Metatheory and Methodology

Metatheory and methodology are "second order" studies in the sense that they are the study of studies. While metatheory focuses on the "subtheoretical level of the 'infrastructure' of theory," methodology examines the philosophical underpinnings of empirical research. In sociology, both metatheory and methodology are concerned with the nature of social theory and the logic of social inquiry. A major issue that has been periodically addressed but remains largely unresolved is the persistent failure of sociologists to construct cumulative theory of universal applicability. Metatheoretical and methodological examinations of this perplexing issue become a useful exercise that can deepen our understanding of the aim of social research.

Selected Publications

Zhao, S. 2001. "Metatheorizing in Sociology." Pp. 386-394 in George Ritzer and Barry Smart (eds.), Handbook of Social Theory. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Zhao, S. 1996. "The Beginning of the End or the End of the Beginning? -- Theory Construction Movement Revisited." Sociological Forum 11: 305-318.

Zhao, S. 1993. "Realms, Subfields, and Perspectives: On the Differentiation and Fragmentation of Sociology." The American Sociologist 24(3/4): 5-14.

Presser, S. and Zhao, S. 1992. "Attributes of Questions and Interviewers As Determinants of Interviewing Performance." Public Opinion Quarterly 56(2): 236-240.

Zhao, S. 1991. "Metatheory, Metamethod, Meta-data-analysis: What, Why, and How?" Sociological Perspectives 34: 377-390.

Zhao, S. 1991. "Rhetoric as Praxis: An Alternative to the Epistemic Approach." Philosophy and Rhetoric 24: 255-266.

Falk, W. and Zhao, S. 1989. "Paradigms, Theories and Methods in Contemporary Rural Sociology: A Partial Replication and Extension." Rural Sociology 54(4): 587-599.