The group welcomes researchers concerned with the examination of the meanings with which agents imbue their actions. While interpretive approaches such as ethnography and post-structuralism have had an immense impact on some areas of the human sciences, the application of these ideas to the empirical study of government remains limited.
The group will take a broad view of interpretation encompassing all those interested in exploring beliefs, languages, traditions, and practices as they appear in and construct the political. Relevant approaches include history and the study of political ideologies, as well as ethnography and post-structuralism. The group will also reach out to those interested in studying and reforming public policy in ways that reflect an interpretive interest in meanings. Relevant approaches include the ‘dramaturgical’, ‘dialogic’ and ‘bottom-up’ models of public policy.
The aims of the specialist group are:
- To encourage research deploying interpretive approaches especially historical and ethnographic studies of political beliefs, traditions, and practices.
- To support the development of collaborative research projects that use interpretive approaches to examine a wide range of cases and materials.
- To build bridges to colleagues in continental Europe and to such groups as PATNET in the USA.
- To build bridges to colleagues employing interpretive approaches in other human sciences such as social policy, sociology, and anthropology.
For further information contact:
Roderick.rhodes@anu.edu.au / Rod.rhodes@utas.edu.au
School of Government
University of Tasmania
Private Bag 22
Hobart
Tasmania 7001
Australia
Dr Francesca Gains
Politics Division, School of Social Science
University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL
Tel ++44 161 275 4895
Francesca.Gains@manchester.ac.uk |