theories and concepts of science, and they challenge those

whose theories and research are framed social stratification. What is missing, howev-

er, beyond occasional side remarks, isaround any

conventional tools.

As the title suggests, the central theme of comparable reflection or adjudication on current social relations, and how these affectthe notbook is the notion of "necessary conditions." In spirit, necessary conditions refer to just the interviews themselves but their inter-

causes that are essentially required in order pretation. The chapter on masculinity comto observe some outcome (more on this latpares how Ivanov, from an earlier

er).ofA well written set of introductory chapgeneration, overcame the abusive patterns ters (Goertz and Starr, Most and Starr, Goertz) his family background through education

and professional mobility, whereas his

describes the logic or logics of necessary

younger equivalent slid further into misogy- conditions, their importance in political studnistic promiscuity and instrumentalism in the ies, and their implications for research

cynicism of the 1970s onwards, and in the methodology. This is followed by chapters post-Soviet commercialization of sex. But that elaborate different approaches for there is no comment on this, nor any wider assessing necessary conditions (Dion,

evaluation of the impact of marketization on Harvey, Ragin, Braumoeller and Goertz). The volume concludes with some theoretical forthe social fabric. The chapter on Jewish identity strangely makes no mention at all of post mulations organized around notions of nec1990 antisemitism. So the opinions voiced on essary conditions and applications to specific the earlier periods are not matched on cur- sociopolitical events (Cioffi-Revilla and Starr,

rent developments with all their promises of Tsebelis, Mintz,). All through, the various "freedom." It would be extremely interesting authors argue that the notion of necessary conditions: (a) is fundamental to the social to know what the contributors from Eastern

sciences; (b) is implicit in much social sciand Central Europe think on such matters, ence theory; (c) is inconsistent with most and to hear a sociological and methodologicontemporary research practices; (d) thus cal discussion between them of their various requires a rethinking of standard issues of chapters. conceptualization, sampling, measurement, and analysis; and (e) ultimately broadens Necessary Necessary Conditions: Conditions: Theory, Theory, Methodology, Methodology,existing inquiry in theory expanding ways. and andApplications, Applications, edited edited by Gary by Gary GoertzGoertz and and With this broad and powerful mandate, will Necessary Conditions provide the impeHarvey Starr. Lanham, MD: Rowman and

Littlefield, 2003. 346 pp. $75.00 cloth. ISBN: tus for a new generation of sociological research? Unfortunately, I don't think so. This 0-7425-1925-2. $32.95 paper. ISBN: 0-7425-

1926-0.

Ross MACMILLAN

University of Minnesota [email protected]. umn. edu

review was over two months late (my apologies to the authors). The reason: I had to read the book three times and some chapters sev-

eral times in order to both make sense of

them and accord them the justice they

deserve. There were three issues. First and

This is an important and timely book. least We important, the examples and applica-

currently live in an era where statistical packtions throughout the book are largely, if not ages that allow for the "point and click" genexclusively, drawn from political science, eration of statistical estimates are mass specifically the study of states and conflict. As an alike. outsider to this area, it was often difficult marketed to both faculty and students In challenge, the collected authors of to understand why certain things were conNecessary Conditions ask serious questionssidered necessary conditions and the overarContemporary Sociology 33, 3


380 Methodology and Research Techniques ching ching theoretical theoretical systems systemsin inplay. play.Nothing Nothing The optimistic optimistic side side of of me me hopes hopesthat that precludes precludes applications applications of ofthe theideas ideasininthis this Necessary Necessary Conditions Conditions will will attract attractaawide wideaudiaudibook to to other other areas areas of of inquiry inquiry(as (asthe theeditors editors ence. Its Its sheer sheer breadth breadth may may provide provideaalittle little note). note). But, But, it it will will require requireaapriori prioriconceptual conceptualsomething something for for everyone. everyone. At At the thesame sametime, time, work to to identify identify what what (if (ifany) any)necessary necessaryconconthe less less optimistic optimistic side side of of me me thinks thinksthat thatthe the dition dition hypotheses hypotheses exist exist in inone's one'sown ownfield field way in which which this this book book is is written, written,the theform form

before before one one can can apply apply the thegeneral generalanalytic analytic of the analytic analytic and and statistical statistical recommendarecommendastrategies strategies and and tools tools prescribed prescribedthroughout throughout tions, and and the the issues issues around around which whichthe theappliapplithe chapters. chapters. cations are are organized organized will will be be aa barrier barrierfor for Second, a (in my opinion very) large most sociological readers. I hope I am scope of knowledge is necessary to digest wrong. The central message of Goertz and the book in its entirety. A wide variety of Starr's book is important and warrants serious approaches are used to describe the logic, consideration by sociologists. Still, the hegemethodology, and application of necessary mony of "point and click" statistics and, as conditions. Some chapters emphasize set Abbott has warned us, the (apparent success theoretic relationships and venn diagrams, of the) theories that they produce is increas-

others use formal mathematical notation. Still

ingly a tough nut to crack.

others postulate the logic and application of necessary conditions in a largely discursive manner. Likewise, applications of necessary Key Themes in Qualitative Research: conditions include Bayesian approaches, Continuities and Changes, by Paul Atkinson, Boolean minimization, "fuzzy set" analysis, Amanda Coffey, and Sara Delamont.

and even conventional statistics. While

Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press, 2003. 232

breadth, formalism, and sophistication pp. $69.00 cloth. ISBN: 0-7951-0126-4. $24.95 should be regarded as an asset (and is not paper. ISBN: 0-7591-0127-2. surprising given that 9 of 13 chapters are

BETH PERRY reprints, including 6 from leading journals in political science), it may also limit the reso- The University of Salford, UK nance and readability of the book to a gen- b.perry@salford. ac. uk

eral sociology audience.

Readers will be left in no doubt about the

Third, the notion of necessary conditions aims of this book. The authors seek to navimeans different things to different contributors. In some cases, necessary conditions are gate a moderate course between two seem-

pure and unproblematic. A necessary condition must be present for an outcome to occur. In other cases, necessary conditions are probabilistic or distributional. Here,

ingly dichotomous and often polarized positions on key issues in qualitative research. The old guard, composed of the methodological pioneers of the 1950s and

something may be "pretty necessary," "almost 1960s with their classic formulations on quesalways necessary," "virtually necessary," or tions of research methods and techniques, is "usually necessary." To me this is troubling. contrasted with the avant-garde, contempo-

It is generally inconsistent with the long list rary writers since 1985 whose wholesale of necessary conditions that are sprinkled embrace of novelty and rejection of traditions past is rooted in the postmodernist turn, the throughout the book (see the Index of Necessary Condition Hypotheses) and makes"crisis of representation," feminist, and other assessment of the arguments across chapters critical standpoints. An overview of both difficult. In the end, it seems to put us on a positions is neatly encapsulated in the

slippery slope toward the "correlational" view of causality to which the arguments in

Introduction.

Injecting clarity into the current debates is

this book directly challenge. While there is necessary, it is argued, given the fragmenta-

considerable discussion that attempts to justi- tion and confusion of the current terrain in fy a probabilistic approach in terms of what qualitative methodological writing and is gained, I would have hoped to see some research practice (p. ix.). Writings may have discussion of what is lost with this conceptu- proliferated in recent years, but have not sat-

alization.

isfactorily illuminated the continuities and

Contemporary Sociology 33, 3
