Self and Subjectivity in Social Research

by Donna Maria Thomas, Sarah Durston

Overview

This is a book that thinks about what it means to be human and what this could mean for social research.

Addressing ontological shifts across the social sciences, the book reconsiders the nature of self, experience and social reality and their implications for doing research differently. It delves into wide-ranging topics from the self in crisis, through the self and the nature of language, to ethics and the self.

The book also:

• Helps you understand epistemology and ontology in practice with case studies of real world research;
• Critiques dominant approaches and examines global perspectives and contexts that challenge them;
• Explores the potential of interdisciplinary approaches to resolve tensions in social research;
• Discusses how ontology can shape research practice, policy development and social support systems.

This book will help postgraduate students, academics, researchers and teachers embrace new ways of thinking about self and subjectivity.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781529767698
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	06/09/2025
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	6.69(w) x 9.53(h) x (d)

About the Author

Dr Donna M Thomas is a Co-director of ICreate S, an international research unit based at the University of Central Lancashire, specialising in qualitative research methods for the exploration of self, subjectivity and consciousness. Donna is an honorary researcher at Great Ormand Street Hospital and has over 25 years of qualitative research experience, applied in contexts such as local government, health and academia. Donna’s specialisms include linguistics, semiotics, epistemology, ontology and developing qualitative methods for applied research. Donna has several research areas which include exploring the nature of self and consciousness with everyday people and investigating extra sensory experience with children and young people. Donna is the author of academic papers on the subjects of self and consciousness and author of ‘Children’s Unexplained Experiences in a Post Materialist World’ (2023), John Hunt Publishing. Donna appears on podcasts and writes public interest pieces on the nature of self and consciousness.

Professor Sarah Durston obtained her Ph D at Utrecht University in the Netherlands in 2003. In her thesis, she combined structural and functional neuroimaging techniques to study brain development and function in ADHD, including for two formative years at the Sackler Institute for Developmental Psychobiology in New York. After graduating, Sarah became a faculty member at the University Medical Centre Utrecht in the Netherlands. Here, she started her lab, the NICHE neuroimaging lab, on the biology of developmental disorders, which continued until 2021. The lab originally focused on how (biological) risks for developmental disorders might translate to changes in brain function, structure or connectivity and – ultimately – lead to behavioural changes. Some ten years ago, Sarah began to realise that the answer to what causes developmental disorders is not to be found solely in biology. She wrote the book ‘The Universe, Life and Everything’ on how a scientific paradigm shift is taking place (Amsterdam University Press, 2017) and re-directed the lab towards studying psychological, social cultural and transcendental aspects in the experience of individuals with developmental disorders. Sarah is honorary professor at UCLan, Co-Director of ICreate S international Research Unit and Chair of the Sentience & Science Foundation in the Netherlands. She has (co-)authored over 150 academic publications.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 The Trouble with Self and Subjectivity in Social Research
Chapter 2 What are Self and Subjectivity?
Chapter 3 Self in the Context of Social Research
Chapter 4 Who Knows? Self and Knowledge in Social Research
Chapter 5 The Importance of Epistemology & Ontology in Social Research
Chapter 6 Self and the Intersection between Medical Science & Social Research
Chapter 7 Cultural Perspectives on Self & Subjectivity in Research
Chapter 8 Self, Language & Social Research
Chapter 9 Visualising Self: Literacies in Social Research
Chapter 10 Doing Research Differently
Chapter 11 Ideas of the World and Social Research
Chapter 12 Society in Crisis: The Importance for Researching Self & Subjectivity

Editorial Reviews

Unpacking a variety of research methods through the course of the book, Thomas and Durston have produced an accessible and thorough overview of how researchers in disciplines such as sociology, cultural studies and media studies might navigate complex issues of self and subjectivity. Ontological and epistemological concerns are thoroughly explored through a comprehensive outline of ideas by many key theorists and philosophers. Recognising that the more abstract of these ideas can be difficult for some students, the scholarly analysis here is deliberately pitched at a digestible but challenging level that is ideal for undergraduate teaching. This is complemented by a selection of demonstrative case studies throughout and interesting tasks at the end of each chapter, both of which are useful tools for lecturers teaching in the previously mentioned disciplines.

Michael Waugh