Abductive Analysis: Theorizing Qualitative Research

Iddo Tavory · Stefan Timmermans

Sep 2014 · University of Chicago Press

About this ebook

“A major contribution to both the pragmatist renaissance and the transnational turn toward theorizing in qualitative research.” —Adele E. Clarke, author of Situational Analysis: Grounded Theory after the Postmodern Turn

In Abductive Analysis, Iddo Tavory and Stefan Timmermans provide a new navigational map for theorizing qualitative research. They outline a way to think about observations, methods, and theories that nurtures theory formation without locking it into predefined conceptual boxes. The book provides novel ways to approach the challenges that plague qualitative researchers across the social sciences—how to conceptualize causality, how to manage the variation of observations, and how to leverage the researcher’s community of inquiry. Abductive Analysis is a landmark work that shows how a pragmatist approach provides a productive and fruitful way to conduct qualitative research.

“In Abductive Analysis, Iddo Tavory and Stefan Timmermans make a case that the thought of pragmatist philosopher Charles S. Peirce—specifically, his theories of hypothetical reasoning and semiotics—can be used to guide and improve qualitative research. Every qualitatively-minded sociologist should consider their strong, well-crafted argument.” —Neil Gross, author of Richard Rorty: The Making of an American Philosopher

“In this ground-breaking book, Tavory and Timmermans open a new direction for qualitative inquiry that cuts across current internal divisions and debates. By reframing the logic and process of making sense of data within a pragmatic approach, they give new life to the craft of theorizing. Thoughtful and intellectually exciting, Abductive Analysis is both inspired and inspiring.” —Diane Vaughan, author of The Challenger Launch Decision: Risky Technology, Culture, and Deviance at NASA

About the author

Iddo Tavory is assistant professor of sociology at New York University. Stefan Timmermans is professor of sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is the author of Postmortem: How Medical Examiners Explain Suspicious Death and coauthor of Saving Babies? The Consequences of Newborn Genetic Screening, both published by the University of Chicago Press.