ASOK15632U Problematization Analysis: How and Why something is and became a Social Problem

Imagine that instead of approaching social phenomena with the aim of testing causal relationships, interpreting meaning or accounting for social constructions, we set out to understand how and why something has become a social problem worthy of our research interest in the first place. This would change our way of posing research questions, of designing qualitative inquiry, of gathering material (e.g., of conducting interviews or taking field notes), of coding and analysing the material – and it would probably lead to new contributions not only to research, but also to our dialogue with practitioners.

One example will illustrate this: Using problematization analysis methods, Pernille Steen Pedersen has recently found that processes leading to stress-related sick-leave from work are not always driven by work overload (as is generally assumed), but by a vicious circle of emotional shame. This is an entirely different problem that calls for innovations in both stress research and management practice.

Problematization analysis is a social research method in the making: It is a topic of increasing interest not only in sociology, but also in organization studies, political science, nurse studies and yet other fields. It is rooted Foucault’s own reassessment of his work late in his life – not in terms of power and discourse, but of problems and responses: ‘What I tried to do from the beginning was to analyse the process of “problematisation” – which means: how and why certain things (behaviour, phenomena, processes) became a problem’.

The aim of the course is not to make students conform to one established standard, but to engage them in the collective endeavour to develop and employ problematization as a method in sociological research. Hence, students will be required to outline and carry out a ‘pilot’ study using problematization analysis methods and a substantial part of the time in class (about ½) will be consecrated to students presenting and discussing their work in progress in written and/or oral form (peer feedback) at the different stages of the research process. The aim is not to produce a full-blown research project, but to get a hands-on experience with the different stages of problematization analysis. Students are invited to use this as an opportunity to develop pilot projects as preparations for their MA theses. The aim of the course is also reflected in the oral exam with synopsis that does not require a full-blown and finalized research product, but the capacity to actively engage in and critically reflect upon it in the making (see the intended learning outcome for details).

During the course, students will:

• Be introduced to and discuss various attempts at developing problematization analysis into a coherent research method
• Get an overview of the methodological and theoretical commitments of problematization analysis that distinguish it from positivist, social constructivist and hermeneutical traditions
• Get a clear sense of and reflect upon how problematization analysis can and should be conducted through the different stages of the research process: formulation of research questions and research design, gathering of materials, coding and analysis, and producing outputs of value not only to a research community but also to practitioners.
• Design and conduct their own problematization analysis of a sociological phenomenon of choice.
• Reflect on how the results can renew dialogue with practitioners about the problem