16 November 2022

Abby Day: Qualitative sociological measures

Summary

Day brings a qualitative sociological and anthropological perspective to the study of supernatural belief. She emphasizes particular contexts, lived meanings, interviews, narratives, race, faith, culture, and the way groups produce their own truths and categories. The talk is a reminder that not all useful research begins with a hypothesis or aims at general measurement; qualitative work can reveal what quantitative instruments would otherwise assume too quickly.