John Boswell et al., "The Art and Craft of Comparison" (Cambridge UP, 2019)
Mar 3, 2025
auto_awesome
Join John Boswell, a Politics Professor at the University of Southampton, and Jack Corbett, a Politics Professor at Monash University, as they delve into the art of comparative research. They discuss the significance of immersive interpretation in research, emphasizing personal experience over reliance on AI. The duo shares practical tips for navigating control in research and highlights the importance of reflexivity. They also introduce exciting new academic ventures, showcasing how diverse contexts shape political understanding in their latest works.
The podcast emphasizes the significance of interpretive methods in comparative research, advocating for a focus on lived experiences to unlock meaningful analyses.
Boswell and Corbett offer practical strategies for conducting comparative research, highlighting the value of early writing and immersive data collection to enrich insights.
Deep dives
The Value of Interpretive Comparison
The podcast discusses the significance of interpretive methods in comparative research, emphasizing an approach that differs from traditional American-centric comparative politics. The authors, John Boswell and Jack Corbett, highlight the lack of explicit interpretive frameworks in existing literature, providing a fresh perspective that integrates detailed case studies with broader comparative analysis. They argue that by focusing on the lived experiences and perspectives of actors, researchers can uncover rich, meaningful comparisons that transcend conventional institutional analyses. This interpretive approach responds to a growing need for a diverse range of analytical perspectives beyond established canons.
Dilemmas in Comparative Research
A core concept discussed in the podcast is the notion of dilemmas faced by actors in different contexts, which can reveal similarities in their experiences despite varying backgrounds. The authors use examples from their own research experiences to illustrate this concept, suggesting that different political leaders, like an Indian village chief and a French president, can confront remarkably alike challenges. They assert that these dilemmas can serve as a skeleton key for comparison, enabling researchers to draw fascinating parallels among diverse cases. This emphasis on shared human experiences offers a way to conduct comparative analysis that is both relevant and innovative.
Confessional Tone and Relatable Research
The podcast highlights the authors' confessional and accessible writing style, intended to connect with readers by sharing their personal research journeys and challenges. This approach contrasts with the often abstract and jargon-laden discourse typical in political science literature, making the work relatable and engaging for a broader audience. By sharing anecdotes from their research, they demonstrate how to navigate the complexities of comparative analysis and encourage researchers to embrace their own experiences and insights. This narrative style enhances comprehension and invites readers to consider their own unique research contexts.
Tips for Systematic Comparative Research
Boswell and Corbett offer several practical rules of thumb for conducting systematic interpretive comparative research, encouraging flexibility and creativity in methods. One significant tip is to begin writing early in the research process, which helps outline thoughts and develop a coherent narrative while still allowing for further refinement and analysis. Additionally, they address the importance of 'embracing the grind' of research, advocating that the immersive experience within data collection and analysis enriches the researcher’s insights and findings. The podcast underscores that even without established guardrails, there are effective strategies researchers can adopt to engage meaningfully with their data while maintaining a structured approach.
There are many books giving advice about research methods on the market, but The Art and Craft of Comparison(Cambridge UP, 2019) is the first monographic marriage of comparative and interpretive methods. In this episode of the special series New Books in Interpretive Political and Social Science, two of its authors, John Boswell and Jack Corbett, discuss their confessional tone in the book, the dilemmas of comparative-interpretive research, some of their rules of thumb for starting and finishing political research that aims for creative comparison, and why Chat GPT is no substitute for embodied, immersive interpretation. Embrace the grind!