Question
What is meant by ‘reflexivity’ and why is it important in sociology ?
Solution
Meaning of reflexivity : Generally, the socialist makes efforts to take on outsiders prospective on her/is own work - she tries to look at himself/herself and his/her research through the eyes of others. This technique is called self reflexivity or sometime just reflexivity. The sociologist constantly subjects his/her own altitutudes and opinions to self-examination, she/ he tries to consciously adopt the point of view of others, specially those who are the subjects of her/his research.
II. Importance of Reflexivity in Sociology : One of the practical aspects of reflexivity is the importance of carefully documenting whatever one is doing. Part of the claims to superiority of research methods lies in the documentation of all procedures and the formal cutting of all sources of evidence. This evsures that others can retrace the steps we have taken to arrive at a particular conclusion, and see for themselves if we are right.
It also helps us to check and re-check our own thinking or line of document.
