In The Grammar of Time: A Toolbox for Comparative Historical Analysis (Cambridge UP, 2023), political scientist Marcus Kreuzer synthesises the different strands and traditions of Comparative Historical Analysis to show how interpretive and positivist research designs might complement rather than compete with one another. Like the contents of the book, our discussion on this episode of New Books in Interpretive Political and Social Science is wide-ranging and lively, addressing topics like the many types of time, the meaning of its “grammar”, the importance of context, debates over transparency and replicability, and why pedagogy matters. Whether you are persuaded by Kreuzer’s advocacy for CHA or not, you will surely appreciate his enthusiasm to communicate about it, his deep knowledge of methodology and respect for its various traditions, and his concern to build (rather than burn) methodological bridges.

Like this episode? Why not check out others in this special series on the political science channel of the New Books Network, including the previous episode, also from the Methods for Social Inquiry book series, with John Boswell and Jack Corbett talking about The Art and Craft of Comparison.

Looking for something to read? Marcus recommends Arlie Hochschild’s Stolen Pride, Carol Kaesuk Yoon’s Naming Nature, and How the Heartland Went Red, by Stephanie Ternullo, whom Miranda Melcher has interviewed for the American Studies channel of our Network.

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Benjamin Stevenson

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