The Lens of Practice Theory
- Elizabeth Shove
Abstract
In this contribution to the Theory Corner of the Columns section, Elizabeth Shove interrogates the pervasive metaphor of the ‘practice lens’. Elizabeth takes aim at the seemingly innocuous concepts of 'perspectives', 'lenses’, and ‘filters’ on the grounds that they reproduce a dangerously limited view of the status of theory in social research. The ensuing debate is as important for those who believe that theories selectively reveal aspects of an independent reality as it is for those who claim that theories constitute the very terms of enquiry.
Keywords
epistemologies, lenses, metaphors, perspectives
Supplementary File(s)
Figure 1Author Biography
Elizabeth Shove
Elizabeth Shove is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at Lancaster University and is well known for her work on practice theory.
References
- Hanson, N. ([1958] 1981) 'Observation as Theory Laden'. In Brown, S., Fauvel, J. and Finnegan, R. (Eds.) Conceptions of Inquiry, pp. 222-33. Open University Press. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203983379