In social sciences, you will be looking at different cases, case studies and examples. While the scope of these may be time based, regional, more general, focusing on different concepts, etc, there will be times where you may be focusing on certain countries. In such cases, having a wider understanding of that country, as opposed to just the particular concept or aspect that you are focusing on, may be useful.
In understanding the country as a whole, it will provide a certain depth to your work. When focusing on a topic applied across multiple countries, you would find that country differences can be rather important. By having a more in depth understanding of these countries, their demographic makeup, social and political systems, regional influences and international alliances, this can definitely assist you in having a more nuanced understanding of why these countries would be different in certain examined aspects.
For example, let’s suppose you are comparing the conservative attitudes in a particular region. While there can be similarities, generalisations may prevent you from uncovering and expanding upon differences, hence reducing your ability to develop a more in-depth, nuanced view. By looking at the differences between different countries, and not treating a region as a monolith, you develop a more complete view, while reducing generalisations.
This makes so much sense! It’s crazy how different countries can have such unique influences on a concept that might seem similar at first glance. Do you think there are certain regions where these differences are more pronounced? Like, are there any examples where understanding a country’s political or social context completely changes how we might interpret a case study?
Totally agree! Having a deeper understanding of the whole country gives so much more context to social science research. What countries have you found the most interesting to study so far?
This is so important, when I have studied political systems it has always been helpful to have an understanding of historical and cultural complexities as I have always seen how they impact the structures of these systems.
Understanding specific countries in depth offers nuanced insights into their demographics, politics, and international relations, enhancing research. How can deeper country knowledge help in avoiding generalizations in comparative studies?
The Balkans particularly come to mind, even though there are similarities between countries, research, students, or other onlookers must make distinction between the different Balkan countries, due to the wars and tensions present in the region.
Another example is the Gulf States. Despite the similarities between them, they do have differences which are important in keeping in mind when writing analyses. For example, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are currently on opposing sides in the Sudanese Civil War.
I don’t really know what to suggest other than reading a range of academic, peer reviewed papers on that country and its different aspects. Let’s say you want to look at manufacturing in South America for example, it would be useful to read specific papers on certain South American countries to have a more detailed understanding.
When writing about different yet similar countries, it would be wrong to assume that those countries might take the same stance just because of shared and similar characteristics of these countries. Therefore, you would want to take a look at existing literature and news articles. Background reading is important so that you understand the nuances and subtle differences between these countries.
As I’ve not done a social science undergrad, unfortunately I have not had much of a chance to study different countries or regions in depth. However, from my own reading, I think the different Central Asian states are quite interesting to look at, as even though there are definitely similarities, the differences in cultural, ethnic and demographic makeup makes the region more interesting.