Return to Meaning: A Social Science with Something to Say

by Mats Alvesson, Yiannis Gabriel, Roland Paulsen

This book argues that we are currently witnessing not merely a decline in the quality of social science research, but the proliferation of meaningless research, of no value to society, and modest value to its authors - apart from securing employment and promotion.

The explosion of published outputs, at least in social science, creates a noisy, cluttered environment which makes meaningful research difficult, as different voices compete to capture the limelight even briefly. Older, more significant contributions are easily neglected, as the premium is to write and publish, not read and learn. The result is a widespread cynicism among academics on the value of academic research, sometimes including their own. Publishing comes to be seen as a game of hits and misses, devoid of intrinsic meaning and value, and of no wider social uses whatsoever. Academics do research in order to get published, not to say something socially meaningful. This is what we view as the rise of nonsense in academic research, which represents a serious social problem. It undermines the very point of social science.

This problem is far from 'academic'. It affects many areas of social and political life entailing extensive waste of resources and inflated student fees as well as costs to tax-payers. Part two of the book offers a range of proposals aimed at restoring meaning at the heart of social research and drawing social science back address the major problems and issues that face our societies.

Genres: Nonfiction, Academia

174 pages, Hardcover

Published September 6, 2017

About the author

Mats Alvesson är professor vid Lunds universitet och arbetar även vid University of Queensland, Australien, och City University, London. Han forskar och skriver om bland annat organisationskultur, ledarskap, identitet i organisationer och kvalitativ forskning och intresserar sig för fenomenet funktionell dumhet.

Reviews

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

If it had been possible, I would have given this book 10 out of 5 stars. This is a definite must-read for anyone working in academia and especially all the unsuspecting innocent people who are about to embark on a journey into this mostly meaningless and soul-destroying backwater of the world. I wish I’d had this book in my hands before I decided to waste a couple of years as a PhD student. I hope that the authors’ message and proposals will be taken into serious consideration because without any changes, academia of today is doomed.

[Kitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be mandatory for all those working in academia, and it's a great read for anyone who has been in academia or is interested in it.

The main point of the book is to address the issues with mass (social science) research publications and how the majority of these publication lack meaning and social relevance. The first part of the book attempts to describe why this seems to be the current trend in social science research, and the second part offers possible solutions to these issues.

You may not agree 100% with all of the solutions or problems proposed by the authors, however it is easy to get caught up on either side of the extremes in their given examples. It's important to keep in mind while reading this that the authors are suggesting for a new *middle ground* to be reached in academia that essentially leads to more meaningful and publicly accessible research as well as other scholarly contributions.

Overall, it's a really great, thought-provoking read that's very relatable and inspiring.

[Titus Hjelm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being one of those academics who matured right when the publish and perish-craze took off properly, this is awkward but important reading. I confess to having been completely absorbed by the culture of major journal article 'hits'--damn, I even wrote a book about playing that game. But is only now, when it is even conceivable for me to try to think of academia in some other terms. And this is the one flaw I think this book has: the blame is squarely on the shoulders of senior academics for being so weak in resisting external pressures to conform to neoliberal pressures on the university. Young scholars really have few choices unless the field is changed by those with more power. An important book which I doubt many will read, unfortunately.

[Ludwig · Rating 4 out of 5]

The social sciences are losing their meaning and relevance. Researchers and universities aim at publishing in high ranked journals and citations are the name of the game. This is how research careers are made, how universities gain status and how research funding is allocated. Teaching and administrative work are low status and are to be avoided at all costs. Even top scientists are disenchanted with the work they are doing are cynical about its own usefulness. Careerism and instrumentalism are, according to the authors all abound.

What can be done about this state of affairs? The authors propose a few solutions:

- Review impact and social relevance instead of number of citations
- Lessen the number of high positions in academia to increase their status and prevent careerism
- Decrease focus on quantity of research publications. Focus on quality and encourage academics to engage in other types of written work.
- Review ethic boards policy to enable possibility of doing more meaningful research.
- Redo journal article review process. Keep reviewer edits to a minimum and transparent.
- Rethink the current gap-filling mindset of the social sciences and the usage of favorite theories. Instead encourage researchers to theorize a new; encourage 'revolutionary' thinking.

I found this book interesting because i'm contemplating a career in academia and this book has given me a view of what it could entail. After reading this book i can say that i'm less tempted to go into research, especially if it's done in the way, and for the purpose the authors describe. All in all, i'd recommend this book to anyone interested in social science research.

[Alva · Rating 5 out of 5]

När kurslitteraturen faktiskt slapps och fucks hard.