Advances in Contemplative Social Research

• Druk: Łódź, 2018
• Autor: Krzysztof T. Konecki
• Wydawca: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego

This book is unique and audacious, and fits very well with current tendencies within qualitative research. It introduces new, fresh threads to questions and concerns that are highly significant for contemporary social sciences. The formulated conclusions go beyond directly methodological issues, posing key philosophical questions to the whole project of Western sociology.
Grażyna Woroniecka
From the review of the book

Deep contemplation of the situation could be the epistemological choice for social scientists. It is a fundamentally different approach to the research, where the investigator is researching the object but also the situation of research and her-self/him-self. Contemplating is a dual way of the approaching the truth. It does not mean that the researcher is mentally divided; just the opposite, she/he wants to be complete and achieve the unity of being as a researcher-human being and an element of the situation (psycho-social and historical). Contemplating enables researchers to see how the mind works and creates the images and reports from the field – what is available for the mind and what is silent or repressed because of the dominating rhetoric of description and rhetoric of feeling?... Contemplation is not only analysis, it is also an ethical choice of stopping here and now to see the situation clearly and reporting it with the all reservations that could be the result of the mindfully-observed interaction of mind, self, and situation at one historical moment.
From the Introduction

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• Język wydania: angielski
• ISBN: 978-83-8142-122-5
• ISBN druku: 978-83-8142-121-8
• Liczba stron: 260

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Introduction 	9

Part One ‒ The Basics of Contemplative Research	25
Chapter 1. Identity Processes and Dialogicality of Self ‒ the Problem of Anamnesis 	27
1.1. Introduction 	27
1.2. “I” 	27
1.3. “Me” 	28
1.4. Dialogue – ‘internal conversations’ 	28
1.5. Anamnesis 	29
1.6. Anamnesis Work 	31
1.7. Work on Identity 	32
1.8. Conclusions 	36
Chapter 2. Meditation for Social Scientists 	39
2.1. Introduction 	39
2.2. Epistemology of the Middle Way 	39
2.3. Eightfold Path: Ethics and Cognition 	43
2.4. Meditation Practice for Sociologists 	50
2.5. Deconstruction and Reconstruction 	53
2.6. Intuition for Sociologists 	59
2.7. Conclusions 	64
Chapter 3. Contemplation for Economists. Towards a Social Economy Based on Empathy and Compassion 	69
3.1. Introduction 	69
3.2. The Cult of Money according to David Loy 	74
3.3. The Buddhist Economy according to Frederic L. Pryor 	77
3.4. Towards a Social Economy 	80
3.5. Conclusions 	81
Chapter 4. The Problem of Ontological Insecurity. What Can We Learn from Sociology Today? Some Zen Buddhist Inspirations 	87
4.1. Introduction 	87
4.2. Zen Buddhist Inspirations for Sociology 	90
4.3. Sociological Inspirations 	92
4.4. What is Ontological Security? 	99
4.5. Suffering 	103
4.6. Greedy Institutions 	108
4.7. Conclusions 	114

Part Two ‒ The applications 	121
Chapter 5. Standing in Public Places: An Ethno-Zenic Experiment Aimed at Developing Sociological Imagination, and More Besides… 	123
5.1. Introduction 	123
5.2. Methodology 	128
5.3. The Analysis of Auto-Reports 	132
5.3.1. Standing “Activity” 	132
5.3.2. Thinking 	132
5.3.3. The Strength of the Mind and Thinking—The Battle of Thoughts 	134
5.3.4. Mindfulness Appears 	135
5.3.5. The Reactions of ‘Normal Others’ 	136
5.3.6. Reflections After the Experiment 	136
5.4. Conclusions 	138
Chapter 6. Contemplating Technology in Qualitative Research 	141
6.1. Introduction 	141
6.2. The Research and Disputes on CAQDAS 	143
6.3. Perspective of the Research 	146
6.4. Research, Methods, and Data 	152
6.5. Explicitation. The Central Themes of All the Auto-reports 	155
6.5.1. Overview 	155
6.5.2. Technical Activities and Analytical Thinking 	156
6.5.3. Parallel Paths of Thinking 	160
6.5.4. Auxiliary Activities 	161
6.5.5. Evaluative Thinking: Evaluating the Program and Computer Functions and the Comfort and Efficiency of the Work 	161
6.5.6. The Issue of Concentration 	162
6.5.7. Auto-observation/ Auto-reporting 	164
6.5.8. The Perception of the Body 	165
6.5.9. Emotions 	167
6.6. Unique Topics 	168
6.7. Physical Elements of the Situation 	170
6.8. Conclusions 	171
6.8.1. Methodological conclusions 	175
Chapter 7. Experiencing the University 	179
7.1. Introduction 	179
7.2. Research, Methods, and Data 	180
7.3. Research Results: Experiencing the University Organizational Culture 	183
7.3.1. Experiencing Emotional States While Being at the University 	184
7.3.2. Experiencing the University Infrastructure and Its Services 	187
7.3.3. Organization Participants’ Routine Activities 	192
7.3.4. Social Relations at the University 	194
7.3.5. Unique Themes of Meaning Not Related to the Foregoing Ones 	196
7.4. Discussion 	196
Chapter 8. Hatha-yoga in Higher Education 	201
8.1. Introduction 	201
8.2. Yoga in Higher Education 	203
8.3. Applications of Hatha-Yoga in Higher Education 	205
8.4. Yoga Practice at the Course of “Meditation for Managers” 	208
8.5. Conclusions 	216
Chapter 9. Buddhism Zen and Qualitative Research 	221

Part three ‒ Technicalities 	225
Chapter 10. Technical Aspects of Contemplative Research 	227
10.1. Introduction 	227
10.2. Meditation 	228
10.3. Self-observation 	229
10.4. How to Write Auto-reports 	231
10.5. Zenic Experiments 	231
10.6. Contemplation 	233
10.6.1. Empathetic Experiments 	234

Conclusions 	237
Bibliography 	243
Information about the author 	259