The Epistemological Diversity of Canadian Socology

Abstract

The current paper presents the results of a national survey of 190 full-time members of Canadian sociology departments to examine the state of the discipline in 2014-15. The paper focuses on the extent of epistemological diversity in an effort to answer two key questions. First, what intellectual perspectives prevail among Canadian sociologists and, along these lines, does any particular perspective hold greater prominence? Second, what might explain the variation in the epistemological stances most commonly endorsed? The evidence reveals a preponderance of critical and feminist scholars, which can be explained in large measure by considering the social locations of sociological practitioners. The results of a logistic regression model confirm that gender, generation, geography, and disciplinary genre are significant predictors of critical and critical-feminist orientations. A discussion of qualitative responses fleshes out the dominant themes that Canadian scholars expressed in their survey responses.Résumé. Le présent article présente les résultats d'une enquête nationale menée auprès de 190 membres à temps plein de départements de sociologie canadiens afin d'examiner l'état de la discipline en 2014-2015. L'article met l'accent sur l'étendue de la diversité épistémologique dans un effort pour répondre à deux questions clés. Premièrement, quelles perspectives intellectuelles prévalentelles chez les sociologues canadiens et, en ce sens, une perspective particulière occupe-t-elle une place plus proéminente? Deuxièmement, qu'est-ce qui pourrait expliquer la variation dans les positions épistémologiques les plus couramment adoptées? L'analyse révèle une prépondérance des chercheurs critiques et féministes, ce qui peut s'expliquer en grande partie en tenant en considération les positions sociales des sociologues. Les résultats d'un modèle de régression logistique confirment que le genre, la génération, la position géographique et la catégorie disciplinaire sont des prédicteurs significatifs des orientations critiques et critique-féministes. Une discussion des réponses the epiStemologiCal diverSity of Canadian SoCiology Joseph H. Michalski teaches in the Department of Sociology, King's University College at Western University. His interests include the development of sociological theory and the sociology of knowledge, as well as comparative studies of domestic violence, terrorism, conflict management, and crime-related issues. He also conducts research on the issues of poverty, precarious work, and social inequality.jmichal2@uwo.ca

The study and comparison of one-dimensional kernel estimators – a new approach. Part 1. Theory and methods

“…In the statistical literature, the estimator of the density function of a random variable X given by (1) under more general assumptions is called the Parzen-Rosenblatt estimator or the Akaike-Parzen-Rosenblatt estimator (see [1,12,13]). The results presented here are an important extension of the results of the paper [8], which considered only the Gaussian kernel and specific window smoothing dependent upon the sample size and some parameter from the kernel K. We shall consider eight kernel estimators of the density function with two kernels -the Gaussian kernel and the kernel given by Epanechnikov -using several different methods: Silverman's rule of thumb, the Sheather-Jones method, cross-validation methods and other selected plug-in methods. The main aim is to compare the examined kernel estimators, their effectiveness and the prognostic results.…”

“…The data set includes groundwater level measurements based on 10-centimeter ranges of levels from 10 up to 150 cm. The experimental data aggregated in a frequency table were reproduced by repeated use of a random number generator with a given frequency structure (see [8], Table 1). Then we obtained the vector of values of groundwater level as (x 1 , x 2 , …, x 366 ).…”

“…To assess the effectiveness of the considered estimates and their similarity, we applied a distance measure for measurable and integrable functions proposed by Marczewski and Steinhaus [6]. All numerical calculations were performed for a set of hydrological data recording groundwater level at a land reclamation facility (see [7,8]).…”

“…All numerical calculations were performed for a set of experimental data recording groundwater level at a land reclamation facility (cf. [7][8]). The goal of the paper is to present a method that allows the study of local properties of the examined kernel estimators.…”

A Troubling Presence: Indigeneity in English‐Language Canadian Sociology

“…Since the mid-2000s, Anglo-Canadian sociology has engaged in spirited debates about its history, institutional health, intellectual-philosophical foundations, and contemporary political relevance (Carroll 2013;Creese, McLaren and Pulkingham 2009;Davies 2009;Helmes-Hayes 2016;Hiller 1982;Lachapelle and Burnett 2018;Matthews 2014;McLaughlin 2005;Michalski 2016;Stanbridge 2014;Wilkinson et al 2013). This wideranging introspection notwithstanding, Canadian sociology has only begun to address its relation to Indigenous ideas, scholarship, and politics (Andersen and Denis 2003;Denis 2015;Ramos 2006Ramos , 2008Voyageur 2011;Wilkes et al 2017).…”