Methodological considerations This section is divided into 2 parts, 1) outlining the methodology, research design, investigation methods & data sources of this thesis and 2) the thesis limitations Methodology, research design, applied methods & data sources Methodology & research design A fundamental dispute in sociological theory (Hylland-Eriksen 1993) has evolved between proponents of procesual and structural theories of how social structures in society evolve are maintained and change. Actor oriented scientists argue that the actions of individuals and groups are fundamental for the social structures & practices existing in society, whereas structuralists view society as composed of various social institutions with specific functions that sustain the social structure of society. & spring out of this fundamental Social constructionism interactionism scientific debate, and are the theoretical points of departure of the methods and theories used in this thesis and constitute its methodology. Social constructionism as a theoretical paradigm was initiated by Berger & Luckman which presented a social theory of how social realities and structures basically are shaped and changed through ongoing processes of human transactions. Their fundamental insight is that human knowledge and reality perceptions are created and altered through social interaction, whereby humans through socialization processes are introduced to the social world which they through their actions and discourses reproduce and alter. These insights sparked a new scientific paradigm that in opposition to positivist accounts ”social constructionism” of social reality which are based on universal laws and mechanisms, argued that all social phenomena are creations of human transactions and that knowledge is socially constructed. By emphasizing that social phenomena are constructed by humans in a social context, it becomes possible to deconstruct and investigate how and by which means social institutions and reality perceptions are created and maintained. Social constructionists emphasize that the social world is a product of the intersubjective interactions of social actors, and that social phenomena needs to be related to a social context in order to grasp their meaning and impact on a given society. The implication of these insights is that social constructs such as & should not be seen as natural, “the state”, “ethnicity” “the EAC” objective entities, but as specific historical constructs, created by social actors with specific aims. a sub variant, emphasizes that social structures are generated through individual and Interactionism,
Methodological considerations This section is divided into 2 parts, 1) outlining the methodology, research design, investigation methods & data sources of this thesis and 2) the thesis limitations Methodology, research design, applied methods & data sources Methodology & research design A fundamental dispute in sociological theory (Hylland-Eriksen 1993) has evolved between proponents of procesual and structural theories of how social structures in society evolve are maintained and change. Actor oriented scientists argue that the actions of individuals and groups are fundamental for the social structures & practices existing in society, whereas structuralists view society as composed of various social institutions with specific functions that sustain the social structure of society. Social constructionism & interactionism spring out of this fundamental scientific debate, and are the theoretical points of departure of the methods and theories used in this thesis and constitute its methodology. Social constructionism as a theoretical paradigm was initiated by Berger & Luckman which presented a social theory of how social realities and structures basically are shaped and changed through ongoing processes of human transactions. Their fundamental insight is that human knowledge and reality perceptions are created and altered through social interaction, whereby humans through socialization processes are introduced to the social world which they through their actions and discourses reproduce and alter. These insights sparked a new scientific paradigm ”social constructionism” that in opposition to positivist accounts of social reality which are based on universal laws and mechanisms, argued that all social phenomena are creations of human transactions and that knowledge is socially constructed. By emphasizing that social phenomena are constructed by humans in a social context, it becomes possible to deconstruct and investigate how and by which means social institutions and reality perceptions are created and maintained. Social constructionists emphasize that the social world is a product of the intersubjective interactions of social actors, and that social phenomena needs to be related to a social context in order to grasp their meaning and impact on a given society. The implication of these insights is that social constructs such as “the state”, “ethnicity” & “the EAC” should not be seen as natural, objective entities, but as specific historical constructs, created by social actors with specific aims. Interactionism, a sub variant, emphasizes that social structures are generated through individual and