An Overview of My Scholarship

I have attempted to make theoretical contributions to Sociology in two main areas: (1) Developing a radically interpretive approach to the study of inequality and (2) clarifying the contradictory meanings of “social constructionism.” (3) A third category of my scholarship might be called potpourri—topics that fit my theoretical interests but are oriented to teaching or other concerns.

1) Developing a Rigorously Interpretive Sociology of Inequality

My first research agenda has been to conceptualize and demonstrate an interpretive approach to inequality, one that draws its central premises from symbolic interactionism, phenomenology, and ethnomethodology. An article on inequality in close relationships (Harris 1997) was my first foray into this area. My subsequent work (Harris 2000b) attempted to lay a more secure theoretical foundation for my research on inequality by combining complementary insights from four prominent figures in Sociology: Herbert Blumer, Alfred Schutz, Harold Garfinkel, and John Dewey. Each of these scholars was acutely attuned to the “indeterminacy of meaning,” a sensitivity that I have argued is missing in mainstream research on inequality.

To demonstrate the utility of a rigorously interpretive approach, I focused on the sub-field of marital equality. I attempted to show how quantitative (Harris 2000a) and qualitative (Harris 2003) researchers tend to impose their own definitions and measurement strategies upon those they study, whereas an interpretive scholar would give more attention to the meanings that people live by. I presented the results of my own in-depth interviews on the topic in two papers (Harris 2001, 2006b) and in my first book, The Meanings of Marital Equality (Harris 2006c). I also edited (and wrote a lengthy introduction to) a special issue on interpretive approaches to inequality, for the Journal of Contemporary Ethnography (Harris 2006a).

2) Clarifying Constructionism

In the course of my work on inequality, I noticed a fundamental ambiguity and contradiction. Many scholars were invoking “constructionist” terminology, but they were doing so in an objectivist manner. They would write that inequality—as an objective fact or condition—was constructed, created, produced, manufactured, assembled, and so on, by various social factors and actors. This usage was different than the meaning I had learned to give to the same constructionist terms; my exposure to interactionism, phenomenology, and ethnomethodology led me to think of constructionism as a matter of meaning-making. To “construct” inequality would be to give it a meaning, or to interpret ambiguous states of affairs as equal or unequal, or to assemble a causal account that gives a particular “spin” to a putatively unequal situation, and so on. Since constructionism is such an important and influential perspective, I decided that my second major research agenda would be to attempt to explore whether this “objective–interpretive tension” pervaded constructionism in general and, if so, to clarify things.

Fortuitously, I received an invitation to contribute a chapter to the Handbook of Constructionist Research (Harris 2008b). This allowed me to spell out the basic differences I saw between objective constructionism and interpretive constructionism. I then proceeded to highlight those differences in constructionist research on family diversity (Harris 2008c) and marital equality (Harris 2009b). In my book What Is Constructionism? (Harris 2010), I scrutinized research on mind, emotions, and other topics as I demonstrated the different ways that constructionist scholars can use the same theoretical perspectives and concepts. I hope my book helps readers navigate the increasingly muddy waters of constructionist theory and research.

3) Potpourri

The third category into which I would place my work is less systematically organized but still intellectually serious. For example, I was asked to present a conference paper commemorating the career of my dissertation advisor, which lead to an article about ethnomethodology (Harris 2009a). On another occasion, I stumbled onto an opportunity to collaborate with a like-minded sociologist on an unanticipated topic—celebrity—which resulted in an article and a book (Harris and Ferris 2009; Ferris and Harris 2011).

My last three books have been aimed squarely at undergraduate and non-specialist audiences. In Making Sense of Social Problems, Joel Best and I (2013) gathered a collection of compelling and accessible examples of the constructionist approach to social problems. In How to Critique Journal Articles in the Social Sciences (2014) I show readers how to find the inevitable weaknesses that pervade research while appreciating its advantages over ordinary ways of knowing. Currently I am working on a book entitled An Invitation to the Sociology of Emotions.

Evaluations of My Research

My research has been cited sparingly but approvingly in scholarly articles and books, and there are other signs that my work has been somewhat well received, including awards and honors, book reviews, special invitations, and reprints.

One of my articles was awarded the 2002 David R. Maines Narrative Research Award from the Carl Couch Center for Social and Internet Research. Two of my other papers received honorable mentions (or second place), one for the Herbert Blumer Award from the Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction, and one for the Shils-Coleman Award from the Theory Section of the American Sociological Association. Most recently, I received the 2010 Early Career Scholarship Award from the Midwest Sociological Society. An MSS selection committee gives the award every other year to recognize an early-career scholar (within 10 years of Ph.D.) who has produced a body of work that is "particularly meritorious, creative, or enlightening." In addition to these formal awards, my articles have received informal recognition by being printed as the lead (first) article, on three occasions (Harris 1997; 2004; 2008c).

My book The Meanings of Marital Equality has been favorably reviewed in the American Journal of Sociology, Contemporary Sociology, Gender & Society, Qualitative Research, and Sociology. A review of my book What Is Constructionism? (in Contemporary Sociology, 2010, pp. 713-715) portrayed my book as “a gem,” adding that “The organization is admirable, the writing is lucid, and the argument discerning and promising.”

As a third sign of recognition and reputation, I have been invited to participate in conference panel discussions on the future of symbolic interactionism (at the Midwest Sociological Society) and on the future of social constructionism (at the Society for the Study of Social Problems). I have worked for the journal Sociology Compass, first as a “section editor” and then as editor-in-chief. I have also served as co-editor of a book series on social problems for Lynne Rienner Publications.

Finally, my research has been reprinted (twice) in The Production of Reality, edited by Jodi O’Brien. This book is among the most enduring and well-known textbooks used by social psychologists in Sociology.

All that being said, my work is not cited very often, so by that measure I haven't made a big impact. There is little chance I’ll form too high an opinion of myself.

Future Work

After An Invitation to the Sociology of Emotions is finished, I have a number of projects in mind. If all goes well, I hope to write short books on the sociology of fear and on fleeing the family, among other topics.

Works Cited

Best, Joel and Scott R. Harris (eds.). 2013. Making Sense of Social Problems: New Images, New Issues. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publications.

Ferris, Kerry O. and Scott R. Harris. 2011. Stargazing: Celebrity, Fame, and Social Interaction. New York: Routledge.

Harris, Scott R. [n.d.] An Invitation to the Sociology of Emotions. [Under review]

. 2014. How to Critique Journal Articles in the Social Sciences. Los Angeles, CA: Sage Press.

. 2010. What Is Constructionism? Navigating Its Use in Sociology. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publications.

. 2009a. “Four Ethnomethodological Paradoxes: Reflections on the Work of Kenneth Liberman.” Pp. 443-457 in Studies in Symbolic Interaction: A Research Annual, vol. 33, edited by N.K. Denzin.

. 2009b. “Objective and Interpretive Approaches to Equality in Marriage.” Journal of Constructivist Psychology 22(3):213-236.

. 2008a. “Are Instructors Who Have ‘Practical Experience’ Necessarily Superior to Those Who Don’t?” American Sociologist 39:86-93.

. 2008b. “Constructionism in Sociology.” Chapter 12 in the Handbook of Constructionist Research, edited by J.A. Holstein and J.F. Gubrium. New York: Guilford Publications.

. 2008c. “What Is Family Diversity? Objective and Interpretive Approaches.” Journal of Family Issues 29(11):1407-1425.

. 2006a. “Social Constructionism and Social Inequality: An Introduction to a Special Issue of JCE.” Journal of Contemporary Ethnography 35:223-235.

. 2006b. “The Everyday Meaning of Marital Equality.” Pp. 44-61 in Couples, Kids, and Family Life, edited by J.F. Gubrium and J.A. Holstein. New York: Oxford University Press.

. 2006c. The Meanings of Marital Equality. Albany, NY: SUNY Press.

. 2004. “Challenging the Conventional Wisdom: Recent Proposals for the Interpretive Study of Inequality.” Human Studies 27:113-136. (Lead article)

. 2003. “Studying Equality/Inequality: Naturalist and Constructionist Approaches to Equality in Marriage.” Journal of Contemporary Ethnography 32:200-232.

. 2001. “What Can Interactionism Contribute to the Study of Inequality? The Case of Marriage and Beyond.” Symbolic Interaction 24:455-480.

. 2000a. "Meanings and Measurements of Equality in Marriage: A Study of the Social Construction of Equality.” Pp. 111-145 in Perspectives on Social Problems, vol. 12, edited by J.A. Holstein and G. Miller. Stamford, CT: JAI Press.

. 2000b. "The Social Construction of Equality in Everyday Life." Human Studies 23:371-393.

. 1997. "Status Inequality and Close Relationships: An Integrative Typology of Bond-Saving Strategies." Symbolic Interaction 20:1-20. (Lead article)

Harris, Scott R. and Kerry O. Ferris. 2009. “How Does It Feel to Be a Star? Identifying Emotion on the Red Carpet.” Human Studies 32(2):133-152.